Chapter 220 Don't You Think They're Being Biased?
Just because she was born a few minutes earlier, Caroline had to play the role of Caroline - being understanding, giving in, and taking care of her younger sister.
She even had to bear the baseless accusation of stealing her sister's nutrition in the womb, as if she had owed Edith something from the moment she was born.
And he used to think this was right, too.
Alexander clenched his fists, walked to the table, and pulled out the chair across from Caroline to sit down.
Edith's eyes lit up when she saw him, "Alex! Are you eating here too?"
"Yeah." Alexander responded, but his gaze fell on Caroline's slightly lowered face. He asked casually, "Next week is your birthday? Have you thought about what gifts you want?"
When Edith heard this, she immediately broke into a bright smile and began listing items without hesitation - the latest luxury bags, jewelry, and limited edition dolls, her eyes shining as she looked at Alexander.
But Alexander kept looking at Caroline, who remained silent, and asked, "Caroline, what about you? What birthday gift do you want?"
"Me?" Caroline looked up in surprise.
Her birthday was on the same day as Edith's, but it seemed like it had been a long time since anyone had specifically asked her what gift she wanted.
Usually, everyone just assumed that the sisters liked the same things, or simply prepared one gift "for the Neville family young ladies."
"Alex!" Edith pouted, half-joking, half-complaining, "So you were asking Caroline? That's so unfair!"
Alexander paused, suddenly remembering that he actually had many opportunities like this before to get to know Caroline.
But every time, he would be interrupted by Edith's playful interruptions.
And he, as if he couldn't see anything else, only saw Edith, naturally letting his attention be drawn away, ignoring Caroline who always seemed about to speak but never did.
This time, he wouldn't let his attention be drawn away again.
"It's not being unfair." Alexander interrupted Edith, "If I'm going to give gifts, of course I should give what they really want. You and Caroline definitely have different preferences. I'm asking to make sure I don't give the wrong thing, wasting both the thought and the gift."
The smile on Edith's face froze noticeably for the first time.
"You still say it's not unfair!" She continued to joke, "You never thought this much before - you always gave me what I liked! Now you're starting to care about what Caroline likes... Oh my, don't tell me you like her."
She laughed, her eyes looking back and forth between Alexander and Caroline.
Caroline suddenly put down her fork, "I don't need anything, I don't need gifts. Thank you for your kindness, Alexander."
After speaking, she picked up her barely touched plate and stood up, "I'm full, I'll head back to the classroom first. You two take your time."
Without waiting for anyone to respond, she had already turned and left.
Edith watched her leave, then turned back to Alexander with a helpless smile and shrugged, "Alexander, don't mind her. My sister is just like that - she's kind of cold, doesn't really like crowds, and isn't good at accepting people's kindness. But she's actually really nice..."
Alexander didn't say anything.
He watched Caroline's somewhat lonely figure, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.
That coldness wasn't her nature at all.
It was clearly a protective shell she had grown after being ignored for so long.
And he had once been one of the accomplices.
After school, the sky had darkened at some point and it started raining heavily.
Alexander walked out of the academic building and happened to see a familiar figure under the eaves.
Caroline stood there alone, frowning slightly, looking at the increasingly dense curtain of rain.
"Caroline?" Alexander walked up in surprise, "Why haven't you left yet?"
Caroline turned her head, and seeing it was him, lowered her eyes, "Edith... seems to have caught a cold and isn't feeling well. My mom just came to pick her up and took her straight to the hospital. She told me to wait here for a while."
Alexander's brow immediately furrowed, "It's not like there's only one car at home. Why make you wait here for nothing? If Edith's checkup takes a long time, or if the situation changes, are you just supposed to keep waiting? What if the rain gets heavier?"
Caroline was stunned by his questions.
She had thought Alexander would be concerned about Edith first.
He... always cared about Edith. In the past, hearing about this kind of situation, he probably would have rushed into the rain before she even finished speaking.
She hesitated, then explained softly, "It's okay, just waiting a bit longer. Edith's health is more fragile..."
"Her health is fragile, so everyone has to revolve around her and can just ignore your needs, is that it?" Alexander interrupted her, "Caroline, haven't you ever felt that they... favor her a bit too much?"
"Alexander!" Caroline was startled and instinctively looked around. "Don't say things like that! How could... My parents just... it's just that Edith isn't in good health and needs more care. I'm her older sister, waiting is nothing."
Alexander looked at Caroline's flustered appearance, and something twisted in his chest.
She actually did feel it, she was just too used to it and couldn't help but accept it.
Under long-term suppression, she had even started instinctively making excuses for this obvious unfairness.
In the end, he couldn't bear to say more, couldn't bear to force her to face things she might not be ready for yet.
He looked at the increasingly heavy rain outside, took off his jacket, and naturally draped it over her shoulders.
"It's too cold here, and the wind is strong. Don't wait anymore, come with me."
"Go... where?"
"Find somewhere to get out of the rain, somewhere warmer."
Alexander took her wrist and led her toward a passage on the other side of the academic building that almost no one noticed.
Alexander brought Caroline to a small reading room behind the school's old library that had been almost forgotten.
The location was remote, filled with old and obscure books, and almost no one came here normally.
Alexander had only discovered this quiet place by chance when trying to escape his family's "care," and he had flipped through quite a few of the books here when bored.
Caroline looked around at the books in surprise and couldn't help but whisper, "I didn't expect you to find a place like this."
Caroline also liked reading.
She picked up a book and started reading, gradually becoming absorbed, and simply settled into a corner.
Seeing this, Alexander also randomly pulled a book from the shelf and sat down beside her.
He had picked up a romance novel from some unknown era.
He was just flipping through it casually at first, but somehow got drawn in by a passage about sacrifice and acceptance, and couldn't help reading it aloud:
"'I know this is foolish,' she whispered to the night sky, tears and rain mixing together as they fell, 'I know I should let go, should wish him happiness. But here,' she pointed to her heart, where there was only emptiness, only a dull ache left."