Chapter 268
Chapter 268
Catherine‘s POV
The classroom door loomed before us like the entrance to a haunted house. Caroline's grip on my hand tightened with each step, her small fingers digging into my palm with surprising strength.
"Sweetheart, Mommy needs to talk to your teacher for a minute. Can you wait here?" I tried to coax her gently, brushing a strand of hair from her face. Her eyes remained fixed on her Rubik's cube, but her hand refused to let go of mine.
A wave of frustration rose in my chest, hot and sudden. My tone became unintentionally stern: "Caroline, I know you understand what I'm saying. Mommy isn't leaving. I just need to speak with your teacher, and then we'll go home, okay?"
I watched as Caroline lifted her gaze to study my face, seemingly registering my frustration. Suddenly, she wrapped her small arms around my neck, holding on so tightly it was as if she feared I might vanish into thin air. My heart melted instantly, all impatience dissolving like sugar in hot tea.
Anna smiled sympathetically. "Why don't you bring Caroline with you? I'll come along and we can speak directly with the principal."
I gave her a grateful glance and nodded, lifting Caroline into my arms.
---
"It feels like I'm reading about someone else's life," I told Anna later that night, my voice unnaturally calm despite having spent hours poring through the files Clayton had brought back. The dim lamplight cast long shadows across my bedroom as I spread the papers across my silk duvet.
"But there's this pain here that won't go away." I pressed my fist against my chest, feeling my heart hammering beneath my ribs.
"I, Catherine Murphy, was actually imprisoned for six months." The words tasted like poison on my tongue. "They weren't even going to take me to a hospital during childbirth if I hadn't developed complications." An icy chill crept up my spine, my voice turning cold. "I almost died."
Photographs of the old Sforza house stared back at me accusingly – the very place where I'd been held captive, where I'd given birth to the child now sleeping peacefully in the next room.
"The child I nearly gave my life for—they didn't even let me see her before taking her away."
With each sentence, the rage inside me burned hotter, like a fire fed by gasoline.
"If my parents hadn't found me, were they planning to keep me locked up until I died? Force me to watch Everard marry that woman? Make me witness them abuse the daughter I exchanged my life for?"
I looked up at Anna, my eyes filled with undisguised hatred. "Anna, I've never hated anyone so much."
"It's over now," Anna grasped my hand, her tone gentle but firm. "You're back with the Murphys, and Caroline is with you again. It's all in the past."
I shook my head, my heart feeling like it was being shredded by invisible claws. "It's not over. Not when my Caroline is like this. It can never be over."
"Then repay the debt in full," Anna responded quickly, her eyes glinting with understanding.
I suddenly laughed, but it was the kind of laugh that could break hearts. "Little sister, are you worried I'll lose my mind again?"
Anna remained silent, her gaze steady on mine.
I clenched my fists, determination hardening my voice. "I won't lose it this time, don't worry. This time, I'll make someone else lose theirs."
---
The upscale café buzzed with afternoon chatter, the clinking of expensive china providing a delicate soundtrack to what I knew would be anything but a delicate conversation.
"Where is Everard? Where are you hiding him?" Brenda demanded the moment she spotted me, her voice carrying across the polished marble floor.
I gave her a cold look without answering, turning instead to order Caroline's favorite cinnamon dessert and a fruit salad. Only after making sure Caroline was comfortable did I turn my attention to Brenda.
"After all these years, Everard still hasn't married you. Do you know why?" I asked, my voice calm and icy.
"Why?" Brenda asked reflexively, falling right into my trap.
"Because you're too stupid, too classless. Someone like you could never be good enough for Everard Sforza," I said mercilessly, watching her face contort with rage.
"What did you say? You've been in contact with him, haven't you? Is he with you?" Her voice rose sharply, drawing curious glances from nearby tables.
The corner of my mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. "What do you think?"
"I knew it! He disappears as soon as he comes to Skyview City. You two are seeing each other again, aren't you?" Brenda hissed through gritted teeth. "Catherine, how can you be so shameless, always trying to steal my man?"
Her words acted like a match to gunpowder. Before I even realized what I was doing, my palm connected with her cheek, the sharp crack echoing through the suddenly silent café.
"You hit me?" Brenda covered her face, practically exploding with rage. She stood up abruptly. "You bitch—"
Before she could finish, I grabbed my coffee and threw it directly in her face.
"Ahhh!" Brenda screamed, coffee dripping down her designer blouse.
A server rushed over with clean napkins, which I took and tossed directly at Brenda's face. When she wiped her face clean, her eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"Want to continue?" I asked with my arms crossed, challenge evident in every syllable.
"You think the Sforzas will let you into their family after this?" Brenda said with reddened eyes, then pointed at me and Caroline. "Let me tell you something, you'll never be part of the Sforza family, and your daughter will forever be illegitimate!"
Hearing this, I almost laughed out loud. The Sforzas? Who did they think they were? The Murphys had ten times their power and influence.
"Whether I could join the Sforza family is debatable," I replied calmly. "But you? You will definitely never be part of it."
"What makes you so sure?" Brenda asked, nearly hysterical.
The hatred in my eyes was undisguised as I delivered my final blow: "If I asked Everard to break off your engagement, guess what? He wouldn't hesitate for a second."