Chapter 361

Chapter 361
Serena’s POV
I felt Mateo's grip on my wrist tighten as his voice rose to a thundering volume. "Why would you give her mango cake? Don't you know she's allergic?!"
A flash of anger surged through me, the unfairness of his accusation burning like fire in my chest. Being blamed like this in front of everyone made my skin crawl with humiliation.
"How could I possibly know that?" I shot back, unable to contain my frustration any longer.
I knew I shouldn't be raising my voice when Hattie was so weak and struggling for breath, her face increasingly swollen from the allergic reaction. But she had knowingly eaten the cake herself—wasn't that her own responsibility? I couldn't understand the logic behind any of this.
"Who told you to give her anything to eat? Her body is different from others—don't you understand that?!" Mateo changed tactics, his gray eyes flashing with rage as he towered over me.
The injustice of the situation made tears prick at the corners of my eyes, though I refused to let them fall. "I didn't give it to her," I insisted, my voice trembling slightly despite my efforts to control it. "She took it herself." I don't know why, but in that moment, I couldn't hold back. Being wrongfully accused in front of the entire Kennedy family was more than I could silently bear.
"She took it herself? She knows she's allergic! Do you have any idea what an allergic reaction can do to her heart condition? Do you know she has congenital heart disease? Do you know she's had a heart transplant?" Mateo's words came out as rapid-fire bullets, each one designed to make me feel more and more guilty. "An allergic reaction could trigger her heart condition again. Is she trying to kill herself? She took it herself?!"
I bit my lower lip hard enough to taste blood. I couldn't make sense of it either. Why would Hattie risk her life for a momentary pleasure? Was a piece of cake really worth dying for? How did that make any sense?
"If you hadn't offered it to her, if she didn't feel obligated to accept it from you, would she have eaten it?" Mateo had decided I was to blame, and nothing would change his mind.
The humiliation and anger burned inside me. He was deliberately shaming me in front of everyone, without giving me the slightest chance to preserve my dignity.
Benjamin finally intervened, his voice calm but firm. "Serena has only recently returned to our family. She couldn't have known about Hattie's condition."
"I should have told her about Hattie's allergies," Joseph Kennedy acknowledged with a heavy sigh, his weathered face lined with concern.
My heart eased slightly, grateful that at least some family members were willing to stand up for me.
"Mateo is just upset," Mrs. Langston quickly added, trying to diffuse the tension. "Hattie hasn't had an incident like this in years." Though her words were conciliatory, I could still detect the underlying accusation in her tone. "No one can be blamed for what they don't know. We'll just need to be more careful next time."
I wanted to defend myself further, to explain exactly what had happened, but Benjamin squeezed my arm gently, warning me to stay quiet. I swallowed my words, forcing myself to calm down. I knew Hattie's life was hanging by a thread, and arguing about who was to blame would only make me seem selfish and cold-hearted. I had no choice but to swallow my pride.
I watched Hattie's labored breathing, her face growing paler by the second. If she had truly eaten the mango cake out of simple greed, I wouldn't hold it against her. But something about the situation didn't feel right. My eyes narrowed slightly as I maintained my silence. There was more to this than I could see—I felt it in my bones.
Within five minutes, the emergency helicopter landed on the sprawling grounds of the Kennedy estate. Mateo lifted Hattie in his arms and sprinted toward it with the speed and determination of a man possessed.
Hattie's older brother quickly followed them onto the helicopter.
Benjamin joined them as well. As a Kennedy, it was his responsibility to represent the family in this crisis—the most basic obligation he could fulfill.
After the Langstons departed, the remaining Kennedy family members gradually dispersed. Only those of us who lived in the main house remained.
Joseph Kennedy addressed the room with quiet authority. "It's been a long day. Everyone should get some rest. What happened today stays within these walls. We won't speak of it again."
I understood that my grandfather was protecting me, silencing any further discussion of my supposed role in Hattie's condition. A small warmth bloomed in my chest at his loyalty.
After everyone else had gone, I sought out my grandfather to explain privately. "Grandfather, Hattie took the cake herself. I didn't force her, nor did I offer it to her." I needed him to know the truth. I couldn't bear the thought of him harboring any doubts about me.
"Do I not know what kind of person you are?" Joseph smiled gently. "Besides, you've never been one to meddle in others' affairs. You've always kept to yourself in this house, like a guest. You wouldn't go around actively offering things to people."
His words both comforted and saddened me. He believed me, yes, but he had also highlighted the distance I'd maintained from the Kennedy family all these years.
Joseph sighed heavily, and I knew he shared my melancholy. After all this time, I still hadn't truly integrated into the Kennedy family.