Chapter 126 Is He Going to Kick Me Out?
"Yes, sir." Liam silently took note.
Alexander's footsteps stopped abruptly.
He turned his head slightly, pausing for several seconds before adding in a low voice, "And ask the doctor if there is anything that can keep her from dwelling on the past. Something to stop her from overthinking. I want her to stay... like this."
This time, Liam froze completely.
His head jerked up, staring at Alexander's back in shock.
Alexander was not merely accepting Caroline's current state—her blurred memories, her dependence on him. He wanted to keep her that way?
He did not want Caroline to remember?
He wanted her to remain in this fabricated world where she loved him? Where she had forgotten all the pain, all the torture, all the truth?
It was unthinkable.
Liam's thoughts reeled.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Alexander was already moving again, walking toward the study.
Liam swallowed his shock and hurried after him.
Alexander stepped into the study and collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. He lit a cigarette out of habit.
The harsh smoke filled his lungs. His head swam, as though a fog had settled over his mind. For a brief moment, the chaos inside him went numb.
He closed his eyes and spoke, his voice rough.
"Liam. Am I losing my mind?"
Liam's chest tightened. He stepped forward quickly. "Mr. Hamilton, don't say that. You're just—"
"Just what?" Alexander cut him off, a bitter smile twisting his lips.
"Too ridiculous? Too pathetic? Or just too despicable?"
He closed his eyes slowly, as if weighed down or perhaps simply trying to escape.
"I'm losing it. I actually played along with her tonight. I comforted her. Told her Edith's death wasn't her fault. I even said she was my wife."
He repeated the words he had spoken in Caroline's room—the ones that had slipped out without thought.
"I've learned how to lie now."
"Mr. Hamilton!" Liam could not stand it any longer. He gathered his courage and said quietly, "You didn't lose control. You just... care about Mrs. Hamilton. That's all."
Care?
The word pierced Alexander's chest like a needle.
His eyes snapped open. He looked at Liam.
"Shut up." His voice was cold. He looked away.
Liam immediately lowered his head, not daring to say another word. "Yes, sir."
He turned and left the study quickly.
Smoke curled silently through the air, wrapping around Alexander's solitary figure.
Did he care about Caroline?
No. Impossible.
He hated her.
He had tormented her for five years.
How could he possibly care about a woman he despised? A woman he had believed was a murderer?
Even if the truth seemed close now, hate was still hate.
The things he had said tonight—they were only to keep her confused.
Because he hated her for killing the woman he loved. That had nothing to do with whether Edith had loved him back. Yes. That had to be it...
But the rest of the justification would not come.
Because if he did not care, why had he nearly destroyed the Neville Family today?
If he did not care, why had he lost control when he heard her scream?
If he did not care, why had his first instinct—knowing the truth might ruin everything—been to make sure she never remembered?
'Alexander. What are you really afraid of? That Edith lied to you? Or that Caroline will leave you?'
The thought surfaced unbidden, and it terrified him.
The ash on his cigarette lengthened, heavy and fragile, until it could no longer hold.
It broke off silently and fell.
The ember landed on his cold fingertip, still burning.
The small sting of pain jolted him back.
He lifted his hand and stared blankly at the red mark on his skin.
Did he care?
He did not know. Could not figure it out. Did not know if any of his actions meant he cared.
But in that moment, a thought crept into his mind.
Perhaps what had kept him alive all these years was the hatred born from loving Edith and never being loved in return.
After Edith died, he had transferred that hatred to Caroline, giving himself a reason for it.
And now that reason was crumbling.
The hate was draining away like a retreating tide. And when he looked back, all he saw was endless darkness. Suffocating emptiness.
And Caroline.
Only Caroline.
When Caroline woke again, daylight streamed through the window.
She blinked her dry eyes and looked toward the bed.
Kenna stood with her back to her, quietly packing a small suitcase. A few open boxes sat on the floor, holding her clothes—what few she had.
Even the cushion she always leaned against was being tucked inside.
Caroline's chest tightened. She tried to sit up quickly.
"Kenna? What... what's happening? Is Alexander... is he making me leave?"
"Mrs. Hamilton! You're awake."
Kenna turned immediately, saw her sitting up, and hurried to the bedside.
"Mrs. Hamilton, don't panic. Mr. Hamilton gave orders for you to move back to the master bedroom. I'm just packing your things."
Move back to the master bedroom?
Caroline froze, staring at Kenna. It took several seconds for the words to sink in.
Then a flush spread across her pale cheeks. Her eyes lit up.
"He... he really said I could sleep there?" Caroline could barely believe it.
Kenna nodded firmly.
Caroline's face broke into a smile. She sat up too quickly, tugging at her wound, and gasped in pain.
"Mrs. Hamilton! Don't move!" Kenna rushed to steady her.
"The cut on your leg is deep. You cannot move like that. Just lie still. I'll bring the wheelchair in a moment."
"A wheelchair? No, I can walk..."
Caroline said it, but she obediently stopped moving. The flush on her cheeks lingered. Her eyes were bright as she scanned the room.
"I don't want to leave anything behind... my brush, and that little mirror..."
"Mrs. Hamilton, don't worry." Kenna looked at her—so happy, so foolishly hopeful—and felt her heart ache. She spoke gently.
"You're just changing rooms, not moving out. If we forget something, I'll come back for it. Don't worry. We'll be done soon."
Caroline nodded eagerly. The smile would not leave her face. She kept repeating, "That's wonderful... it's really wonderful..."
Kenna watched her, smiling like a child who had finally been given the candy she had long awaited.
And the ache in Kenna's chest only grew.