Chapter 199 That Day You Wanted to Kill Me, Didn't You?
"Edith..." Caroline's lips trembled as she finally managed a whisper. "Edith! It's really you!"
She suddenly rushed forward and hugged Edith tightly.
Only when she touched Edith's warm body did Caroline dare to believe this was real.
"You're back? You're not dead!" Caroline sobbed uncontrollably. "This is incredible... you're finally back. Edith, how did you end up like this? I'm sorry, it's all my fault, I didn't protect you. It's okay, I'll take you to Alexander. He'll be so happy to see you. He'll get you treatment, and you two can finally be together. I can't believe this..."
As she spoke, Caroline forgot she was running for her life and pulled Edith to leave.
But Edith didn't move an inch.
"Edith?" Caroline looked at her in confusion.
Edith suddenly showed a strange smile, staring intently at Caroline. "Caroline, you're so happy to see me, aren't you? I'm still alive. Now you don't have to carry that guilt anymore—the label of being the one who killed her sister can be removed from you. Does that make you feel relieved?"
Caroline finally sensed something was wrong.
"That night, at the dock, do you really not remember?"
With just these few words from Edith, Caroline suddenly felt a sharp headache.
A deeply buried memory suddenly surfaced.
That night, she actually didn't know Alexander had already proposed to Edith.
That night, when Edith didn't come home, she was very worried.
Later, she received a text message in Edith's tone.
[Caroline, there's a problem with the cruise ship I'm on! It's returning now, come pick me up at the dock! Please, don't tell Mom and Dad, just come by yourself. They'll scold me if they find out!]
Caroline was frantic and rushed to the dock without thinking.
She waited a long time before Edith appeared.
Strangely, she didn't come from the supposedly troubled cruise ship, but arrived in the family car.
Caroline asked urgently, but Edith avoided the topic.
She told Caroline shyly that Alexander had proposed to her and she had said yes.
Caroline remembered feeling bitter inside, but she also knew Alexander didn't like her, so she sincerely blessed Edith.
Suddenly, a group of mafia appeared, heading straight for Caroline.
In the chaos, Edith ran away, leaving her behind.
As Caroline ran for her life alone, another group appeared, and the two sides started fighting, allowing Caroline to escape.
Just as she was about to break through, she found Edith trapped in the crossfire. Caroline pushed through the hail of bullets into the crowd, trying to save her, but it was too late.
She watched with her own eyes as Edith fell under gunfire.
Caroline only passed out after Alexander arrived.
While unconscious, she heard someone whispering in her ear—
"You were jealous that Alexander liked Edith. You ran away from home and encountered a mafia shootout. Edith died trying to save you. You're guilty. Remember, you're the one who killed Edith."
When she woke up, she remembered nothing except that she had killed Edith, and she agreed to take care of Alexander and her parents.
So that's it!
She finally understood why Lina had asked during her first therapy session whether she had been hypnotized.
Lina said that based on her experience, Caroline's memory confusion didn't seem like it was simply caused by PTSD.
So she had been hypnotized all along.
Caroline looked up at Edith.
"That night... you were the one who brought those people to kill me, weren't you?"
Edith smiled.
"Yes, but I didn't know where the second group of mafia came from either. I didn't expect you to survive while I almost died and ended up looking like this."
Her tone became venomous. "Who told Alexander to go against Linus? Who told him not to hand over power and push Linus into a corner? All these years of pain and suffering... he deserved it! He owes me! He owes Linus!"
The truth was finally revealed!
In a daze, Caroline understood why Alexander had cried and said Edith didn't love him anymore when she woke up after giving birth.
"Ah!" Caroline clutched her head and screamed.
So what was she? What did all these years of suffering mean?
When she was tormented by guilt, unable to live or die, Edith had been watching from the shadows all along?
Caroline completely broke down and lunged at Edith, gripping her throat tightly.
"Why? Why! Say something!"
A fierce light flashed in Edith's eyes. With a flick of her wrist, a cold gleam appeared as a dagger pressed against Caroline's neck.
"Because you liked Alexander, and anyone connected to him deserves to die!"
"But I'm your sister!"
Edith sneered. "Caroline, there's a limit to how naive you can be. If Alexander had failed to seize power back then, would you have spared me?"
Tears streamed down Caroline's face.
She wanted to say she wouldn't have, that she would never betray family. But seeing the crazed Edith, she suddenly didn't even have the strength to speak.
So she was the only one who cared...
Caroline closed her eyes in despair.
The pain was so overwhelming she could no longer fight. She had always lived in Edith's shadow.
If that was the case, she had no desire to live anymore.
Edith raised the knife. A warm splash hit Caroline's face, but she felt no pain.
Caroline opened her eyes in panic to see Kenna had blocked the fatal blow for her.
Kenna cried out and collapsed.
"Kenna!" Caroline shouted in horror.
"Madam... run..."
Using her last strength, Kenna lunged forward and grabbed Edith's legs tightly.
She looked up at Caroline, worry still in her eyes, before her body fell heavily to the ground.
Caroline froze.
Kenna was dead.
Like Felix, she had left her.
And there was Liam, whose fate was unknown.
Everyone who cared about her was leaving one by one...
Suddenly, the child began crying loudly.
Caroline snapped back to reality.
No! She couldn't die!
She couldn't waste the chance Kenna had bought with her life!
Edith kicked Kenna's body aside and lunged at Caroline with a twisted smile.
Caroline, holding the crying child, broke through the broken window on the other side of the cabin and rushed into the forest.
"Run? You really think you can escape?" Edith's hoarse, cold laughter rang out behind her.
Caroline ran desperately, not daring to look back.
Her feet were cut and bleeding, her lungs burned with pain, and the child in her arms cried heartbreakingly.
But she didn't dare stop.
After running for what felt like forever, Edith's voice finally disappeared behind her.
Caroline collapsed to her knees, ignoring the pain, and looked down at the child.
The child had stopped crying and wasn't moving.
"How could this happen..."