Chapter 44 Your Sin
Caroline's face had gone deathly pale from the pain, but even opening her mouth to cry out only scraped her throat raw, as if every breath dragged over burning glass.
The emptiness in her chest was worse than the ache. The choking inability to speak made her, for one terrifying moment, want to end it all.
"You can't even handle something this small. All you do is snivel and play the victim." Rainey's voice was sharp enough to cut skin. She didn't hold back—if anything, she leaned into the cruelty.
She shot to her feet, towering over Caroline, jabbing a finger toward her face. "You're just like that dead sister of yours—no… at least Edith knew how to charm people. You? All you can do is hurt others and milk their pity. You killed your own sister, and now you want to destroy the Hamilton family? Let me make this clear—so long as I'm breathing, you'll never have a good day in your life."
The words struck Caroline like a steel bar. Her heart, already numb, tore open in fresh agony.
No. Edith's death wasn't her fault.
Her body began to shake, beyond her control. She felt like a brittle leaf in an autumn wind, barely able to stand.
She hunched over, teeth sinking into her swollen wrist. The sharp sting there was nothing compared to the deeper wound inside.
And this pain… it was beyond words.
The butler and the maids froze, caught between fear and duty. They wanted to help Caroline, but feared Rainey's wrath. They wanted to stay out of it, but dreaded Alexander's judgment if Caroline collapsed.
"What are you standing there for?!" Rainey's fury spiked when Caroline only cried instead of apologizing.
"Clean this up! The sight of it makes me sick! And you—get back to your room. Don't stand here cluttering up my view. That pathetic face of yours disgusts me. Just like your—"
Her venom was cut short. The front doors swung open from outside.
Alexander stepped in.
No one knew how long he'd been there, listening. His face was carved from ice as he crossed the threshold.
His eyes went first to Caroline, hunched on the floor, crying without sound. His brow tightened slightly.
Then he turned to Rainey, whose expression had shifted the moment he appeared.
She hesitated, unsure how much he'd heard. But her spine straightened again, and she pitched her voice into accusation. "Alexander! Look at what she's done! I asked her to bring me tea, and she smashed the cup, spilled it onto my carpet—your father brought that back from overseas! And now she's sitting here, crying like she's the victim. I only told her a few truths."
She shifted the blame squarely onto Caroline.
Caroline shrank tighter the moment he entered. He'd seen her at her worst again.
He would believe his mother. He would think she was causing trouble, playing the helpless act.
But no reprimand came.
Alexander said nothing at first. He walked into the living room, gaze fixed on Rainey.
His voice was cool, almost bored. "Mother, what are you doing in my private home?"
Rainey's face shifted instantly. "Your house is my house. I'm your mother. Can't I stay here for a few days?"
Her tone carried the weight of entitlement.
"And I was woken from my nap by noise. Seeing this troublemaker made me angry. Alexander, why did you bring her here? Was the family home too quiet for you?"
"She needs rest." His reply was clipped.
"Here?" Rainey blinked.
If he'd taken her to the apartment Edith liked, she wouldn't have cared—it would have been just another way to make Caroline uncomfortable. But his private home? That meant something else.
Was he… accepting her presence?
It took Rainey a moment to process. Then her anger returned, sharper. "Does she look like she's resting? She's already causing trouble! Alexander, this place doesn't welcome her. Take her away. Send her where she belongs."
Alexander's brow furrowed, his tone dropping.
"Mother, this is my place. If I say she stays, she stays. As for this so-called trouble…" His eyes swept over the broken porcelain and the stain on the carpet. "A cup. A rug. Broken, dirty—so what? Worth your midnight outrage?"
Rainey's eyes went wide. He was defending Caroline? Against her?
"Alexander! What is this attitude? I am your mother!" Her voice rose, cheeks flushing red. "You're talking back to me for some worthless woman? Have you forgotten she killed Edith? Have you forgotten the shame she brought on the Hamilton family and the Neville family?"
"I haven't forgotten." His words were cold steel.
"But her matters are mine to handle. Mother, you're not young anymore. You should enjoy life, not meddle in this. And I don't want to hear you speak of Edith with insult ever again."
Rainey's face drained of color.
So he had heard.
She might be brazen, but Edith had always been his soft spot. Even she wouldn't cross that line.
She stood there, silent.
Alexander's voice cut through the air. "It's late. You should go."
It was a dismissal, plain and sharp.
Rainey's jaw tightened. Since when did she need permission to be in her own son's home? Since when did he defend another woman against her? And now he was sending her away?
The anger boiled, but she didn't dare lash out at Alexander. Instead, she turned her glare on Caroline. "This is all your fault. If you hadn't killed Edith, none of this would have happened."
She snatched her handbag from the entry table, heels striking hard against the floor as she stormed out.