Chapter 5
Kirsten felt the warmth of Frederick's hand on her wrist. Her eyes were tinged with red as she turned back. "Frederick, I don't want to make things hard for you.
"Caroline must be mad at me. You should go back and try to cheer her up. Don't let me mess things up between you two."
"She won't be mad. That's just not her," Frederick blurted out.
He hadn't meant to defend Caroline, but to Kirsten, it sounded like he was covering for her. 'Of course he'd take her side,' Kirsten thought bitterly.
"Then why are you going back?" she demanded.
Frederick's lips tightened, and he didn't answer right away.
"I really envy Caroline. I wish I could be the one..." she said, her voice thick with envy.
Seeing the pain in her eyes with those words, Frederick felt his heart soften.
"Kirsten, you're the only one I care about," Frederick said softly.
The hallway lights flickered on and off, and as they gazed into each other's eyes, something electric passed between them.
Kirsten covered her mouth in shock, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at him.
Frederick reached out and gently wiped away her tears. "I'm going to find Chloe. Will you come with me?"
"Because... you're her real mom," he said softly.
Her tears faded into a smile as Kirsten nodded.
As they walked hand in hand, Frederick and Kirsten were lost in each other's gaze, their feelings reflected in their eyes.
They kept their fingers intertwined, not letting go until they noticed Chloe squatting by the roadside.
The moment Chloe saw Frederick, she threw herself into his arms.
Chloe burst into tears, clinging to him. "Daddy, you finally came for me," she cried.
"Do you not want me anymore? Why did you make me live in such a tiny house?" Chloe wailed.
Frederick didn't know what to make of her words, so he just gently patted her back to soothe her.
Meanwhile, Kirsten quietly took out her phone and shared the moment on X.
The hashtag "Rich Socialite Abuses Child" started trending like wildfire.
It shot straight to the top of the trending list.
Caroline stood on the street, dazed and overwhelmed by regret.
She kept beating herself up for walking out on Chloe, for not being there when she needed her.
All of a sudden, Frederick came to mind.
With trembling hands, she fished out her phone, and right at the top was that post.
Staring at the photo of Frederick and Chloe in each other's arms, she didn't feel shocked. Instead, a wave of relief washed over her.
She was just relieved that Chloe was safe.
But in the next second, the comment section exploded with hate. People were cursing her out, wishing her dead.
Caroline stared at her screen in a daze, her mind numb.
It felt just like the first time she was attacked by an online mob.
It wasn't until her phone started ringing that she snapped out of it.
Frederick was practically shouting into the phone.
"Caroline, get your ass back here right now!" he roared.
When Caroline rushed back home, she saw Kirsten cuddling Chloe and reading her a picture book, while Frederick sat nearby, grinning as he watched them.
Looking at the three of them, Caroline couldn't help but feel like she was the outsider. They were the real family here.
She barely had time to catch her breath before Frederick snapped at her.
"Caroline, are you freaking insane?" he barked. "If you want to die, go do it yourself, just leave Chloe out of it!"
Kirsten jumped in, "Seriously, Caroline, Chloe's just a kid. How could you let her stay in a place like that?
"She's the James family's heiress! You're throwing away her future!"
Caroline stayed silent, just walked over and hugged Chloe tight, mumbling, "It's fine."
Frederick scoffed at her pathetic state.
He snapped, "I'm busy enough as it is. Stop making drama out of nothing.
"Go pack up your stuff. Kirsten's going to be with Chloe for the next few days.
"You can stay in the guest room and take a good look at yourself. You don't have a shred of motherly instinct."
Caroline was about to say no, but Frederick's phone rang, and he disappeared into his study.
She tried to take Chloe's hand, but Chloe slipped away from her grasp.
"Mom, I don't want to go back," Chloe said.
Caroline sighed, trying to sound casual.
"Don't worry, Chloe, we're not going back," Caroline reassured her.
Kirsten's eyes flashed with worry, but she forced herself to keep calm and asked in a low voice, "Caroline, what are you trying to do?"
She pressed. "Don't forget what you promised me!"
Caroline rubbed her aching temples, interrupting her.
"Once everything's settled, I'll leave," she said.
"About that divorce agreement..." Caroline began, her voice trailing off.
But before she could finish, the sound of the door opening cut her off.
"Kirsten, would you go to the cocktail party with me tonight?" Frederick called out, his voice dripping with honey, enough to make anyone's heart melt.
The next moment, Frederick's expression turned icy as he looked at Caroline and said in a detached voice, "Go iron the dress."
Caroline had long grown used to his condescending commands.
But for Chloe's sake, she had to endure it for now.