Chapter 8
But now, Chloe said she hated Caroline.
Kirsten smugly took Chloe's hand, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"You're such a failure. Your husband's not yours, and neither is your kid," Kirsten said.
She thought that would really piss Caroline off.
But Caroline just gave a faint smile.
"If you like them so much, they're all yours," she said.
No point in keeping someone who'll just bite the hand that feeds them.
Kirsten thought the woman standing before her was a whole different person now, nothing like the Caroline she used to know.
Kirsten said, "Talk all you want, but don't forget, you're still carrying that baby..."
Caroline said, "This child will never see the light of day."
Caroline's tone was so indifferent, like she was talking about someone else's business.
"Tomorrow, make sure Frederick doesn't come to the hospital," she said.
Kirsten hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Before leaving with Chloe, Kirsten gave Caroline a conflicted look and asked, "Caroline, why did you give up?"
Caroline stayed silent for a long time. Just as Kirsten was getting impatient and about to leave, Caroline finally let out a relieved sigh.
"Because I'm tired," Caroline said.
She used to believe that if she kept at it for ten years, her warmth would eventually soften Frederick's frozen heart.
But she was wrong. Ice can melt, but a rock stays hard forever.
She even considered sticking it out a little longer. After all, she'd survived ten years already. What was another decade?
But honestly, she was just exhausted.
It was the kind of exhaustion that made it hard to breathe.
The next morning, just as Frederick was about to leave for the hospital, he heard muffled sobs coming from inside.
He walked to the door and slowly pushed it open, only to see Kirsten curled up in the corner.
Her eyes were puffy and red, her cheeks stained with tears.
"Frederick, I'm so scared..." she whimpered.
Frederick's heart twisted as he pulled her into his arms, whispering comfort to her.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," he said.
"Frederick, I dreamed you left me, and even Chloe hated me. I'm really scared," Kirsten whimpered.
Frederick kept comforting her, though he kept glancing at his watch.
When she finally calmed down a bit, he pulled out a card and handed it to her.
"Go buy yourself something you like. I need to go to the hospital and look after Caroline."
Kirsten buried herself in his arms, clinging to him. "Frederick, can you stay with me today?"
He hesitated, but seeing her red, swollen eyes, he couldn't say no.
Just as Caroline finished changing into her surgical gown, her phone buzzed.
Frederick texted, "Kirsten's in a bad mood. I'm not coming over today."
The message sank like a stone. No reply came for a long time.
Frederick stared at his phone, feeling a wave of anxiety, but he still locked the screen.
Three days passed before Frederick returned to the hospital.
He took out a diamond ring he'd had ready for a while and handed it to her.
He said, "This is the ring I promised you back then."
With just one look, Caroline could tell it was just a promotional freebie.
The less-than-one-carat stone was nothing compared to the ten-carat pink diamond on Kirsten's finger.
She accepted it quietly and set it aside.
That wasn't the reaction Frederick was hoping for.
He took a deep breath and reached for Caroline's hand. "Caroline, I've got something special planned for you.
"I'll come pick you up in three days."
Caroline noticed how emotionless Frederick looked, her eyes drifting to the ring in his hand.
She had a pretty good idea what Frederick's "surprise" was this time.
Back then, he'd promised to propose to her every year on their wedding anniversary.
But that promise was never kept.
If this had been before, she would've been counting down the days, waiting for that moment.
But now, it didn't stir her heart at all.
Frederick thought she was just overwhelmed with joy, so he immediately started making arrangements.
The next day, Frederick had a white gown delivered.
The white gown pooled elegantly on the floor, meant to represent perfect, unblemished love.
Caroline tilted her chin at Kirsten. "Try it on and see if it fits."
Kirsten stared at her in disbelief. "This is from Frederick. Why should I be the one to try it?"
"Looks like you're the main character in this little surprise now," Caroline said, her voice flat and her eyes completely indifferent.
That was when Kirsten realized Caroline was dead serious this time.
On the third day, when Frederick showed up at the hospital, Caroline was sleeping.
Suddenly, her phone started ringing.
Frederick instinctively looked over.
The screen lit up, and a notification appeared. [Your flight has been successfully booked. Please check in at Gate 1A tomorrow...]
Just as he was about to pick up the phone, Caroline's eyes snapped open, sharp and wary.
Frederick cleared his throat, trying to hide his awkwardness. "You booked a flight for tomorrow?"
Caroline flipped her phone over, her voice flat. "No."
He nodded, letting it go. "Get some rest today. See you tomorrow."
Just ten minutes after Frederick left the hospital, Caroline quietly picked up the suitcase she'd packed in advance.
Without looking back, she melted into the crowd and vanished from the hospital.