Chapter 5

The first week after Caroline came back home was uneventful.

Lisa dropped by to see her several times a day, John showed up at the dinner table every now and then, Alex was pretty much nowhere to be seen, and Sophie brought breakfast every morning.

The servants were always polite, but there was this subtle distance in their manners, like she was some rare exhibit at the zoo, being watched from behind the glass.

Caroline spent most of her time in her room. It was tucked away at the far end of the second floor, facing south and always bathed in sunlight. From her window, she could see a tree out in the garden.

Mary had made the place feel extra cozy—soft blue sheets, airy white curtains, and a bouquet of flowers on the desk.

Her days followed a strict routine: wake up, eat breakfast, then take a few laps around her room. The doctor said a bit of movement was good for her heart. Lunch at noon, a two-hour nap, afternoons spent reading or watching TV, and after dinner, she'd head to bed early.

She felt like a plant carefully transplanted into a greenhouse, slowly adjusting to new soil and a different climate.

The peace was shattered on the eighth day.

That afternoon, Caroline was reading in her room when she suddenly heard loud voices downstairs. She put her book down and walked to the top of the stairs, where she saw a girl in a red dress standing in the living room, yelling at Sophie.

"Sophie, stop acting. You're not even a real Carter. Why are you still sticking around here?" the girl shouted.

Sophie stood in the center of the living room, head bowed, shoulders trembling, tears streaming down her face, looking heartbreakingly pitiful.

Lisa was beside her, her face dark with displeasure as she tried to comfort Sophie. John sat on the sofa, his expression grim, saying nothing.

Caroline recognized the girl in the red dress. She was Olivia Lane, a distant cousin of the Carter family, a year older than Sophie. She was always the bold, bossy type, and she and Sophie had never gotten along.

When Olivia spotted Caroline at the top of the stairs, her eyes sparkled, and she waved her over. "Carol, get down here. Take a look at your wannabe sister. She's got the act down pat, tears on cue, better than any TV drama star!"

Caroline didn't move. She stood at the top of the stairs, one hand on the railing, looking down at the drama unfolding below.

"Carol, get down here," Olivia urged again.

Sophie looked up, her tear-filled eyes meeting Caroline's, lips trembling. "Carol, I'm not pretending... I'm really not..."

Caroline looked into Sophie's eyes. The tears were real, but that look of helplessness was for show. It was a clever disguise—using genuine emotion to prop up a fake expression, so people couldn't tell what was real and what was an act.

"I'm not coming down," Caroline said, her voice soft but clear enough for everyone in the living room to hear.

Olivia froze for a moment. "Why not?"

"Because the last time I fell down those stairs, I nearly died," Caroline replied, her tone so calm that it was like she was talking about someone else's life, not her own. "I don't want to fall again."

The living room went dead silent for a moment.

Lisa's face fell, and even John looked unsettled. Sophie's tears seemed to freeze mid-air, like someone had hit the pause button.

Olivia snorted, "Hear that, Sophie? She doesn't even want to share the same stairs with you. That's pretty pathetic, isn't it?"

Sophie's tears started falling again, even harder this time. She was shaking all over as she cried. "Carol, I really didn't mean to... I really didn't mean it that day..."

Caroline didn't say a word. She turned around and walked back to her room, gently closing the door behind her.

She closed the door softly, with no slamming, no drama, only a calm, natural movement. But the soft click lingered in the living room, making everyone feel like something had been shut out for good.

Caroline slid down to the floor, leaning against the door, her heart thumping wildly and erratically. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling the irregular beats, like a bird trapped in a cage, desperately flapping its wings.

She waited until her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, then stood up, walked back to her bed, and continued reading.

She wasn't thinking about what was happening downstairs, or whether Sophie would hold a grudge, or if Lisa would see her as heartless. What really caught her attention was something else. Olivia showing up today was no accident.

Olivia had beef with Sophie, knew Caroline was the real heiress, and wanted a partner to go against Sophie. That was why Olivia came looking for Caroline, hoping to pull her into the game.

But Caroline had no intention of joining. It wasn't that she didn't want to deal with Sophie. It was that in this house, openly picking sides or stirring up conflict would only end up hurting herself. She didn't need allies, didn't need anyone to stand up for her, didn't need backup.

All she needed was to survive, to fall at the right moment, and to make sure everyone saw one thing: she was genuinely at risk, and her life was hanging by a thread.

This wasn't a threat. It was simply the truth.

That night, Alex came home.

When he got back, Caroline was already asleep, but he still opened her door and stood there for a moment. The room was lit only by a nightlight, its soft yellow glow falling on Caroline's face. As she slept, she looked even smaller, almost like a child.

Alex stood there for a while, about to leave, when Caroline suddenly opened her eyes.

"Alex," she called, her voice still rough with sleep.

Alex stopped in his tracks. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I wasn't sleeping well anyway," Caroline said, sitting up and leaning against the headboard. "Is there something you need?"

Alex hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside and sat down on the chair by her bed. He paused, chose his words carefully, and finally said, "I heard about what happened this afternoon. Don't pay Olivia any mind. She loves stirring up drama."

Caroline nodded. "I know."

"And..." Alex's voice grew a little strained. "Sophie... she's been part of this family since she was a kid. Suddenly finding out she's not their biological daughter must be really tough for her. Some of the things she does might not be right, but try to cut her some slack. She's not a bad person."

Caroline looked at Alex for a long time.

She wanted to say, "Alex, do you have any idea what it's like to tumble down nineteen stairs? Or what it feels like when your heart stops? Or to be lying in the ICU, hooked up to all those machines?"

But she didn't say a word.

She knew Alex would never understand. No one would, unless they'd been through it themselves.

"Alright," Caroline said. "I won't make things difficult."

Alex visibly relaxed and stood up. "Get some rest. If you need anything, call me."

Just as he reached the door, Caroline suddenly called out to him. "Alex."

Alex turned around.

Caroline sat in the dim light, her expression hard to make out, but her voice was clear. "You say Sophie isn't a bad person, and I trust you. But what if someday you realize she actually is?"

Alex frowned, looking like he wanted to say something, but Caroline had already lain back, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and closed her eyes.

He stood there for a few seconds, then turned and walked out, pulling the door shut behind him.

The hallway was quiet. Alex stood outside Caroline's door, feeling like her question was a thorn lodged in his chest.

He kept telling himself Sophie wasn't a bad person. He'd known her for eighteen years. She was always kind, gentle, and sensible. How could she possibly be a bad person?

But Caroline's question kept churning in his mind, leaving him unsettled and anxious.

He walked over to Sophie's door and hesitated for a moment, but didn't knock. He stood quietly by the door, listening. Everything was silent inside; Sophie was probably already asleep.

Alex turned and walked away.

What he didn't know was that Sophie wasn't asleep. She sat on her bed, the glow from her phone lighting up her face and showing the hint of a smile at her lips.

On the screen was a video of Olivia causing chaos in the living room that afternoon. Nobody knew who filmed it, but the angle was perfect. It caught Caroline standing at the top of the stairs.

Sophie watched the video three times, and every time Caroline said, "Because I don't want to fall again," she paused, studying Caroline's expression closely, trying to catch every little detail.

Finally, she put her phone on the nightstand and lay down.

She stared up at the ceiling, thinking for a long time.

Sophie thought the real heiress wasn't as easy to deal with as she'd expected.