Chapter 307: He Already Had an Answer
That night, Caroline showed him a rare, unprecedented tenderness. Frederick still remembered everything that happened that evening. At this point, he already had an answer in his heart. But he couldn’t bring himself to believe it fully, not yet. After all, Caroline had played her part so convincingly for the past four years. If Claire hadn’t suddenly been released from prison, and if she hadn’t ended up in bed with Frederick just like that, Caroline might never have shown a single crack in her facade. So even though Frederick sensed something was off, he couldn’t bring himself to fully trust Claire’s words.
For him, Caroline wasn’t just Anna’s sister, the woman he loved. She was also Andrew’s sister, the person who had saved his life. With these two powerful ties, it was incredibly hard for Frederick to doubt her. Yet, the signs were undeniably there. Frederick took a deep breath, suddenly overwhelmed with frustration. He lit a cigarette and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, absently puffing on it.
Meanwhile, Caroline was sleeping soundly, enjoying the peace she felt after Claire’s disappearance. With Claire gone, she thought the future was all hers. Becoming Frederick’s woman was just a matter of time, so, naturally, she felt happy, ate well, and slept like a baby. In fact, at that very moment in her dreams, she was already imagining herself with Frederick. But then her phone rang. Just as Frederick in her dream reached for her, his hand slipping under her clothes, the ringtone woke her with a start.
“Who is it?” Caroline groggily grabbed the phone, irritated.
“Did I interrupt your little dream? Damn it, Caroline, Claire is back at Halfmoon Manor. How the hell can you still sleep?” It was Zachary on the line.
“What?” Caroline shot up in bed.
“No way!” She slapped her own face to make sure she wasn’t imagining things.
“Of course it’s possible. You’d better get dressed and go check for yourself. Is Claire really back? You’re completely useless! How the hell did I end up choosing such a useless partner?” Zachary yelled at her before hanging up abruptly.
Caroline sat on her bed, stunned by the harsh words. “Ah!” She grabbed her thigh in frustration, pain rushing through her, and only then did she fully wake up to the reality of the situation. Hastily, she threw on some clothes and rushed to Claire’s room.
When she reached the hallway, she saw light spilling from under Claire’s door. She froze in her tracks. Claire was back. Her heart skipped a beat, and dizziness washed over her. She grabbed the railing to steady herself. She glanced at Frederick’s room—light was also slipping under his door. Her legs wobbled as her mind ran wild.
Claire hadn’t died—she was back. Had she told Frederick everything? Had they already discussed everything while she was asleep? Caroline turned around and stumbled back to her room. She closed the door behind her and collapsed onto the floor. Her heart was pounding, panic taking over her mind. No! It couldn’t be true!
She had acted so well in front of Frederick for the past few years. There was no way he would believe she had pushed Claire off a cliff. Right! Frederick wouldn’t believe it! Stay calm! Stay calm! Caroline, you must stay calm! At this critical moment, she couldn’t panic. If she did, everything would be lost.
Meanwhile, Frederick stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his cigarette burning out in his hand. The floor was littered with cigarette butts. His mind replayed the past four years, especially Claire’s return from prison and Caroline’s strange behavior ever since. Despite some troubling signs, he still leaned toward trusting Caroline.
After all, Claire had always been arrogant, and four years ago, she had been responsible for Anna’s death. These things had already pushed him to distrust Claire. There was no way he could suddenly suspect Caroline just because of what Claire said. Right! This was just Claire’s attempt to shift blame onto Caroline after failing to elope with Antony. Frederick stood firm in his belief, pushing the thought of Claire aside and returning to his original stance. Believing Claire would require too much. If he accepted her version, he’d have to tear down everything he had believed in for the past four years. It would force him to confront feelings he had long ignored. With that, he snuffed out the cigarette and turned toward the bathroom.
Just as he reached the door, his phone rang. It was Richard. Frederick glanced at the time—it was late. Something important must have come up. After all, Richard had just dropped him off a few hours ago when he was drunk. He answered the call, unaware that it would bring such news.
“General, I’ve just finished investigating the matter at the prison. I’ve confirmed that Ms. Prescott endured unimaginable torment and suffering. No wonder her personality changed so drastically after she was released.”