Chapter 400: Love Drives You Crazy

Zachary was absolutely livid on the other end of the phone, sounding as if he’d just been shot. Caroline froze in shock when he mentioned her recent escapades with younger men. Her whole world seemed to crash down around her.

She never imagined her secret affairs would reach Zachary’s ears so quickly. All that effort to keep it hidden from Frederick, and here was Zachary, that psycho, knowing every single detail. Pure dread washed over Caroline. She was so screwed.

Seeing how furious Zachary was, she knew exactly what was coming—pure torture if she went to him. Her body ached just thinking about previous visits to his place, how she’d been so wrecked she couldn’t function properly for days afterward.

But Caroline had no choice now. She had to beg this man for help. The alternative was Frederick discovering everything and coming after her. That terrified her even more. She’d still rather face Zachary’s psychotic rage.

It wasn’t that she feared Frederick more than Zachary. Zachary was the real psycho, brutal and merciless, with zero regard for women. Sure, Frederick could be scary, but he wasn’t even close to Zachary’s level of crazy.

Caroline was terrified that if he found out everything, she’d lose her chance forever. She’d never be able to get close to him again, not in this lifetime. How could she accept that?

Caroline had spent four whole years falling hard for Frederick. From the very first moment she laid eyes on him, she’d been obsessed with making him hers. It wasn’t even about true love anymore—it was pure obsession, a desperate and dying need to have Frederick, even if just for one night beneath him. That would be enough.

That was where Caroline’s head was at now. She’d completely lost it. Love really could drive one crazy when they wanted someone for too long.

“Okay, got it. Don’t worry, I’ll…” Caroline started to say, nodding as she prepared to head to Zachary’s place. But before she could finish, the call ended with a harsh click.

She frowned, staring at her call screen for a moment before deciding to dial Frederick.

“Frederick, something came up at school. I need to head back there for a few days, so I won’t be home,” Caroline said casually, tossing out the same kind of excuse she always used. She figured Frederick had never paid enough attention to notice or care about her excuses anyway.

“Okay,” Frederick replied flatly before hanging up.

Caroline stared at Frederick’s name in her contacts, letting out a bitter laugh before tucking her phone away and heading out to Zachary’s place.

Just like every other time she went to see him, she’d stop at the mall first to buy a new outfit and fix herself up. Only this time, she’d need to pick up some extra items to spice things up.

After mulling it over, Caroline pulled out her phone and went straight for the delivery app, impulsively ordering one of everything from the prop list. Truth be told, she had no clue what props Zachary actually needed but figured she couldn’t go wrong by just getting them all.

Once she finished ordering, she sent Zachary a sugary-sweet message:

[Zachary, there are way too many props to carry. They’re super heavy, so I had them sent to your place, okay?]

After sending the text, Caroline started getting ready to do her makeup. She was about to start applying it when a thought stopped her in her tracks. This time, he was seriously mad at her. Caroline needed to pull out all the stops to get back on his good side.

Her usual makeup looks were mostly sweet and innocent, but maybe it was time to switch things up. Once Caroline made up her mind, she specifically looked up a professional styling studio. Going there would take care of everything in one shot—makeup, clothes, the works. Plus, the professionals would definitely do a better job than she could on her own.

Caroline opened her phone again and spent ages scrolling through options until she found a styling studio that looked perfect. Then, she called herself a ride and headed out.

Little did she know that Frederick had already instructed Richard to keep her under close surveillance. The moment she stepped out of the Halfmoon Manor, Richard’s men were right on her tail.