Chapter 7
Chapter 7
He had vowed, his voice thick with an emotion that felt real at the time.
“Catherine. I will never fail you. Not in this lifetime p>
My eyes had been glistening with unshed tears as I nodded.
“I don’t trust the world,” I’d whispered. “But I trusted
you p>
I trusted him that much. I had given him my whole, fragile world.
He hadn’t been blind to it. He knew it all too well.
He knew I grew up poor. He knew my life had never been easy.
He knew my father died in a car accident and that my mother and I depended on each other to survive. He
knew I had lacked love since childhood.
More than anything, he knew my mother’s accident was the deepest wound in my heart.
So he appeared at just the right time.
He helped me at just the right time.
He cleared every obstacle for me at just the right time.
Naturally, he walked into my heart and took everything I had.
Then came the pledge, delivered with a gravity that felt like a vow before God.
“Catherine, I love you. Let me be your foundation p>
He had never lacked anything since childhood. Whatever he wanted, he got. Wind, rain, power, status.
A heart like mine? It must have seemed like the simplest conquest of all.
Tears fell onto the ring in his hand.
The housekeeper couldn’t help but remind him, “Mr. Sterling. You should… you should see the footage from that night p>
The housekeeper sighed and turned away.
In the empty room, only Lucian remained.
He stared at the footage.
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On the screen, I was sitting on the edge of the bed. Harsh laughter came through the speakers.
“Catherine. She has no idea p>
“I made sure her mother was kept on just this side of living. Never allowed to truly heal p>
“That way, our dear Catherine would always be tethered. Always Mrs. Sterling p>
That familiar voice made Lucian’s entire body shake. It was his.
He stared in disbelief, watching my tear blurred face, and then heard the voice continue.
“What a pity p>
“Mrs. Sterling, after your mother learned the whole truth, she seems to have lost the will to live p>
It was Jessica’s voice.
That was when he finally realized who it was. It was Jessica.
“I just paid a little visit to your mother’s room. Had a nice chat about how miserable your life has been p>
“She cried. Sobbed so hard the machines went wild. So I figured… This time she won’t make it p>
“Catherine, dear, still clinging to that empty title? Lucian’s already signed everything. How can you still be
disgracefully persistent p>
Before Jessica’s voice even finished.
“Mrs. Sterling…” The doctor’s voice was a study in professional regret.
“I’m very sorry to inform you that your mother passed at 18:35 this evening. Please accept our deepest
sympathies p>
My phone slipped from my hand. I covered my mouth and curled up on the carpet, crying until no sound
came out.
Lucian watched her shatter in real time. A pain, sharp and vicarious, lanced through his own chest.
“Catherine.” He raised his hand, wanting to touch me.
But he could never reach me.
He watched as I cried on the carpet until I suddenly vomited blood.
That was when I finally started to come back to my senses.
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I braced myself against the wall, stood up, and rushed toward the mansion entrance, only to be stopped by
the housekeeper.
The housekeeper asked me anxiously, “Mrs. Sterling, it’s the middle of the night. Where could you possibly be going p>
I just stood there with red eyes, unable to say a single word.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
The housekeeper would not let me leave.
The housekeeper’s own eyes filled.
“I know,” she said, her voice soft with compassion. “I know what he did. I know how you’ve suffered p>
I shook my head hard.
Then I played the voice messages. Jessica’s provocation, and the doctor’s confirmation that my mother had
already passed away.
And then, I was gone.
The frame showed only the empty doorway before the footage cut to black, swallowing me whole.
Lucian watched the footage in near self torture, replaying it again and again. He watched it the entire night.
The housekeeper came to ask him several times, but he didn’t respond.
He only kept staring at the screen.
When dawn finally broke, he called his assistant.
“Bring Jessica to me. Now p>
Chapter 7
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