Chapter 181
Carola sat there crying, completely lost. She had no idea what to do next. As far as she was concerned, if anyone was going to take the blame for what happened today, it had to be Dorothea. Still, as Dorothea’s mom, Elise found herself getting caught in the crossfire of Carola’s anger.
“Mom, I know you never really loved me. Not truly. But now that Dorothea wants nothing to do with you, are you still going to side with her p>
Elise was stunned into silence. She stared at Carola, the girl she’d raised like her own, and all she felt was a cold emptiness. “Carola, haven’t I always done enough for you p>
It felt like she’d given her whole heart away, and it still wasn’t enough.
“I don’t know, Mom. I just know you didn’t say a thing at the wedding today. You just stood there and watched Dorothea twist everything around and smear my name p>
Elise’s heart ached at the accusation. For a moment, she couldn’t even find the words to respond.
“Alright, Carola, wipe your tears. Just tell me. Did you have anything to do with this p>
Layton brought the conversation back to the real issue. They needed a solution, not more drama.
“Dad, do you not trust me either?” Carola’s voice was thick with tears, her face pale and fragile. Watching her, Layton couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“Carola, it’s not about trust.” He let out a long sigh. “Never mind. I’ll figure something out p>
If things got any worse, he’d just find someone else to take the fall. There was no way Carola was going to jail. Not a chance. And anyway, all this happened so long ago. Layton knew those old videos couldn’t have been faked with the tech available back then. Digging deeper would only put Carola in a worse spot. The smartest move was to produce a few scapegoats and end it.
Alonzo watched Carola, his heart heavy for her. “Come on, Carola. Let me take you upstairs p>
Before following her, he glanced back at his mom. “You should really think about what you’ve done p>
Elise looked around at her family. Her husband wouldn’t meet her eyes, her son didn’t trust her, and her daughter’s words left her feeling hollow. Suddenly, Elise realized just how frightening Carola could be.
All those times Carola cried growing up, Elise always scolded Dorothea, telling her to give in, to be kinder to her sister. Now she wondered, how many of those tears had been just as fake as the ones today?
Latham drove with one hand on the wheel, glancing over at Dorothea. “So, are you feeling any better after today p>
feel a little bit avenged, but I
Dorothea shook her head
wouldn’t say I’m happy. I just keep thinking about those kids.
They weren’t kids anymore, but some wounds never healed.
“Don’t worry about them. I’ll talk to a law firm, make sure the families and victims get
the legal help they need. You can relax p>
Dorothea looked at him, her gratitude sincere. “Thank you, Latham p>
Latham just laughed quietly. He hesitated before asking, “Did Carola treat you like that before p>
Dorothea turned away from his intense gaze and watched the world
Outside the window Not quit 1.9
bad as this, but yeah, she did a bit p>
But she’d found her own way out. She hoped the others could do the same.
Latham looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just smiled, hiding whatever darker thoughts he had. He wasn’t about to let Carola get away with it so easily.
Suddenly, Dorothea’s phone rang, breaking the heavy silence in the car. “Hello? Eddy p>
It was the hospital. Dorothea’s face went from tense to absolutely overjoyed in an instant.
“Wait, Eddy, are you serious? My grandma’s awake p>
As soon as he heard, Latham spun the car around and headed straight for the hospital.