Chapter 487
Caitlin’s voice was calm but cut straight to the heart of the matter.
She was right.
Caitlin and Katrina were little more than acquaintances, having only met twice. But even in those brief encounters, Katrina had never struck Caitlin as particularly kind or selfless certainly not the sort to quietly do a good deed and disappear without a trace. In fact, to Caitlin, Katrina barely even seemed like a decent person, let alone a saint.
That’s why Caitlin was convinced Katrina wasn’t the one who’d saved Xavier.
If Katrina really had rescued him, there’s no way she’d be so composed. With her personality, she’d make sure everyone knew she was Xavier’s savior-the hero of the day. The only reason she’d keep quiet about it would be if she wasn’t the one who’d actually saved him.
Someone else was the real “mermaid” in this story.
Xavier stared at Caitlin in surprise after her words sank in. “Freya, are you saying Katrina isn’t the one who saved me p>
“Yes.” Caitlin nodded slightly.
“But…when I woke up, Katrina was the first person I saw!” For Xavier, that was all the proof he needed. Katrina had been there when he opened his eyes—so of course, he’d always believed she was the one who’d saved him.
“Who else could it have been, if not Katrina p>
He just couldn’t make sense of it.
Caitlin smiled and asked, “Brother, do you remember in *The Little Mermaid*, who was the first person the prince saw when he woke up on the shore p>
“The princess,” Xavier replied without hesitation.
“And was the princess the one who saved him p>
This time, Xavier fell silent.
Caitlin continued, “From the prince’s point of view, the princess was his savior. But
if
f you look at the story from above, like an omniscient narrator, you know it was
the mermaid who risked everything for him p>
A thoughtful look crossed Xavier’s face.
She was right.
The prince had thought the princess saved him, so he married her out of gratitude, and they lived happily ever after. Meanwhile, the mermaid who truly saved him faded away into sea foam.
Xavier remembered how unfair he’d thought that was when he first read the story as a child. The mermaid had given up everything for the prince, and he never even knew.
And now, somehow, he’d ended up in the same kind of story.
He frowned. “Freya, fairy tales and real life aren’t the same. If someone else really did save me, why would she disappear? She’s not a mermaid, and there’s no tragic reason for her to hide p>
The mermaid had stayed hidden because she didn’t belong to the prince’s world —she might have had a human body, but she still had a fish’s tail.
“Maybe, after saving you, she had some other reason-something that forced her to leave,” Caitlin suggested gently.
Xavier raked a hand through his hair. “Freya, all of this is just speculation. What if there is no ‘mermaid’ this time p>
Until he found proof, Katrina was still his rescuer. Without her, he wouldn’t even be alive.
Xavier’s thoughts twisted with
conflict and guilt. He couldn’t accept someone like Katrina as his
girlfriend, but he also couldn’t just turn his back on her She had, after
saved his life at least as fara
he knew. Without her, he might not be standing here.
Caitlin understood exactly how torn he felt-after all, what stood between him and Katrina was a matter of life and death. And Xavier had always been someone who valued loyalty and gratitude.
She changed the subject. “By the way, Xavier, didn’t you say you lost your Guardian’s Charm during the accident p>
“I did,” Xavier nodded.
“What kind of charm was it?” Caitlin pressed.
“It was just like yours,” Xavier replied. “Except the inscription on the back was
different. Yours has your middle name, mine says ‘Summer p>
Their grandmother, Hannah, had made a unique charm for each grandchild a design she’d created herself to find anywhere else. On the back of every charm, she’d engraved the last letter of each grandchild’s name.
“You mean this?” Caitlin pulled out her own Guardian’s Charm from beneath her collar. She’d worn it ever since reclaiming her identity, though it was usually hidden under her clothes.
Xavier nodded. “Yes, exactly that p>
Caitlin paused, thoughtful. “Xavier, can you walk me through everything that happened that day, in as much detail as you remember p>
“Of course p>
He trusted Caitlin completely, and told her everything, from start to finish.
When he finished, Caitlin looked at her brother and said, “Xavier, I still think there’s more to this. Give me some time I promise I’ll get to the bottom of it p>
He was her brother. There was no way she could turn a blind eye, or let Xavier be manipulated by Katrina for the rest of his life.
She stood up. “I’m going to head back to my room p>
Xavier got to his feet to walk her to the door. As they reached the hallway, he hesitated. “Freya, I really think this is just wishful thinking. I’m almost certain Katrina was the one who saved me p>
He paused, then added softly, “But don’t worry I’ve already broken up with Katrina. I won’t get back together with someone like her, but she did save my life-so there are some things just can’t cut off completely. But I promise you, as long as I’m here, I’ll never det her hurt you again p>