Chapter 4
976 Words
A sharp pain slammed through my chest.
Why did they all assume, without ever once asking me, that I was scheming to win over the Thomas family, that I was forcing Caleb into marriage?
The same netizens who had once sympathized with me now turned vicious, calling me a manipulative social climber who groveled before the powerful. I could barely breathe. My hands trembled as I typed out a comment beneath his post:
Eleanor: [Did you ever ask her what really happened? Did you ever consider that maybe she doesn't want to marry you at all?]
I sent it, shut off my phone, and didn't look at it again. Only after I'd gotten out of the car did I see that he'd actually replied:
Caleb: [How could she not want to marry me? You have no idea how much she likes me. She even wants to follow me to GIT.]
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I didn't respond.
When I got home, my mom was sitting alone at the dining table, waiting for me. "Eleanor, you're back."
She looked at me, with her expression tired and complicated. "You were wronged today, too."
My nose stung. A wave of grievance and injustice surged up inside me. My mom sighed, and her eyes slowly reddened. "You've been used to a life of luxury since you were small. There's been such a gap for you coming back. I know you want to return to the life you had before. I understand that. Your father and I will do everything we can to make sure you have a good life. But listen to me, sweetheart, don't fight for things that don't belong to you."
Meeting her earnest, pleading gaze, my throat tightened. "Are you saying all this for Caroline's sake?"
My mom froze for a second, then looked away. "Caroline cried for hours today. She grew up right before our eyes. How could our hearts not ache for her?"
''But what about me? Who aches for me?''
I swallowed a bitter laugh and held back my tears, looking her straight in the eye. "Don't worry. I've already turned the Thomas family down. And I won't compete with Caroline for anything. Not now, not ever."
I walked away before I could see her expression. She seemed shocked, guilty. But I didn't care anymore. I shut my bedroom door behind me, and only then did the tears finally fall.
The next day, Caleb called to interrogate me. "I heard you voluntarily gave up our engagement. Have you forgotten our promise? Over ten years of history between us, how could you just throw it all away?"
I didn't understand why he sounded so indignant. Wasn't this exactly what he'd wanted? I stayed silent for a moment, then simply responded, "I just want to focus on preparing for the SAT. Besides, Caroline was so upset yesterday. I don't want to make everyone unhappy."
At that, Caleb finally exhaled, with his tone lightening. "I didn't expect you to be so understanding about this. Let's just leave the engagement as it is for now. As long as things between us stay the same, that's what matters. I'm almost at your building. We promised we'd go to the amusement park together. Hurry up and get ready."
Before I could respond, he hung up. I didn't want things to get worse and complicated, so I got up to change my clothes.
The amusement park was swarming with people. The moment we stepped inside, we spotted Caroline pulling Austin toward us. "What a coincidence! I told my brother I wanted to come here today. I never imagined we'd run into you two!"
She turned to me. "I'm sorry about yesterday, Eleanor. I was far too emotional. But thank you for being willing to give the engagement back to me." She pronounced those last words slowly, deliberately, savoring each one.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Austin came over and pulled me aside. "Come on. Let's go buy drinks." I knew what he was doing. He was giving Caleb and Caroline time alone. I followed him in silence.
While we waited in line, Austin watched the two of them nearby, chatting and laughing. He spoke slowly, without looking at me. "I heard about what happened yesterday, Eleanor. You're about to take the SAT. I hope you can keep your focus on your studies."
I looked at my own brother. It felt like tiny needles pricking at my heart. It seemed the only way to earn my family's fleeting warmth and attention was to surrender everything to Caroline.
But in two lifetimes, I had never once competed with her for anything. They had already cast me as the villain without ever bothering to learn the truth.
Noticing my silence, Austin frowned and tried again, patient and reasonable. "You've lived the good life that should have been Caroline's for over ten years. If it weren't for that mix-up at birth, a family like ours would never have had any connection to someone like Caleb. What Caroline has lost is so much greater than any grievances you've suffered."
I had no words left.
When I got back with the drinks, Caleb and Caroline had already disappeared.
We didn't run into them again until we reached the Ferris wheel. Both of them wore strange, flushed expressions. Caleb glanced at me awkwardly and offered a stiff explanation. "Caroline wanted to ride the Ferris wheel earlier, so I went with her. If you two still want to go, we can..."
Before he could finish, a staff member from the park jogged over, beaming at Caleb and Caroline. "You two! We captured a sweet moment for you. This is a little keepsake!"
He handed over a photograph. I saw the two figures in the image, locked in a tight embrace, sharing a deep, passionate kiss.
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