?Chapter 1544:

    But Linsey kept her observations to herself. After all, Caitlin had been too heartless. Whatever came next, she had brought it upon herself.

    Meanwhile, Caitlin stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, her fingers tightening against the ss as she watched Kallie and Jake walk away. A strange feeling settled over her—not relief, not satisfaction, but something closer to unease. Would Kallie hold this against her? Of course, Kallie would. A sudden chill ran down her spine at the thought.

    Then, before she could stop herself, a darker realization surfaced—if only those thugs had done their job properly, she wouldn’t be feeling this way at all. The thought hit her so quickly, so naturally, that it startled her. Why would she think that?

    But the thought was too powerful to ignore. It gnawed at Caitlin, refusing to be suppressed. A part of her—one she barely recognized—whispered that maybe she should have helped those thugs. Maybe she should have made sure they seeded.

    At first, all Caitlin had wanted was to test yton, to see if his feelings for Kallie still lingered. But when the moment arrived, when she saw Kallie in danger, she had made a choice. She had stood back and watched. Not out of fear. Not out of uncertainty. But out of resentment. She had seen the brutality in those thugs’ eyes and understood exactly what would happen if Kallie and Linsey fell into their hands.

    And yet, an intrusive, twisted thought had flickered through Caitlin’s mind. If Kallie were broken, vited, she would no longer be the person Caitlin had always looked up to. The envy wing at her heart would finally settle.

    But it had been nothing more than wishful thinking. Caitlin stared at her own reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window, and for the first time, she truly saw herself. The quiet malice lurking beneath herposed exterior.

    She barely had time to process it before strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

    “What are you thinking?” yton’s voice was soft, tinged with seeming affection, his warmth pressing against her back. “Shall we rest a little longer? It’s been a tiring few days.”

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    Caitlin turned to look at him, her emotions tangled in a confusing knot. Before she could stop herself, the words slipped out. “You seem in a good mood. Is it because of Kallie? Because she wasn’t harmed? Because she was rescued? Are you happy about that?”

    yton’s body tensed, his grip on her faltering for just a moment. Silence stretched between them.

    And in that silence, Caitlin felt a pang of regret. But she couldn’t take the words back. Because no matter how much she tried to deny it, the feeling wouldn’t go away.

    The grip on Caitlin’s hand suddenly loosened. A cold wave of fear surged through her, tightening around her chest, but she held firm, biting her lower lip. Her gaze remained locked on yton’s reflection in the ss—stubborn, searching, uncertain.

    A heavy silence stretched between them before yton finally spoke, his voiceced with something unspoken, something almost wounded. “Is this really how you see me? Can’t you trust me at all?”

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