Chapter thirty
Aaron was pissed, Dario made it seem like Caitlin was a saint but she wasn't.
"Would you stop saying that....you didn't know Caitlin!" Aaron yelled at him.
"How do you mean?"
"She wasn't perfect, she wasn't the saint you paint her to be she..." Aaron didn't want to say more, he knew if Dario finds out about what happened years back he wouldn't forgive Caitlin.
"You've got to be kidding me" Dario scoffed when Aaron didn't complete his sentence.
Aaron lowered his voice as he ran his fingers on his face as a display of frustration. "What I'm trying to say Dario is that you shouldn't have chased her out like that with Ruby. I had to take them in...." Aaron didn't know when the last sentence left his mouth, he didn't want Dario finding out as Diane begged him not to tell Dario.
"What!!!..." Dario faced him with anger and resentment "why do you like to take everything that belongs me?" He gritted out
<Chapter thirty three Morning light filtered through the curtains as Ronnie and Catherine caught their breath after a wild night. They had barely finished round two—one in the bedroom and another in the bathroom—when Ronnie, still feeling the aftermath, decided it was time to call for breakfast. Just as he reached for her phone, a knock echoed through the room. "Room service!" came the cheerful call. Before Ronnie could respond, the door swung open, revealing Dario and Theo, grinning ear to ear as they wheeled in a lavish breakfast spread, the aroma of fresh pancakes and sizzling bacon filling the air. "Wow!!!" Theo exclaimed, his eyes wide as he took in the scene, glancing between the two of them. Catherine instinctively tugged down her t-shirt, trying to shield herself from their amused gazes. "It’s not like I haven’t seen it before," Dario quipped, dodging a pillow thrown at him by Ronnie. "Relax, just joking!" "What are you two doing here?" Ronnie asked, feigning annoyance bu
Chapter thirty two Catherine opened her eyes to find Ronnie gazing at her, a mix of emotions swirling in his eyes. He hadn’t said the “L” word back yet, but at that moment, she didn’t care. "Good morning. How long have you been awake?" she yawned, stretching. His fingers tangled gently in her hair as he replied with a breathtaking smile. "I don’t know... long enough." Her eyes widened. "Seriously? You’ve just been staring at me?" He nodded, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. She felt a rush of embarrassment and covered her eyes with her hands. "What if I drooled while sleeping?" she pouted, half-laughing. "You’d look cute doing it, just like you do now." He leaned in and stole a kiss, leaving her momentarily speechless. Wait—what? She hadn’t even brushed her teeth! Last night had been unforgettable; it was her first time, and they’d made love more than five times after she confessed her feelings. She could still feel the aftershocks of those intense moments. "I love
Chapter thirty one Catherine sighed, sinking deeper into the bed, covering her face with her hands. "I know... I was so stupid. I told him everything, thinking he couldn’t hear me. But he wasn’t fully unconscious—he could hear every word." Hayden’s eyes widened as she sat down beside Catherine. "Catherine, how could you let that slip?" She looked utterly shocked, her voice laced with concern. "What are you going to do now?" "I don’t know," Catherine muttered, her voice muffled by the pillow. "Dario doesn’t seem angry, but... I feel like I’ve made everything more complicated. And then there’s Ronnie..." Hayden raised an eyebrow, leaning closer. "Ronnie? What about him?" Catherine let out a frustrated sigh. "Dario and Theo think he’s in love with me. They said he’s been jealous this whole time, that he doesn’t even care about Lucy." Her voice wavered with uncertainty. "But he’s engaged, Hayden. And I don’t know if they’re just trying to make me feel better or if I should even belie
Chapter thirty Mason arrived to pick Catherine up after breakfast with her parents. The entire experience still felt surreal. She had a family—a mother, a father, and a sister. Not just any sister, but a twin. The thought twisted uncomfortably in her chest. Was Caitlin the reason she’d been missing all these years? It felt wrong to place all the blame on her. The memories Catherine had unlocked revealed she hadn’t been the easiest child—she was a brat back then, angry and reckless. But still, Caitlin could have told someone the moment she pushed her overboard. She could’ve alerted an adult, instead of waiting until morning to start pretending to look for her. By then, Catherine had likely drifted miles away from the ship, lost in the storm. Maybe even dead—or so they all thought. Catherine sighed. They were adults now, and she had no intention of holding on to the past. But still, Caitlin’s absence lingered in her mind. Where was she? Why hadn’t she returned? "Hey, you look so wor
Chapter twenty nine "What are you doing?" The voice was faint, like an echo from a long-forgotten past. She froze, her breath catching in her throat. She stood aboard a ship she had never set foot on before, yet it felt eerily familiar. In the distance, two figures—a pair of young girls—argued in the heart of a raging storm. The one facing her, drenched and defiant, was unmistakably herself, younger and more reckless. Slowly, she approached, the wind whipping her hair, saltwater stinging her skin. From a safe distance, she finally saw the face of the second girl, the one with her back turned. Her heart stilled. It was like staring into a mirror—another version of her younger self. "Why do you always do that?" the other girl spat, her voice sharp with frustration, cutting through the roar of the storm. "What do you care?" Young Catherine shot back, her chin lifting defiantly. "I take what I want. If I can't have it, I'll guilt them into giving it to me. And if I still can't have it
Chapter twenty eight Arriving at the imposing Smoak mansion, Catherine's thoughts swirled with a potent mix of apprehension and uncertainty. Helen's unexpected invitation for her to spend the night with her and Christian only added to the whirlwind of emotions. Despite Rosita's initial reluctance, she relented after some persuasion from Jacob, leaving Catherine to grapple with her own inner turmoil.Her mind still reeling from Ronnie and Lucy's bombshell announcement, Catherine felt as though the ground had shifted beneath her feet, leaving her adrift in a sea of uncertainty. Catherine's thoughts drifted to Theo's cryptic message, his urgent plea for a conversation when she returns weighing heavily on her mind. The memory of his embrace, tinged with a sense of foreboding, lingered like an ominous shadow.Pushing aside the turmoil, Catherine resolved to lose herself in the grandeur of the Smoak mansion. The sight of the sprawling estate, adorned with a majestic fountain and meticulou