Their plan worked perfectly. They all arrived to the party, laughing loudly, joking around, and enjoying themselves. Catherine was happy to be able to spend time with her friends again. When they arrived at their houses, they ran upstairs excitedly and changed their clothes before coming down. Then they headed straight to the party without bothering to change anything else. At first, everyone had tried to convince Catherine to dress differently, but she refused. The girls knew that they wouldn't be able to change Catherine's mind unless they gave her some extra time to try something else. After all, her friends agreed that was she usually very particular about her clothes, so they all thought it best to play along with her wishes.When Catherine arrived at the party, she immediately spotted Serena sitting on one of the couches with Catherine, She smiled happily at the sight of of her Catherine looked extremely happy. She was smiling, blushing, giggling, and waving at her friends as

"Are you okay? You don't seem okay," she said.Catherine hesitated. She didn't want to lie to Kate, but she knew that she couldn't tell the truth, either. She didn't want to burden her friend with her problems, since she was clearly busy enough with her own problems. She couldn't burden her with anything. She was supposed to be happy, but somehow she couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened to her tonight. Everything that had happened to the people that she loved. She couldn't stop thinking about her parents or what they would think if they could ever see her now. She couldn't stop thinking about her brother or father. Her brothers wouldn't allow her to continue staying here. Not after tonight. She wouldn't be able to handle it if they decided not to help her. She knew that they had already done enough for her, but she needed them more than anyone else. She needed them more than she needed anything else in the world. And she didn't want them to give u

As the group reached the large double doors, a few of the guards opened them for the group. Outside was a beautiful garden. The garden was situated on the third floor of the mansion. Its walls were made of stone, and there were several trees scattered throughout the small area. On the top of the walls surrounding the garden were many windows, each of them lit brightly. Catherine couldn't help but smile at the sight of the gardens. The lights from the windows illuminated the garden beautifully. Catherine's mouth went dry as she gazed at the beauty surrounding her."It' s wonderful!" she exclaimed excitedly.He smirked slightly as he looked around the garden himself. "The garden is called Lotus Garden."Catherine stared at him in surprise as she tilted her head slightly to the side. "Lotus Garden?" she asked confused.Thomas nodded in response. "This area is known for its flowers. Some of the gardens are located at different locations within the mansion."Catherine furrowed her brow i

As Catherine gazed down at the necklace in her hand, her eyes filled with regret. She wished that she had been brave enough to tell she what she had found out. Perhaps if she had, the blonde girl would have been able to prevent whatever had happened to Serena.But Catherine hadn't trusted anyone enough to tell her about what she had discovered. She hadn't trusted anyone with the truth. And that's exactly what had happened. Serena knew that she had been stupid to trust Catherine.She was too naive and trusting for her own good.She picked up her brush once more and continued putting on her make up as she thought about everything that had happened recently. Her heart ached every time she remembered the moment that Catherine had fallen from the tree, the pain that she had experienced when she had crashed into the snow. How she had screamed and cried and screamed until she had finally succumbed to her wounds. Catherine had given her life for her, sacrificing her freedom to save her.Th

Suddenly Catherine appeared in front of her. Catherine smiled softly as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "There there. Don't cry Catherine. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done this to you. Please forgive me." Catherine muttered quietly. She was clearly upset. She looked extremely distraught. She leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. Zara pulled away and stared straight into Catherine's eyes."Please stop crying. I won't be able to handle it if you start to cry as well." Catherine said quietly. She turned around and left quickly without saying a word.Catherine hated seeing Zara upset. She had never cried and it killed her everytime she heard her crying. But she couldn't do anything about it because she wasn't allowed to comfort her, to reassure her. No matter what she said to her, she wouldn't listen. She was her mother. She was her mother that she would obey as soon as she entered the room. Catherine was her mother that would always protect her and be there for her a