Chapter 189
Albert sat alone in the garden, quietly smoking, lost in his own thoughts. That was when Carmen’s car pulled into the carport.
She stepped out, keys jangling, only to nearly bump into Albert. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife. Carmen pretended she hadn’t seen him and made a beeline for the front gate, but Albert’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“Carmen, can I use your phone for a call p>
She eyed him, suspicious. “Why would I lend it to you? What happened to your own phone p>
Albert’s expression darkened, but Carmen caught on fast. “Wait, let me guess. You want to call Dorothea, but she blocked your number, didn’t she p>
She crossed her arms. “Albert, don’t even think about dragging me into your drama with Dorothea. That ship has sailed p>
“Dorothea’s married now. And you married Carola, the woman you always wanted. Shouldn’t that be enough for everyone p>
Albert’s eyes cooled. He kept his voice steady, but there was a sharp edge to it. “Carmen, do you really think Latham’s a good guy p>
He leaned in a little closer. “Don’t you care that he likes men? Are you okay with Dorothea just being his wife for show p>
Carmen lifted her chin, refusing to back down. “So what if he does? At least Latham treats her right. He’s good-looking, capable, and he actually protects Dorothea. You? All you ever did was break her heart p>
She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure if Latham was gay or not. It didn’t matter.
“Albert, you don’t think Dorothea’s attractive? If I were a man, I’d fall for her too. Why wouldn’t Latham p>
Albert’s patience was wearing thin. He rubbed his forehead, letting out a slow breath. “Fine, I’m done arguing about this. I have another question p>
He fixed his gaze on her. “Do you know if Dorothea was ever locked in the attic when she was a kid p>
The words came out rougher than he intended, his voice trembling a little.
Carmen narrowed her eyes, realizing Albert was fishing for something. She let out a cold laugh. “I don’t know if Dorothea was ever locked up there, but I can tell you for sure it wasn’t Carola p>
She stepped a little closer, her voice low. “You’re the only one who ever believed Carola’s little games. She’s fake always putting on a show and she gets off on making people miserable. The only one who ever thought she wasn’t a bully is you p>
“Carola’s got her dad, her stepmom, even her brother wrapped around her finger. Who would ever dare to mess with her? Who could p>
Carmen hesitated, then shook her head. “And Dorothea… Well, never mind. There’s
no point trying to explain it to you. You’ll never get what you missed out on p>
She turned to leave, calling back over her shoulder, “Don’t ever use me to hurt Dorothea again p>
Albert watched her go, feeling a cold knot of panis form in his chest for the first time. Was Carmen right? Had he been wrong about everything? Was it Dorothea who’d been locked in that attic all those years ago?
He barely slept that night, Carmen’s words tumbling over and over in his mind.
At dawn, as soon as he was out of bed, he called his assistant. “Find me photos of Dorothea when she was a kid. Five or six years old. Check her kindergarten and st grade records. I need them fast
The assistant hesitated. Digging up files from twenty years ago wasn’t going to be easy. Most of it wasn’t even online. But he set to work anyway.
Hours later, he finally tracked down a class photo from Sunnybrook Elementary School, first grade.
“Albert, I’ve scanned and sent the picture to your email,” the assistant reported. “Dorothea’s in the first row, wearing blue, with two braids. I circled her for you p>
Albert opened the image, zooming in. His heart clenched. The little girl with shining eyes and pigtails-it was the same face as the grimy child he’d rescued that day.
It was Dorothea. He had saved her.
He grabbed his phone again. “Check the records. Did Dorothea ever learn piano p>
A moment later, the assistant replied, “Her elementary school file says she liked piano. She must have taken lessons p>
Albert felt the blood drain from his face. All this time, he’d gotten it wrong. Completely wrong.