Chapter 837

As she spoke the last sentence, Dowager Vance’s eyes shifted, becoming cold and menacing, like a viper coiled in the shadows, ready to strike.
Her mother’s confidence reassured Rosemary, and she let out a breath. Yes, her mother was right. The security at Vance Castle was impenetrable. Every person who entered or exited was logged by the facial recognition system. It wasn’t a place that someone like Carey could just come and go from as she pleased.
So, Carey had to be hiding somewhere on the castle grounds.
Meanwhile, the Palmer family’s car pulled up to the hotel entrance.
Celia stepped out first and extended a hand to Carey. “Carey, watch your step.”
Carey took her hand and stepped onto the curb. “Thank you.”
Caitlin followed them out of the car.
Standing at the entrance, Carey looked out at the bustling city center, her face a mask of anxiety. Just then, a massive 3D advertisement lit up the screen on a towering building across the street.
In the video, a character threw a bomb directly toward the plaza. The 3D effect was stunningly realistic. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ.net
As the bomb flew closer, Carey’s pupils dilated in terror. Just as it seemed about to hit them, she instinctively threw herself in front of Caitlin, shutting her eyes tight. “Freya, watch out!”
Even though Carey couldn’t remember that Caitlin was her daughter, in the face of danger, her first instinct was to shield her, to take the risk upon herself.
It was a mother’s primal impulse. A woman may be gentle by nature, but for her child, she becomes a fortress of strength.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
“Lady Carey, are you alright?”
Both Caitlin and Celia were startled by her sudden action.
Carey gasped for breath, pointing a shaky finger at the massive screen. The look of terror in her eyes slowly faded into confusion. “Just now… I saw someone throw a bomb at us. How… how did it suddenly change?”
Caitlin realized her mother had been frightened by the 3D video. She explained gently, “Mom, that’s called a 3D display. It’s not real. You don’t have to be afraid.” Carey nodded. “Oh, I see.”
Celia found Carey’s reaction strange. “Carey, have you not been out much these past few years?”
3D advertisements were a common part of everyday city life.
Carey shook her head. “No. This is the first time I’ve been outside in over twenty years.”
“What?!” Celia was stunned. “You mean you’ve been locked in Vance Castle for two decades?”
“That’s right,” Carey nodded.
Twenty years. It felt like both a lifetime and no time at all. Looking back, Carey herself didn’t know how she had survived it.
Celia pressed on. “So how did you keep up with the outside world? Television? A phone?”
Carey shook her head again. “I didn’t have a TV or a phone in my room. For all these years, I’ve had almost zero contact with the outside world.”
It finally clicked for Celia. That was why Carey had been staring out the window so intently on the ride over At first, Celia thought it was just awkwardness from not having her memory back. But now she understood. It wasn’t that at all.
Carey’s twenty years at Vance Castle had been a life of complete isolation, like a prisoner in a dungeon. It was horrifying. No
Wonderthermemes hadn’t…
returned. And no wonder the
Richards and Gonzales families had never found a single clué?
Caitlin took a deep breath and moved to her mother’s side, taking her hand. “Mom, besides that, did the Vance family do anything else to you?”
Faced with her daughter’s question, Carey could have unleashed a flood of complaints, detailing every bit of torture she had endured.
But she didn’t. She was afraid of causing trouble for her daughter. She knew how powerful the Vances were in Valerium.
She forced a smile and shook her head. “No. And besides, it’s all in the past now.”
Caitlin’s grip tightened. “Mom, you don’t just have me now. You have a powerful family on your side and on your husband’s. Please don’t hold anything back. You have to tell me the truth.”
Celia nodded in agreement. “Carey, Freya’s right. She’s incredibly capable now. And you have me, too. I’ll help Freya deal with the Vances. If you’ve suffered in any way, you have to tell us.”
“Okay,” Carey nodded, a genuine smile finally gracing her lips. So she wasn’t unwanted. She wasn’t an orphan. She wasn’t a curse. She had a daughter, and a family that loved her.
Even though Carey hadn’t said anything yet, Caitlin knew her mother must have suffered
immensely. Once she helped homet
regain her memories and uncovered the truth of what happened twenty years ago, she would get justice for her mother.
Caitlin took a deep breath. “Mom, let’s go upstairs. I’m staying with a friend. Her name is Celeste Hayes, but we call her March. She’s a wonderful person, just like Celia.”