Chapter 4

My heart seized in my chest.

Looking up, I saw Madeline's expression grow increasingly smug. Surrounded by the disdainful stares of the crowd, I stumbled toward her, my eyes bloodshot.

"She is the only family I have left. Don't you dare touch her!"

I couldn't stop my voice from cracking, and my body was shaking.

The crowd began murmuring.

Embarrassed, Nathaniel shoved me away with all his might.

"Caroline, enough is enough!" he thundered.

I crashed into the champagne tower, and the shards of glass cut into my skin.

Nathaniel instinctively took a step toward me, but Madeline reached me first, leaning down as if to help.

"You really are clever, Caroline," she whispered. "You figured out right away that I took her. But why don't you try guessing what I have planned for her?"

Panic flooded my mind.

Before I knew it, I had already seized her by the throat. "I won't let you hurt her!"

In the next second, a massive force threw me back, followed by a sharp slap to my face.

"Caroline, I've been incredibly patient with you. What exactly did Madeline do to you? Look at yourself. You're acting completely unhinged!"

I could see myself in Nathaniel's eyes—deranged and pathetic.

But my mind was consumed by the thought of Rebecca's safety.

All of a sudden, I snatched up a nearby knife and charged toward Madeline.

"Nate, save me!" Madeline cried.

Nathaniel threw himself in front of her, taking the blow in his back.

He whirled around and furiously ordered the security guards, "She's lost it! Hold her down and make her apologize for what she's done. Maybe that will clear her head!"

I was forced down and slapped repeatedly.

But when I managed to lift my eyes, I saw Madeline smugly waving her phone at me.

The orphanage where I grew up was engulfed in flames, and the sound of Rebecca's desperate cries for help echoed from the device.

Panic consumed me.

"Let me go! Nathaniel, please! Just let me out of here!"

I tried to break free, but Nathaniel caught me in his arms.

"Don't even think about leaving through that door until you've learned your lesson!"

Nothing else mattered anymore. I dropped back down and slapped myself hard, my vision blurring.

My eyes swept across the room, burning with resentment.

A flicker of shock crossed Nathaniel's eyes, and he instinctively reached down to pull me up.

But I flung him off with all my strength, then turned and ran out of the gala without looking back.

Nathaniel stared after me, an inexplicable weight settling over his chest.

…

By the time I arrived at the orphanage, the fire had already spread through the entire attic.

I rushed inside, my hands shaking as I frantically worked to untie the ropes binding Rebecca. But she looked up and gave me a faint smile before taking her final breath.

I froze where I stood.

In that instant, it felt as if my heart had stopped.

Then, a deafening explosion suddenly ripped through the air, and everything went black.

Meanwhile, Nathaniel, acting as the primary donor for the charity gala, arrived at the orphanage flanked by a crowd of reporters.

But the moment he pushed his car door open, the sight of the flames lighting up the sky froze him in his tracks.