Chapter 310
Caitlin dragged herself out of the sunroom, feeling beat down and worn out. She’d wanted to make one last pitch for Olivia, to beg for even a sliver of mercy. But then she caught that icy, heartless look in Stephanie’s eyes—shutting down even Tyler’s medical care—and she clammed up. If Chad found out she’d come here to face off with Stephanie and it somehow pulled Tyler into the mess, her marriage would be done for good.
Caitlin shoved the door open and stepped out into the freezing wind and snow. Stephanie glanced at the butler. “Handle it.” “Yes, miss,” he said quietly, dipping his head. “Tyler…” Stephanie muttered as she leaned back in her chair, lost in her thoughts. She’d been dying to stick it to him for ages. And now, with Sebastian making his move, it was the perfect chance to twist the knife a little more. The Hart family was already a train wreck, and they all blamed her, never owning up to their own crap. If that was how they wanted it, Stephanie wasn’t about to go easy on them.
Caitlin had just left Shallow Bay Area and hopped into her car when her phone buzzed. Olivia’s voice came through, weak and shaky. “Mom?” That tiny whisper hit Caitlin like a punch to the gut, tearing her up inside. In what felt like no time, the Hart family had fallen apart—once solid, now totally helpless against someone like Stephanie.
“Mom, help, I can’t do this,” Olivia whimpered, her voice trembling. “It hurts so much. It hurts.”
Back at the Hart place, it was like a ghost town. Everyone had bailed, leaving Olivia with just a few staff. The illness had wrecked her—hair gone, skin pale as the snow stacking up outside. The pain was brutal, nonstop, keeping her up, shaking through her whole body until it felt like it was in her bones, leaving nothing but misery.
“Did Stefi say I could go abroad?” Olivia asked, her voice barely hanging on. Hopelessness stuck to her like glue. She could feel herself fading, bit by bit. Last night was the worst—tossing around in bed, no sleep, stuck in a fog of nightmares she couldn’t shake. And it was all Stephanie’s fault. She’d made sure Olivia had no treatment, no break, and she still wouldn’t let up.
“Olivia…” Caitlin’s voice came out soft and useless.
“Mom, I can’t do this anymore,” Olivia cried. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. It hurts so bad—please, just talk to Stefi. Beg her to let me go. I’ll admit to anything. I’ll do whatever she wants.”
Caitlin didn’t say anything.
“Please,” Olivia pushed, tears cracking her voice. “Tell her to let me off this time. She can mess with me later, when I’m better. I just need a break.”
“Olivia.” Caitlin’s tone got heavy, serious.
Olivia struggled to breathe between words. “Whatever she wants me to say, I’ll say it. I’ll take the blame for everything, just ask her to wait until I’m not dying, okay?” Stuck in that suffocating house, with no way out, Olivia couldn’t take it anymore. She flopped back on the bed, wondering if she’d even see tomorrow.
“Mom, please talk to her,” she begged, voice shaking. “I’m begging you, please…” Her sobs broke through, rough and desperate. Tears ran down her pale face as she cried. Even sleep, the one thing that used to help her escape the pain, was gone now. Now she knew what being sick was like—a pain so deep it dug into you, leaving no way out.
Hearing Olivia like this, Caitlin didn’t believe for a second her daughter deserved it. And that just made her hate Stephanie even more—the woman who’d pushed Olivia to this point.
“Mom,” Olivia whispered again, so quiet it was almost nothing.
“Olivia, my poor girl,” Caitlin said, her voice thick with hurt. Olivia wasn’t the only one sinking. Sitting in her car, Caitlin felt it too—a heavy, helpless ache. Her daughter was suffering, fading away, and she couldn’t do a damn thing about it. She hurt for Olivia and hated herself for being so useless.
The sunroom at Whispering Bay was cozy, the heater humming softly in the background. Jennifer couldn’t shake the shock from the moment she first saw Stephanie. Honestly, it hit her the second she pulled into Shallow Bay Area—spotting Whispering Bay looming ahead like some fancy, snow-covered castle. Her heart hadn’t stopped racing since.
Back when the studio was just starting out, barely keeping the lights on, Stephanie still spoiled them rotten. Jennifer could still feel that wild surprise. She’d figured it was Hart family cash behind it all—those people just screamed old money and attitude. But then she saw how the Harts treated Stephanie, and she started second-guessing. No way they were funding this.
‘Hold up—is she secretly the queen of Shallow Bay Area? Maybe connected to that dude who picked her up? This can’t be the Harts,’ Jennifer thought. If they had this kind of juice, they wouldn’t have spent the last few months looking like total goofballs.
“What’re you gawking at? Forget how to think?” Stephanie slid a hot mug of coffee across the table to Jennifer.
Jennifer grinned, her eyes bouncing around. “Boss, you owe me for emotional distress.”
Stephanie raised an eyebrow. “Say what?”
Jennifer puffed out a breath, crossing her arms. “All that garbage the Hart family dumped on you? Broke my heart watching it go down.”
But it turned out, Stephanie didn’t even need her feeling sorry. Jennifer rolled her eyes at herself. Here she was, scraping by paycheck to paycheck, pitying a woman chilling in a castle. Dumb.