Chapter 261
"I haven't had dinner with her in forever. How about we invite her, and the two of us can help you out?"
Seeing that Joanna already had plans, I didn't want to ruin her mood. I said, "I was hoping for a quiet dinner with just you, but if you want to see her, I'll reach out."
"If she's free, how about the three of us have dinner tomorrow?"
Joanna happily agreed.
After hanging up, I still felt a bit incredulous.
Everything had gone too smoothly.
But it also left a slight bitterness in my heart.
Joanna was clearly thrilled to hear from me.
It showed that she still cared about me as a friend...
And here I was, planning to meet her with ulterior motives.
Thinking about it made me feel awful. That evening, I called Kathy to talk about it, and I couldn't help but share my thoughts.
"Kathy, I've been thinking about something all day. I feel like I've let you all down as friends."
I sighed heavily.
For some reason, I was feeling particularly down today.
Even though I had seen Simon and Royce earlier, and even made temporary peace with Royce, it hadn't lifted my spirits.
Instead, I felt even more melancholic...
Kathy was surprised after hearing me out. "What's going on? You seemed fine when we talked about meeting up tomorrow."
"Honestly, I haven't had your cooking in a long time. I miss it too."
Her words made me laugh. "I'm trying to talk about something serious, and you're just distracting me."
Hearing the smile in my voice, Kathy felt reassured. "Caroline, I just noticed you sounded off."
We had just made plans to meet tomorrow, and now my mood had suddenly plummeted.
Even I found it strange when I thought about it.
"I can't help it. My mood has been all over the place lately. I don't even know what's wrong with me."
The last time I felt like this was when I was preparing for my divorce.
Even when I realized I had been drugged, I wasn't this down.
Back then, I was solely focused on escaping their clutches, with no room for other thoughts.
Kathy, hearing my constant sighs, started to feel affected too. "Caroline, you're making me feel sad too. But if we're talking about letting friends down, I feel the same way."
"You know, when you first told me you suspected Brandon had drugged you and everything at home felt off, I was shocked, disbelieving, and heartbroken..."
Kathy told me how she had tried to help and stayed in touch, but once she had time to process it, she felt terrified.
She even felt guilty.
Kathy recalled, "You know, I had several nightmares back then, dreaming that Brandon had killed you. I woke up crying, sobbing uncontrollably..."
"I thought if something happened to you, it would be because I neglected you. You hadn't contacted me for so long, and when I tried to visit, Brandon blocked me. I never thought to investigate further!"
Kathy's words brought me back to that painful time.
But unlike her nightmares, my life back then was a real nightmare every day...
Thinking about it, I laughed and cried. "Why didn't you tell me then?"
"How could I? Telling you I dreamt you died would have been so ominous. Thankfully, you managed to escape on your own. Looking back, I'm so relieved."
We talked for a long time, and Kathy reminded me that the past couldn't be changed.
But none of us are islands; we all need friends.
Maybe resolving things with Joanna would give me more space to think and opportunities.
"Don't overthink it. Let's support each other and be good to one another. We've been friends for so many years; we know each other well."
Kathy comforted me a bit more before hanging up.
I took a deep breath, sat for a while, and then went to check on the kids in the next room.
Since finding my child, I've felt much more at peace.
Unlike before, when I was constantly worried about the child and couldn't settle my mind.
Brett was reading a storybook, and when he saw me, he ran over on his little legs.
"Mommy."
Seeing Brett's smiling face, I felt a wave of calm.
Maybe it was because I had talked so much about the past with Kathy, but now I realized that if it weren't for Brett, I might not have escaped so smoothly...
I couldn't help but hug Brett. "Good boy."
"Why is Mommy suddenly praising me? It's late, and Mommy isn't going to bed."
Brett has always been the most understanding child.
He urged me to sleep, but his little hands hugged me tightly.
He wasn't big enough yet, so his hug was a bit clumsy, almost clinging to me.
"Nothing, I just feel like I've been busy with work lately and haven't spent much time with you all..."
"How about we go for a picnic in a few days?"
Brett's eyes lit up with excitement. "All of us?"
"Yes, and we'll bring Grandma and Kathy too. How does that sound?"
Brett nodded enthusiastically. "That sounds great! It's been so long since we went out to play with everyone."
His innocent words made my heart ache.
Thinking about it, we hadn't had a proper celebration since finding the child.
Only my family and close friends knew about it.
We hadn't even gone out to play.
Even though the kids were still young, I already felt guilty.
"Alright, I'll plan it in a few days. We'll go for a picnic or maybe have a party at a hotel."
Thinking about it, I realized I didn't even know the exact date of the child's birth.
When the child was switched, a lot of information got mixed up.
After finding the child, I was busy with the bidding process and dealing with Alfonso's challenges, almost forgetting about the paperwork.
I needed to ask Simon about these things in the next few days.
After putting Brett to sleep, I returned to my room, and Royce's call came through.
"Caroline."
He called my name, his tone formal, unlike before.
I instinctively felt puzzled. "Why suddenly..."
Halfway through, I wondered if I was being too strange. We hadn't fully reconciled, so what right did I have to question his change in tone?
But Royce, being perceptive, immediately asked, "Do you want me to call you Caroline like before?"
I stayed silent.
But I knew, as smart as he was, he would understand what I meant.