Chapter 291

I had that feeling again.

"If I had just waited a little longer for Royce to come back, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."

I stood by the river, staring at the water, and said to Kathy beside me.

This was different from my usual regrets.

It wasn't about thinking that marrying Brandon was a mistake that led to all these traps.

It was simply that if I had chosen to wait, maybe I could have had a happier life, like Isadora now.

A life without worries...

But then, I wouldn't have my four adorable kids.

Everything is arranged by fate in mysterious ways.

Kathy knew what I was thinking and patted my shoulder.

She stood next to me, watching the river, and we both fell silent for a while.

After a bit, I couldn't stop thinking about Joanna.

I turned to Kathy and said, "Tomorrow is the private event. Let's talk to Joanna then."

"Are you sure it's not too soon? We haven't gathered all the information yet."

Kathy was surprised by my suggestion.

I could tell she wasn't mentally prepared for this, and my words made her a bit scared.

I shook my head. "We can't delay this any longer. Joanna isn't infected now, but the longer we wait, the more risks there are."

"If we keep dragging this out, things will only get worse."

With Alfonso making moves and Maeve always lurking, I realized Royce was right to push me to make this decision for everyone's sake.

Kathy shook her head. "Caroline, it's not that I'm worried about the event causing trouble..."

I understood.

"I just think, if we're going to talk to Joanna, we need to consider if her family will allow her to divorce. If her family is dealing with something right now, telling her this will only add to the chaos."

Joanna had mentioned this to us before.

Her family was unique, and because of Oscar's job, they took her marriage and divorce very seriously.

When she got married, Ronnie might not have been thoroughly vetted, but once married, divorce wasn't easy.

It was a headache, but I had made up my mind. "I don't want to think about that anymore. Those bad people never hesitate when they do bad things."

"They hurt others for their own gain, so why should we hesitate when we're trying to do good?"

This was a shift in my mindset today.

Kathy saw my point.

"Alright, I support you. I need to go prepare for tomorrow's event and check the venue..."

"Do you want to come with me?"

I checked the time. It was still early.

No need to go home yet.

So I nodded to Kathy. "I'll come with you."

Even though I had made up my mind, thinking about talking to Joanna tomorrow made me want to distract myself and figure out what to say.

Maybe going early would help me get used to the environment.

Kathy hailed a cab, and we headed to the hotel we had booked.

We hadn't driven today when we went to see Isadora.

It was a five-star hotel called Elysium Palace.

Kathy had booked two large banquet halls. Originally, they were lavishly decorated, but her design team had transformed them.

It looked like a fashion runway now, with creative designs made from fabric scraps and other materials.

After a tour, I couldn't help but praise, "This venue is amazing."

"This is the most unique private event I've ever attended."

Kathy smiled proudly. "Of course. I put a lot of effort into this."

She showed me around, explaining the arrangements.

"Tomorrow, you and Joanna will model some of my latest designs."

I was wide-eyed. "Model? Me?"

"Joanna can, but I can't..."

Kathy patted my shoulder and pinched my cheek.

"What's going on, Caroline? You've become so insecure lately. Last time, you said you weren't suited for the makeup I did. Now you don't want to model... You're still young, why do you feel so old?"

Her words hit me hard.

Suddenly, my nose tingled...

I didn't expect to cry, but tears streamed down my face.

Kathy, thinking she had said something wrong, quickly grabbed tissues to wipe my tears.

She asked what was wrong.

I shook my head, feeling a strange mix of emotions.

Kathy was right. Lately, I felt unworthy of good things. Even the chance to model, I thought should go to those with happy marriages.

I didn't want to cause trouble.

Especially knowing Joanna and others would be there, I felt I didn't belong.

I had a failed marriage and four kids.

I cried as I explained my thoughts. I wasn't sure if Kathy understood, but she looked at me with compassion.

She didn't say anything, just hugged me.

"Caroline, you've been through so much."

Kathy patted my back.

"You've handled everything so well, especially with Simon here, planning and investigating. I forgot you were carrying so much pain."

"As your friend, I should have noticed sooner. I'm sorry."

Kathy comforted me like a child, saying many things.

Until a staff member hurried over, "Ms. Patel, we still need to finalize the decorations for the staircase."