Albert finally tracked down the maid who’d left for her hometown. Turns out, she hadn’t left because of some family emergency. She was fired.
“Albert, Carola ran that house. No one would dare lock her up.”
“When Dorothea first moved in, she was Elise’s daughter from another marriage, so of course Carola didn’t like her. Carola would always team up with her little clique to lock Dorothea in the attic. Sometimes it was the attic, sometimes the bathroom, sometimes the storage room.”
“There were times we just couldn’t stand it, so we’d sneak over and let Dorothea out. But then Carola found out. She lost it and told us if anyone helped Dorothea again, she’d get Layton to fire us all. After that, nobody dared help Dorothea anymore...”
That day, when Albert had been there, turned out to be the longest Dorothea was ever locked in the attic.
His eyes searched Polly’s face. “Are you telling the truth? You’re not just saying this to get back at Carola?”
Polly gave a bitter smile. “I’m just a regular person, Albert. I’d never dare cross her. If she wanted to ruin my life, it’d be nothing to her. I’ve already found another job. There’s no point in going after her.”
Polly’s words left no room for doubt.
Albert felt empty inside. The girl he’d thought he was protecting all these years was actually the one causing harm. And the girl he should have protected, he’d left to suffer on her own.
He rubbed his forehead, then waved his hand. “Go on. Don’t mention to anyone that I came looking for you.”
Regret crashed over him. But Dorothea was already married now, and to Latham, of all people.
He dropped his hand, his eyes hardening with resolve. He drove home, where Jarrett was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea.
“Albert, you didn’t go to the office today?”
Albert’s voice was hoarse. “Dad, I want to divorce Carola.”
Jarrett raised his brows. “Are you still half asleep? Have you lost your mind?”
“I told you back then to pick someone else for the family alliance, but you refused. Now you’re throwing a tantrum?”
Jarrett massaged his temples. How could the son who was so reliable in every other way be so clueless about his personal life?
“Dad, I’m not crazy. I just realized I made a mistake. The person I want to marry isn’t Carola. I’ll talk to the Brown family myself, as long as you’ll agree.”
For something this big, Albert still needed his father’s approval.
Dorothea was quiet. She didn’t argue.
Had she really talked in her sleep last night?
Pauline felt her heart warm.
The sleep-talking wasn’t the important part. What mattered was, the two of them had definitely slept together last night.
If they were sharing a bed, there was hope for great-grandbabies.
Pauline patted Dorothea’s hand. “You’re not a child anymore. One day, Grandma won’t be here.”
Dorothea’s throat tightened and she jumped in quickly. “Grandma, you promised me you’d stay with me forever, that you’d live to be a hundred. Did you forget?”
Pauline chuckled. “Did I really say that?”
She honestly couldn’t remember. Lately her memory seemed to be slipping, but seeing Dorothea’s eyes go a bit red made her heart ache.

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