Chapter 10

Xavier, known throughout Havenpoint for his devotion to his wife, completely lost his rationality when he saw Caroline being harmed. He gripped Willow's neck with such strength that it almost killed her. "I-it wasn't me…It was...it was Skyler..." Willow gasped, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you out of your mind?" Xavier's eyes turned bloodshot with rage. "Skyler is our daughter! How could she possibly hurt Caroline? You... you're going to pay for this!" Willow couldn't figure it out either. Why would Skyler kill her own mother? Just as she felt Xavier's grip tightening around her neck, Zayn suddenly spoke up. "Uncle Xavier, Aunt Caroline is still alive!" "What!" Xavier was so shocked by Zayn's words that he let go of Willow. He picked Caroline up and ran out of the room, yelling for a doctor as he went. Skyler and Sarah were both taken aback. They exchanged glances before regaining their composure. Even if Caroline was still alive, they had a thousand ways to silence her forever! Willow took a few deep breaths of the fresh air around her. Before she could even calm down, Zayn roughly grabbed her by the chin. "Why did you do that to Aunt Caroline?" Zayn was a cold and ruthless man, but he had a soft spot for Caroline, who had raised him like her own child. As for the one who had caused Caroline so much harm, he wished he could tear her limb from limb. "I already told you it wasn't me! Skyler is the one who hurt Mrs. Dawson!" Skyler tearfully lamented, "It's all my fault! If it weren't for me, Mom wouldn't have suffered like this! I won't be able to live if anything happens to Mom!" Zayn looked at Skyler with pity in his eyes. "Skyler, don't blame yourself. Willow is a cruel and evil woman. She deserves to be punished!" Sarah, who had been standing by the side the whole time, suddenly fell to her knees with a thud. "Mr. Carter, please forgive Willow! She didn't mean to hurt Mrs. Dawson! She was simply acting in the heat of the moment. She wanted to kill Skyler, and Mrs. Dawson was trying to protect her, so she lashed out and stabbed Mrs. Dawson instead." Sarah turned around and grabbed Willow's hand, her face streaked with tears. "Please just come clean with Mr. Carter, Willow! Despite what happened with Mrs. Dawson, Mr. Carter is still your husband, and he'll definitely help you through this!" "Mom, what's gotten into you?" Willow's eyes widened in disbelief as she gazed at Sarah. "I wasn't the one who harmed Mrs. Dawson! Also, why are you helping Skyler to set me up? Mom, I'm your daughter!" Sarah wore a mask of disapproval. "Willow, it's because you're my daughter that I can't bear to see you make the same mistakes!" Zayn sneered, his eyes glinting with malice. "Willow, what else do you have to say for yourself?" Willow pleaded, her voice trembling, "Zayn, please! I didn't do it! She's making it all up!" Zayn's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Willow, you can't be serious! Are you trying to tell me that your mother is lying about all this? She's your own mother! I don't believe she would do something like that to her own daughter!" Willow's shoulders slumped in defeat as she heard what Zayn said. She knew that there was no point in trying to defend herself. Willow's mind was reeling. She couldn't believe that her own mother would be the one to personally destroy her! It was a common belief that a mother's love was unconditional. Yet, her own mother wished for her demise! It was truly ridiculous! "Willow, do you have nothing to say? I'll make sure you rot in jail for what you've done to Aunt Caroline!" Zayn was not one to make empty threats. Since he said he would send Willow to jail, he really did it. Willow still had to gather money for Aaron's surgery. She didn't want her final days to be spent behind bars. She tried to reason with Zayn, and even begged him on her knees, but he was unmoved. As soon as Willow entered jail, she was viciously assaulted. She was already frail and sickly, and after the beating, she was completely incapacitated. She laid on the ground, like a broken doll, gasping for breath. She truly wished she could just close her eyes and drift into an eternal slumber. However, when she thought of Aaron, who was fighting for his life in the hospital bed, she forced herself to stay conscious. Aaron was still depending on her to gather money to save his life! If she died, Aaron wouldn't stand a chance either. Therefore, no matter how tough it got, she had to keep on living. She had been hoping for a miracle to happen, for Caroline to wake up and prove her innocence. She had waited for a week, yet she didn't receive any news of Caroline regaining consciousness. She was instead greeted by Skyler's sudden appearance.