Chapter 576 Slander
"Linda, I already talked to the cops," Mia cut Caroline off. "They got the surveillance footage. Check it out yourself."
Mia handed her phone to Linda.
In the video, Caroline and Diana were in trouble together. When the thugs grabbed Diana, Caroline bolted.
Just from this clip, it was easy to jump to conclusions.
Mia fumed, "Diana told me this morning she was gonna treat Caroline to a meal. Diana's always so sweet, always thinking about paying Caroline back. But Caroline just ditched her to die."
"No, I went to get help. I couldn't take on those guys alone, so I had to find someone to save Diana," Caroline blurted out.
She didn't want to take the fall.
Seeing Diana had cried herself to sleep, Linda gently laid her down.
She stood up.
Mia, still pissed, yelled, "Did you really go for help? If Clayton hadn't shown up and you were scared of getting caught leaving her, would you have really gone for help?"
"You've got it out for the Wolfs because of Daisy. Would you help Diana?"
"I asked Clayton's friends. When they went to save Diana, you were the only one missing."
"My phone was busted. I went to find someone to call the cops, then I went back," Caroline's voice dropped as she tried to explain.
It wasn't guilt; she knew Mia wouldn't believe her no matter what she said.
No point explaining to Mia; she just needed to tell the cops the truth.
"Yeah, you went back, but by then Diana had been taken and messed with by those guys!"
Mia's words hit Linda hard.
Linda suddenly stepped forward and slapped Caroline across the face.
Nicholas, still a few feet from the ward, heard it loud and clear.
He quickly signaled Sharpe to hurry up, and Paul ran over too.
Caroline's head snapped to the side, her cheek stinging after the initial numbness. Her hair fell forward, covering her eyes.
Through the strands, Linda saw Caroline's eyes filled with disbelief, disappointment, anger, and hatred, making her feel like something had shattered.
"How dare you glare at us? If it weren't for you, Diana wouldn't be like this."
Mia's bitter voice snapped Linda back to reality.
Her daughter, Diana, whom she had finally found and loved dearly, was being so humiliated. Linda couldn't keep it together.
"Diana always appreciated your donation and thought highly of you, Caroline. I really misjudged you!"
Caroline laughed, her hands clenched tight, her smile full of sarcasm.
She raised her hand and slowly tucked her hair behind her ear.
"No matter what, you always trash me. The Wolfs, I hate every one of you. If I had known Diana was a Wolf, I would never have donated my bone marrow!"
Caroline had no regrets about donating before, but now she did.
Because her kind act didn't distance her from the Wolfs; instead, they kept making her life hell.
The Wolfs were like demons, once they got their claws into her, they wouldn't let go, trying to drag her down into the abyss.
Caroline's vision blurred with tears, and her cold hand was suddenly wrapped in warmth. She looked down to see Nicholas standing beside her, holding her trembling, icy hand.
At that moment, her nerves relaxed, and she felt the pain in her palm.
Nicholas slowly pried open her fingers.
Her nails had almost dug into the flesh of her palm.
Sharpe and Paul stood in front of Nicholas and Caroline.
Linda and Mia were forced to take a few steps back.
Paul said coldly, "Aunt Linda, I always thought you were a reasonable person, but now you can't even tell right from wrong. The cops will figure out what happened tonight. If Caroline really left Diana to die, she could've run away and not told Clayton, and no one would've found Diana."
"I just asked the doc. Diana wasn't actually assaulted; she was just scared out of her mind."
Clayton followed Paul in. After Diana was brought to the hospital, he had called Paul.
At this point, he also felt that Linda was being impulsive.
"Yeah, Mom, Paul is right. If Caroline really wanted to leave Diana to die, she could've said nothing when she saw me and my classmates. We wouldn't have known that."
"We should actually thank Caroline for finding someone to save Diana in time, or the consequences would've been unimaginable."
Linda frowned at Clayton.
Mia pulled Clayton over. "Whose side are you on? How can you speak for Caroline, who harmed Diana? You silly."
Clayton pouted, "I'm just telling the truth."
Nicholas noticed Caroline's phone in her pocket, its screen shattered.
He took it out and saw the entire screen was ruined, then handed it to Sharpe.
He gently said to Caroline, "I'll get you a new one tomorrow."
Caroline was stunned for a moment.
Nicholas squeezed her wrist.
"It's late. Let's go home."
Caroline nodded. "Okay."
She was very tired, extremely tired.
Mia was still shouting, "Hold on! We're not done here."
Paul snapped, "What more do you want to say? I'll explain it to you."
Nicholas led Caroline away, ignoring Mia's yelling. At this moment, Caroline's heart was filled with warmth.
With Paul and Nicholas in her corner, she knew she wasn't facing this alone; she had backup.
After they left, Diana woke up.
"Mom."
Linda quickly went over and hugged Diana.
"Diana, honey, are you okay?"
Diana hadn't actually been asleep; she had heard everything that had happened.
When Paul spoke up for Caroline, she felt a bit envious.
She wanted to wake up, but it wasn't the right time.
Paul hadn't left yet. Seeing Diana awake, he said coldly, "Look, she is awake. Ask her what happened."
With that, he went out and brought the cops in.
This situation scared Diana.
She couldn't lie now.
Diana could only lower her head, crying as she spoke.
"I don't know. I was very scared at the time. They grabbed me and dragged me to a secluded corner. They tore my clothes and manhandled me."
Linda listened, her heart aching, tears streaming down her face.
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