Chapter 147

After speaking, Carly strode into the study, her crystal heels clicking sharply against the floor. Celine stood frozen in place, stiff and unmoving. "I think you're truly pitiful—so unloved." The words echoed in her ears, growing louder as they reverberated through her mind. Celine knew Carly looked down on her. To Carly, she was forever unloved, a shadow lurking in the background, constantly coveting her mother and her Adam. Carly pitied her. A sharp pain stabbed at her chest, its ache mingling with the bitter irony. Lucy and Adam had originally belonged to her. She stared at the tightly closed door of the study. If Carly asked Adam, would he release Elijah? Carly had told her to stand by the door and listen, but Celine couldn't summon the courage. She didn't dare to hear. The warmth that had briefly filled her heart earlier was cooling, bit by bit. She should never have placed any hope in Adam. Without hope, there's no disappointment, no further hurt. The maid approached wi