Chapter 25

Henrietta smacked her forehead, suddenly remembering, "Oh right, I've been so worried about Sophia I completely forgot about your brother. Sophia, you'd better stay in tonight, okay? Nicholas just got better, and he's still not great with strangers." Sophia's eyes flickered with a hint of gloom. Caitlin might look soft and gentle on the outside, but Sophia knew better—this woman wasn't someone to be taken lightly. She'd learned that lesson the hard way through what had happened to Melanie. But now it was clear—her opponent was even tougher than she imagined. Caitlin hadn't said a word since Sophia arrived. She knew full well Henrietta would insist Sophia stay, and not even Alexander could change her mind. So Caitlin didn't argue. She just waited for the right moment to drop the "Nicholas is sick and doesn't like strangers" line, acting like it was for Sophia's sake. But the subtext was loud and clear: no matter how welcome their guest seemed, she'd never be one of them. And being the o