Caroline didn't stop walking until she was outside the compound, her heart hammering in her chest.
She needed air.
She needed to breathe—to think.
The weight of everything—her pregnancy, the looming threats, Klaus's bloody way of handling problems—felt suffocating.
She wasn't built for this life.
Not like Hayley.
Not like Klaus.
And yet...
She placed a trembling hand on her stomach.
She was already in it.
"Running away so soon?"
Caroline spun around, her breath hitching.
It was Rebekah.
Leaning against the compound's iron gates, arms crossed, her sharp blue eyes filled with something between amusement and curiosity.
Caroline swallowed. "I just... I needed space."
Rebekah studied her. "And do you actually plan on coming back?"
Caroline opened her mouth—then hesitated.
Rebekah sighed, pushing off the gate. "You do realize leaving Klaus won't be as easy as sneaking out of the back door, right?"
Caroline stiffened. "I'm not leaving him."
Rebekah arched a perfectly manicured brow. "No? Then what are you doing, love?"
Caroline hesitated again.
Because, honestly?
She didn't know.
Unfinished Conversations
Klaus stood at the top of the staircase, his hands clenched into fists as he watched Caroline disappear beyond the compound gates.
He let her go.
For now.
Elijah stepped beside him, ever the voice of reason. "You cannot keep her here against her will, Niklaus."
Klaus's jaw ticked. "She's carrying my children."
"And she knows that," Elijah countered. "But if you continue to treat her like a queen trapped in a gilded cage, she will resent you for it."
Klaus said nothing.
Because he knew Elijah was right.
He just didn't know what to do about it.
Then, softly—
"You love her."
Klaus turned sharply.
Elijah's expression didn't change.
Klaus didn't respond.
But he didn't deny it.
And Elijah... smiled. Just a little.
"Then let her find her way back to you."
A Deal with the Devil
Caroline didn't get far before she felt it.
A shift in the air.
A presence.
She turned—and came face-to-face with Marcel.
Her stomach dropped.
"Wow," he mused, tilting his head. "You really are as stunning as they say."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "And let me guess. They also say I'm vulnerable, easy to manipulate, and an absolute idiot for walking around alone at night?"
Marcel grinned. "Smart and beautiful."
Caroline crossed her arms. "What do you want?"
Marcel stepped closer, lowering his voice. "To talk."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, well, forgive me if I don't trust the guy who sent a bunch of thugs to threaten my very pregnant life an hour ago."
Marcel sighed. "That wasn't about you. That was about Klaus."
Caroline scoffed. "Well, duh. Everything is about Klaus."
Marcel studied her for a moment, then said, "You're scared."
Caroline stiffened.
"You don't belong in his world," Marcel continued. "Not like this."
Caroline swallowed hard.
She hated how easily he saw through her.
Marcel leaned in, voice smooth as silk. "You want a way out?"
Caroline's heart stopped.
Because, for a split second...
She wasn't sure if she'd say no.
YOU ARE READING
klaroline story
RomanceCaroline is looking for matt in the woods and while she's looking for him and Caroline gets an unexcepted person and she finds out that she gets pregnant with twins and he asked her to go with him because he's leaving, he had only just come back to...
