Loved You Once But He's My Forever

Chapter 427 Cousin

After explaining everything, I felt a weight lift off my chest.

Keeping it a secret from him had been eating away at me with guilt. While Carter wasn't thrilled with how things turned out, he seemed resigned. At this point, all we could do was take it one step at a time. It was as if this had been written into our fate.

Carter's plan to trade lives had been discovered in its final days, and I had disrupted it.

Nothing had changed. Destiny was impossible to rewrite.

Perhaps this was my fate-to meet an untimely end in every lifetime.

I used to have so many regrets, but being reunited with him again made everything else seem trivial. For now, we were still together, and that was enough.

My only lingering regret was not being able to leave behind a shared child with Carter. I couldn't help but wonder what our child would've been like.

If only I had more time, I would've loved to have a baby-a symbol of us.

When we returned to the living room, I learned Amber had gone to her room to catch up on sleep. The family doctor was busy tending to Taylor's wounds.

Whitney, meanwhile, stood silently by a potted plant, lost in thought.

The sound of my footsteps seemed to wake her from her reverie. She quickly turned toward me.

"Chloe, you're hurt, aren't you?"

Her eyes landed on my wrist. "This is because of me, isn't it? How could you be so foolish? You cut yourself! If something happened to you, what would I do? I wouldn't want to live anymore!" She knew all too well that someone like Amber wouldn't let her off so easily.

If Amber were so easy to deal with, Whitney wouldn't have spent 20 years trapped by Taylor's side.

Amber couldn't possibly be serious about letting her go just because of a few words I'd said.

Results that appeared effortless were often the result of someone silently bearing the burden behind the scenes.

Not wanting to upset Whitney, I gently reassured her, "It's okay. It didn't hurt at all. I just accidentally nicked myself."

Taylor let out a cold laugh. "You went through all that trouble, didn't you?"

I shot him a smile. "Not as much as you."

Taylor smirked. "Ha."

I responded, "Ha-ha."

with sparks practically flying

voice broke the standoff. "Chloe, could you

nearly forgotten about the poor

flexed his wrist. "Chloe's hand is

his fingers cracked ominously, and the chilling look in his dark eyes didn't seem like he was about to gently apply ointment. More like he was planning to rub salt into the wounds instead. Sensing the danger, Yael hesitated. "That's okay. No

"We're family. As your

the word cousin with a certain bite. A cold shiver ran

situation

tending to Yael's injuries, all while calling him his

and approached Yael. "Where

begun pulling his shirt halfway off when Carter abruptly clamped a hand over my eyes.

petty jealousy was downright adorable. I chuckled.

pulled her along with me. She probably had a lot she wanted to say to

we stepped out of the room, a wailing "Ouch!" echoed from

was surprisingly resilient, but I couldn't help wondering, "Had

finger at the Gardner Residence without so much as a flinch, I almost forgot-he was never one to play nice. To me, Carter was

too harsh. After all, Yael was somewhat pitiable. Though, to be fair, while his life had been hard, he did drag me to that island, starve me for days, and make me kneel for an entire day. A little suffering

believed in clear boundaries when it comes to right

lingered on me,

all my

I said softly. "Don't be sad. A small injury for me is worth your

that my time

before the end?

could save Whitney, I'd

did you step into my life? I never wanted

my timid little sister would burst into tears over the smallest things. Our brothers

three brothers, only Greg remained. As for me, the

her

never let go of

Whitney, you're only 25-you've got a long road ahead Remember how happy you were watching the show that day?

That

stubbornly stuck