Loved You Once But He's My Forever

Chapter 538 Luke, Goodbye

Was it really over?

I felt completely drained, as though every ounce of energy had been sapped from me. Although I was still alive, my body felt as if it had been utterly exhausted.

"Has Luke been cremated? I need to say goodbye," I asked softly.

Zoey shook her head. "I'm not sure. After you collapsed, I had to focus on taking care of the babies. I'm sorry, Chloe. I shouldn't have left you alone."

None of us had expected that Harlan hadn't been with Carter at the time, arriving earlier than anticipated.

I gently placed a hand on Zoey's shoulder. "No one is to blame. It's fate, Zoey. We can't fight fate."

Looking around, I noticed Harlan wasn't present. Lowering my voice, I asked, "Zoey, if that was my death curse, what does that mean for your future?"

"What else can we do? We just have to go with the flow," Zoey answered, offering a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm okay. Being able to live again, to see my parents and you, is already more than I deserve. Even one more day feels like a gift. Don't worry about me. Life and death are beyond our control, and fortune is something that belongs to the heavens."

I let out a soft sigh, knowing that despite her words, Zoey wasn't as carefree as she appeared. Like me, she too was powerless against the force of fate.

We had tried to resist, but in the end, we had no choice but to accept it.

After drinking some water and eating a little, I began to feel a bit stronger. I asked Kate to assist me as I prepared to say my final goodbyes to Luke.

He had died because of me, and no matter what the past had held-whether love or hatred it had all faded into nothing.

At the crematorium, Carter stood holding a small urn. His eyes were red from crying, and as soon as he saw me, I rushed to him, wrapping my arms around him. "Carter..."

He handed the urn to Damian and then pulled me into a tight embrace. "Are you alright? Feeling better? Is the fever gone?"

I looked at his exhausted face and shook my head.

Even though I always tried to shield him from the pain, Carter was always the one

who suffered the most. He was the one who felt the deepest sorrow.

He had just lost two family members. How could he endure this?

Yet, even in his grief, he was concerned about me and the children.

"I'm fine," I whispered, holding him tightly.

His forehead rested against my head. "You're still a bit warm, but it's not too bad."

"You've been so busy. You should eat something and rest," I urged.

"It's fine," he replied softly. "I'm not hungry. I'll stay with you. I know you want to say goodbye to Luke."

Once again, no one understood me like Carter did.

He took my hand and led me into the dim, cold morgue.

a place like this. The chill in the air seemed to come at me from all

body was covered with a white sheet. It had been prepared for cremation, but he was still dressed in

revealing Luke's

specifically chose this suit for today," Carter

wearing it, so I

I nodded silently.

each other, from

had seen him at his best and at his worst, including the time when he hated me with everything he

came to my mind, but the final memory that lingered was that last moment, when Luke had taken the knife

that instant, he had redeemed himself. The man who had abandoned

atoned for

now. Don't worry about me anymore. I'll live my life well. Once you get to the afterlife, just let go of

never

wedding dress, expecting to meet him, but he never

time around, he wore a groom's suit,

the same page, always just missing each other between

his arms around me. "If you need to cry, let it all out now. After

clutched his shirt, letting out a soft, muffled

was the last time, Luke. These

just one request—he wanted to be buried with my

he said, his voice

members were allowed to remain behind. By the time his ashes

grave, noticing that it had been well cared for. There were

been dug. The staff

someone had been visiting

They had purchased the grave next to Joy's and

engraved just three

photograph was placed on the gravestone today, the visitor was

was the same man who

informed Adam of

the Boltons

had been like a son-a person he had cared for and

an umbrella as we walked through the rain to say our

wouldn't have cared about the

on his grave, staring

engraved there. Today, he was truly gone from my life. "Luke,

I left before the

ashes, and despite the heavy rain, he wanted to scatter them

the room where Jeffrey had once lived.

she would have preferred

gently touched the urn and whispered,

we returned, Zoey and Harlan were

the other trying to manage the legs Meanwhite, Everett, as energetic as ever, bounced around, making things even messier. When Harlan bent down,

eli

hands in