Loved You Once But He's My Forever

Chapter 427 Cousin

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

Keeping it a secret from him had been eating away atwith 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 | had disrupted it.

Nothing had changed. Destiny was impossible to rewrite.

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

| 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. | couldn't help but wonder

what our child would've been like.

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

When we returned to the living room, | 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 | do? | 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, | 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?"

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

Taylor smirked. "Ha."

| responded, "Ha-ha."

The tension between us was palpable, with sparks practically flying through the air.

Then, Yael's timid voice broke the standoff. "Chloe, could you helpapply sointment?"

| had nearly forgotten about the poor kid.

Carter flexed his wrist. "Chloe's hand is injured. I'll handle it."

| watched as 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 need."

"Nonsense," Carter replied smoothly. "We're family. As your cousin, | must help my dear little cousin."

He smiled faintly, emphasizing the word cousin with a certain bite. A cold shiver ran down my spine.

The whole situation felt surreal.

Carter, personally tending to Yael's injuries, all while calling him his cousin?

Carter grabbed a jar of ointment and approached Yael. "Where are you hurt?"

Yael had just begun pulling his shirt halfway off when Carter abruptly clamped a hand over my eyes. "Chloe, be

good and step outside. Don't look at anything filthy."

Carter's petty jealousy was downright adorable. | chuckled. "Okay."

| took Whitney's hand and pulled her along with me. She probably had a lot she wanted to say toanyway.

Just as we stepped out of the room, a wailing "Ouch!" echoed from behind us.

That kid was surprisingly resilient, but | couldn't help wondering, "Had Carter reopened his wounds just to mess

with him?"

When | recalled the scene of Carter casually slicing off someone's finger at the Gardner Residence without so

much as a flinch, | almost forgot-he was never one to play nice. To me, Carter was an angel, but to everyone

else? A demon.

I silently hoped he wouldn't be too harsh. After all, Yael was somewhat pitiable. Though, to be fair, while his life

had been hard, he did dragto that island, starvefor days, and makekneel for an entire day. A little

suffering on his end wouldn't hurt.

I've always believed in clear boundaries when it comes to right and wrong.

As | walked through the hallway, Whitney's gaze lingered on me, a faint sadness in her eyes.

"Chloe, this is all my fault, isn't it?"

"It's not your fault. | chose this." | said softly. "Don't be sad. A small injury foris worth your freedom-it's a fair

trade."

| didn't tell her that my twas running out.

Doing what I could before the end? That was a victory in itself.

If | could save Whitney, I'd have no regrets.

"Chloe, why did you step into my life? | never wanted to drag you down with me."

Still, the scrybaby she was as a kid. Back then, my timid little sister would burst into tears over the smallest

things. Our brothers would take turns comforting her, but | was the one she listened to most, the one she clung

to. But those days were long gone.

Of our three brothers, only Greg remained. As for me, the sister she once knew had becsomeone

unrecognizable.

| stroked her cheek gently. "Because

| promised I'd never let go of your

hand again. Whitney, you're only 25-you've got a long road ahead Remember how happy you were watching the

show that day? Every day after we remove that chip, | want you to be just as happy."

| never liked calling her Anna. That nhad been tainted by Wisteria.

So | stubbornly stuck to Whitney.

She was like Snowflake-fragile, lost, without a place to call home. But now that she had me, her life would only

move forward, safe and secure.

Whitney bit her lip. "But, Chloe, I still feel uneasy. He won't letgo that easily."

"It's okay. One step at a time. Carter and | are here to help you. The most important thing is that you don't give

up. Whitney, trust me, okay? You have so much to live for. Don't let one sc*mbag ruin your life. There are people

out there who will love you."

&s)

Whitney wrapped her arms tightly around me. "Chloe, | never want to leave you again."

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay."

"For now, just cooperate with Taylor. Don't provoke him. Once the chip is out, we'll talk about the next steps."

"Got it," she nodded tearfully. "You've paved this path forwith your blood. I won't let you down."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, | finally felt at ease. "Good."

This house was full of hidden agendas.

Taylor's wound was quickly bandaged. He stood by the door, his deep eyes fixed on Whitney.

It wasn't until he stopped smiling that | noticed how his eyes bore a striking resemblance to Carter's-dark and

unfathomable, like a midnight sky devoid of stars. Impossible to read. "Anna, chere," he called.

Whitney glanced at me. | squeezed her hand gently, reminding her of our promise.

She didn't push back, calmly walking toward Taylor without aggravating him.

| knew better than to intervene right now, so | simply walked past them.

Still, I couldn't shake my concern. Amber's erratic behavior had been unsettling-she seemed almost manic. And

Taylor? | worried he might have inherited her instability.

At the end of the hallway, | turned back.

What | saw stoppedcold. Taylor, towering over Whitney, had pulled her into a tight embrace. His voice,

trembling with emotion, reached me. "Anna, do you want to leavethat badly?"