Loved You Once But He's My Forever (Chloe)

By the time we finished, both of us were drenched in sweat.

I leaned against Carter, feeling the warmth of his body. He kissed the top of my head before carrying me to the bathroom, where he carefully helped me clean up.

My makeup had long since been washed away. However, my face was slightly red and itchy, likely irritated from wearing the makeup for too long.

Carter's gaze lingered on the marks on my skin. His eyes softened with a hint of guilt. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I couldn't control myself earlier."

I shook my head and traced my fingers along his handsome features tenderly.

"I'll find a way to fix your voice," he promised.

I nodded. As long as I could see him again, losing my voice forever wouldn't matter.

Dipping my finger into the water, I wrote two words on the fogged-up glass, "Damian."

The past two days had been so chaotic that I hadn't had the chance to ask what happened after my disappearance.

Carter understood my unspoken question and began explaining in his calm voice. "The day he sent you away, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Shortly after, I got news of the car accident-your car had collided with another, caught fire, and plunged into the ocean."

Hearing this, I instinctively grabbed his hand. He must have been devastated at that time.

Carter patted the back of my hand. "It's all in the past now."

I mouthed silently, "What about Damian?"

"He was injured. Though they pulled him out of the water alive, he ended up in the ICU. He only pulled through these past two days."

Damian must have known I had already been sent away. Knowing he had betrayed Carter and couldn't escape Amber's grasp, he chose to end his own life.

The fact that he survived was a miracle in itself.

I thought of the tall, silent man who had shielded Carter and me more than once.

I gestured to Carter, "Carl, don't blame him. He had no other choice."

Carter's expression darkened slightly. "You don't blame him? He deceived me and sent you to Yael."

I responded with gestures, "He had no other option. Amber is the real mastermind."

Even though I had hinted at Amber's attempts to kill me in my messages, the Doltons meant something different to him.

They had never hurt him directly. Deep down, I feared Carter might take their side, that my place in his heart wasn't enough, and that the Doltons could drive a wedge between us. My thoughts spiraled into unease.

Carter interrupted my turmoil, holding my hand tightly as he spoke softly. "I understand."

I met his gaze, listening as he quietly recounted, "Damian was rushed to the hospital, unconscious, while your 'body' sank into the sea. Everyone thought you were dead."

I squeezed his fingers and mouthed, "What about you?

"When I first got the news, I couldn't accept it. I sent countless people to search the waters. They searched day and night but found nothing."

I couldn't imagine what Carter went through during those endless hours.

"The area was treacherous, with strong underwater currents. Many rescuers believed you were swept away and your body lost forever. Whether to find you or avenge you, I started piecing everything together, reviewing every detail." "Soon, I realized something was off. I had someone investigate Damian's recent movements and the strange behavior of the Doltons the day before the accident."

I always knew Carter was brilliant, but to stay composed under such circumstances especially when dealing with people as close to him as Amber and Damian was astonishing.

I mouthed, "What did you find?"

"Damian was adopted by Amber. I saved him years ago, and since then, he's been by my side. But he never mentioned Amber, which means our meeting wasn't a coincidence-it was orchestrated."

"When I was struggling in Jaford, with my leg still untreated, Damian stayed by my side through thick and thin. I thought it was out of gratitude for saving him, but now I realize he was Amber's pawn all along, planted to protect me."

"He's skilled in combat, proficient

fe191

with all kinds of weapons. He's a top-tier mercenary. It wasn't an accident when I was pushed into the sea and saved by the Doltons. Maybe the Doltons placed Damian by my side to ensure I wouldn't face danger again."

I was confused and I mouthed, "How did you figure it out?"

"Because of Tiffany. Remember the day she lured me to the hotel and drugged me? contacted Amber. When she arrived, she attacked Tiffany without hesitation, almost beating her to death. Amber said something that stuck with me. She said that Tiffany and I are absolutely I impossible. Her tone was so

decisive, it was strange. When the drugs wore off, I reflected on everything. What could make a man

and a woman can't be together?"

I wrote two words on the glass, "Blood relation."

"Exactly. That's when everything

clicked. Why the Doltons have always treated me so well, why

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Amber stop me from being with Tiffany-it must be because I share a blood relationship with the Doltons. Your disappearance and Damian's silence in the ICU made me suspect Amber was involved. If she is, then this scheme was set up over a decade ago. Damian might not even be her only spy around me. I didn't know if you were truly gone, so I could only investigate quietly. And then, you called me."

I had worried Carter wouldn't believe me, but he had already uncovered so much on his own.

I added another bombshell to the glass, "Whitney told me Amber is the Carlyn brothers' biological mother."

"I had someone follow her in secret and saw her meeting Taylor for coffee. I guessed they had some connection but didn't expect them to be mother and son."

The Carlyn brothers' relationship with Amber intrigued me, but I was even more curious about her connection to Carter.

I mouthed, "If they're mother and sons, then what about you? What's Amber's relationship with you?"

Carter's expression shifted as if he already had an answer but was reluctant to say it.

I pressed, "Carl, have you thought of something?"Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Instead of answering, Carter stood up and wrapped me in a towel.

"You've soaked long enough. Let's get out."

I grabbed his wrist and looked at him stubbornly.

Carl, stop hiding things from me. No more secrets.

The last time, the Stone of Duality had already shaken me to my core.

Carter sighed helplessly as he met my eyes. "Let me dry your hair first."

He helped me change into pajamas and gently blow-dried my hair. My face burned from the allergic reaction, but my heart raced for a completely different reason.

Once everything was done, I sat quietly, waiting for his response.

After a long pause, Carter finally spoke solemnly, "Chloe, what if ... she's my mother?"