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

Taylor slowly descended the stairs, leaving the Sanders confused. Josh asked, "Mr. Carlyn, what are you doing here?"

Given his friendship with Jake and their involvement here today, the situation became clear.

"It's you! You killed my sons and brought us here!"

Josh glared at Taylor before turning to me. "Chloe, we've always treated you well. Even if we neglected you in the past years, it was understandable because we were influenced by others. Do you hate us so much that you'd join forces with outsiders to hurt your brothers?" I expected them to be upset over my death, but instead, it seemed like my death was just a joke to them.

They felt no joy at my rebirth. Instead, they blamed me for everything.

They blamed me for hiding my depression and for the Sanders' downfall!

Anger bubbled inside me as I clenched my fists. How could such foolish people exist in this world?

They refused to face their mistakes, choosing to paint me as the villain to ease their guilt.

Carter sensed my frustration and pulled me into his arms, comforting me. "Chloe, it's okay. You have me. Don't let these people upset you."

Though Whitney didn't fully understand the situation, she stood up to defend me.

"Dad, how could you think that of Chloe? Why would she want to harm you?"

Josh snapped, "If it weren't for her and the Carlyns, how did we end up in this mess? Anna, you don't know what we've been through. I haven't slept in days. Every little noise made me think I was going to die."

Taylor sneered. "The Sanders have lived comfortably for so long. How can you not endure a few hard days? Mr. Sander, your life must be truly precious."

"Taylor, we have no grudges. Why do you want to hurt us? When Jake was alive, he treated you like a brother. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"No grudges?"

Taylor walked toward Josh with a dark look. "If it weren't for your mother, my grandparents wouldn't have died. My father wouldn't have suffered his entire life. Do you know who pretended to be your daughter? She's the granddaughter of my grandfather's brother, the one killed by that old woman!"

Josh finally understood the truth. "The Carlyns! I should have known!"

But with so many people surnamed Carlyn, they hadn't made the connection sooner.

I crossed my arms and coldly asked, "So, did the Sanders truly commit sins?"

Josh denied it. "Those are the grudges of the older generation. How would I know?"

"It's fine if you don't know. My grandparents, along with Wisteria's, were killed. Your family not only took their lives but also bankrupted ours and forced us to leave our homeland. You stepped over the Carlyns to rise. All these years, we've lived in constant fear. Even the surviving elders have lived in sorrow, without a single day of peace. You destroyed a family. How can you say you didn't know? Fine, I'll make sure you remember!"novelbin

For the first time, I saw true rage in Taylor's eyes as he raised a dagger, ready to strike Josh.

Whitney rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him. "Taylor, don't hurt them."

Her words pierced through his fury, grounding him.

"You invited them to the wedding, didn't you?" she asked softly, tears glistening in her eyes.

I had underestimated Taylor's feelings for her. This man, who had harbored so much hatred, had momentarily set it aside and gone to great lengths to bring the Sanders here just so they could witness her wedding. Josh looked bewildered. "Wedding? Whose wedding?"

Taylor stood tall, pulling Whitney into his arms. "Mine and your daughter's, dear father-in-law."

"Y-you two..." Josh stammered before collapsing, overwhelmed by the strain and shock.

"Dad!"

"Honey!"

Taylor turned to his men. "Get a doctor. Make sure he stays alive. Don't let him die and ruin the occasion."

Upon hearing that, a strange sense of joy washed over me. I started to think I must be ill as well.

As the doctor worked to save Josh, I felt nothing-not a shred of concern. In truth, I thought to myself that it might be better if this indiscriminate man met his end.

Perhaps only then would he understand the pain I endured.

While I stood there, expressionless, Kate approached me cautiously.

"Chloe, we misunderstood you. Can you let go of your anger toward us?"

I had seen enough fake tears to last a lifetime.

"Mrs. Sander, stop wasting your tears. They're meaningless."

"Chloe, Dad is in a coma. Must you say such hurtful things? Do you want to upset Mom even more?"

Greg, the man who was supposed to be my brother, made me laugh. Not because he was funny, but because his outrage was absurd.

He glared at me. "How can you smile? You're so heartless!"

"Greg, are you trying to pin all the

blame on me just to ease your guilt? Now that the truth is out, it's clear the Carlyns were behind everything. The way you all treated me before was beyond cruel! Do you think I'm

responsible for what had

téday? Don't forget that I was the first one to lose my life.

"I died on a snowy night, abandoned by my fiancé. None of you cared enough to look for me after I

els

disappeared, which led to my body being mutilated, skinned, and broken. What did I do to deserve that? My only crime was being born a Sanders!"

"You!"

Greg lunged at me, but Carter stepped in, kicking him against the coffee table. Greg groaned in pain his face twisted in agony. Without hesitation, Carter grabbed him by the neck and slammed an ashtray into his head.

Blood spilled onto the floor.

Kate froze in shock, her scream piercing the room.

Just as Carter was about to strike again, I caught his hand. "Carl, stop. There's no point hurting someone like him-you'll only hurt yourself." Realizing how brutal he appeared, Carter released the ashtray.

"Sorry, Chloe."

I glanced at the others. "They're not my family anymore. Go rest, Carter."

I didn't bother arguing or justifying myself.

To me, my family had died with me on that snowy night.

I never wanted to see them weeping in front of me whether their tears were sincere or not didn't matter. The Chloe they once knew was gone.

Once, I thought I was too heartless. Now I see I wasn't cruel enough.

I left with Carter, ignoring Greg's desperate cries behind me. "Chloe, wait! Come back! Explain!"

As I closed the door behind us, Carter gently wiped my tears away.

Frustrated, I tried to hide my emotions. "Why would I cry over people like them? It's just ... dust in my eyes! That's all!"

Before I could say more, Carter pulled me into his arms, his voice firm yet comforting. "There's no one else here. Let it out if you need to."

Clutching his shirt tightly, I finally broke down, my tears soaking his clothes. My voice trembled as I whispered, "Carl, did I deserve to die?"