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

Ethan and Jake both died in accidents. I wasn't there when it happened. Aside from sorrow for their lives lost too soon and hatred for the person behind it all, I didn't feel much.

The only effect it had on me was that I couldn't sleep well that night.

I thought I had long since severed ties with the identity of being the Sander family's fourth daughter. But when Greg's warm blood splattered all over me, I realized something I'd tried to deny for years. Blood ties-no matter how broken, even if the bodies were torn to pieces-could never truly be cut.

Josh and Kate stumbled toward us, their movements unsteady. Kate, in her panic and worry, tripped and fell heavily to the ground.

Penelope tried to stand up, but her frail body wouldn't let her. She could only crawl across the floor, inch by inch, toward Greg.

Whitney took a step back, like she had been scared stiff. Tears slid slowly from her eyes.

Yet again, her loved ones were bleeding out right in front of her. She had to be the one hurting the most.

My vision was completely filled with the piercing red of blood. Before I could even think clearly, I had already crouched down and was pressing hard on his wound.

But the gash was too big. Blood kept pouring out, covering my hands.

"Coco."

He reached up weakly and touched my face. "It's been a long time since I called you that."

"I-I'm sorry..."

He let out a soft, resigned laugh. "So it turns out... saying sorry isn't as hard as I thought."

I held back my tears, forcing my voice to remain cold as I told him, "I won't accept your apology. Don't think that dying will make everything go away."

"Heh... cough... You're still so kind. How could I ever have doubted that you might've joined the Carlyns to hurt us? Actually... under the plum tree, I buried a jar of Ruby Toast. I'd planned to open it for your wedding night, but... but fate played its tricks. I'm sorry. That night, I thought you'd just run off in a tantrum. I never imagined... Coco, ending up like this-it's what I deserve."

He gave a bitter smile. "Dad, Mom... I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill my duty as your son, to care for you until the end."

Kate's tears were falling uncontrollably. She shook her head frantically, crying, "No, no! Don't say stupid things like that! You'll be fine!"

Josh, usually the quieter one, was also in tears now, his face streaked with grief.

But Whitney-when she finally snapped out of her shock-didn't rush to Greg. Instead, she hurried forward and dropped to her knees in front of Dominic.

Grabbing the hem of Dominic's coat, she pleaded, "Mr. Carlyn, I'm a Sanders. Please, let me atone for the Sanders. Save my brother! He doesn't know anything-he's innocent! You can do whatever you want to me, torture me however you like, but please ... save him!" Tears rolled down her sharp chin, one drop after another.

But there was no Taylor here. No one would pity her.

Dominic lifted her chin with his fingers. "Anna, I've already shown you mercy by letting you live."

Whitney pushed his hand away and lowered her head to the ground in desperation. "Mr. Carlyn, the Sanders are at fault for everything every last mistake is ours. Ethan and Jake are already dead. Greg is the last Sanders alive. I'm begging you ... please spare him. Give the Sanders one last chance. I'll trade my life for his. Please... I'm begging you...

She kept bowing her head, hitting it against the ground with so much force that blood had started to show on her forehead. Seeing it made my heart ache.

I wanted to stop her, but I couldn't move. My hands were pressed firmly against Greg's wound, trying to hold in the blood.

I had seen his wound. Axes were weapons designed for heavy strikes and chopping, far less precise than a dagger that could take a life with one clean cut.

When he crashed into me, I instinctively pulled back, loosening the force of my grip. The wound wasn't deep enough to be fatal.

As long as he got medical attention in time, there was still a chance for him to survive.

Whitney had shown her composure and logic, both in the car earlier and now.

She knew what needed to be done in any given situation, instead of breaking down and crying mindlessly.

The Carlyn brothers and Amber were nowhere to be seen, which made it obvious that Dominic had planned this carefully. He didn't want anyone interfering with or ruining his work.

Compared to Wisteria, Dominic might actually leave us with a sliver of hope.

That's why Whitney kept bowing, begging for mercy. She was trying to stir even the tiniest shred of humanity within him.

Josh stood up, and no one noticed him at first.

He picked up the axe I had dropped on the ground.

"Dominic, my mother is guilty. Let me, as her son, pay the price for her sins. I've already lost two sons, and my two daughters have suffered endlessly because of this. Now Greg's life hangs by a thread. If revenge has a target, let it fall on me. Spare his life, and I'll trade one of my legs for it. How about that?" he said, his voice steady.

My pupils widened in shock. In my eyes, Josh had always been selfish, timid, and cowardly. Yet, in this moment, he had stepped forward.

Dominic's lips curled into an amused smile, making it clear that he and Wisteria wanted to drag the Sanders through endless torment.

If they had truly wanted to kill us, we'd already be dead without ever seeing it coming.

Josh's offer caught Dominic's interest. He sneered, "Alright then. As long as you cut off your own leg with your own hands, I'll spare your son."

Penelope, lying on the ground, was so distraught that her face was covered in tears. She was too overwhelmed to even string together a full sentence. "No ... no! Don't!"

Wisteria walked up to her and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back. "Watch carefully, you old hag. Watch how your son loses his leg. Hurts, doesn't it? But let me ask you this did you feel anything back then when my father lost his leg at just two years old? He was just a child! How could you Sanders be so cruel as to break his leg?"

"Take mine instead. I'll pay for it with my leg," Penelope cried.

Wisteria laughed coldly. "You? A decrepit old bag who's halfway in the grave anyway? You've lived a life of luxury and indulgence, and now you think you can die to escape your sins? Not so fast!"

Her voice turned venomous. "Do you

have any idea how much shame my father carried for the rest of his life because of that leg? Do you know what we went through? While your son lived like a prince, eating delicacies and flaunting his status we-the Carlyns-wore mourning clothes over and over again. My father and my uncle watched as they buried one elder after another, and they were just kids. They watched as the Carlyns fell from prosperity into ruin until your family drove us to the brink of despair. We had no choice but to flee overseas. Do you know what it's like to drift aimlessly on the ocean? To be attacked by pirates? To endure war and survive by sheer luck? You

Sanders think your bloodline is precious, but does that mean we Carlyns deserve to die?"

Wisteria pointed at me, her

expression fanatical. "And

her-Chloe. She was born into a world where everyone adored her, treated her like a princess. And what about us? We had to join an organization just to survive. Do you know how old I was when I first killed someone? Do you know what I had to endure just to fight for a bite of rotting food? Am I really born to be inferior? Is that what you think? That's why I'm going to drag all of you down from your pedestal. Your precious granddaughter-oh, I'm not just going to take away her love and the men who adore her. I'll make sure she dies with no peace, no dignity. I'll have her body crushed to pieces, her skin peeled off, her eyes gouged out, her head severed-"

"Enough!"

Kate screamed, her face streaked with tears.

But Wisteria only smiled, her expression twisted like a demon's. "What's the matter, Mom? Why are you looking at me like that? Do you finally feel sorry for her now? Too bad-it's already too late. The ones who pushed Chloe into the abyss were you. All of you!" "Shut up! Just shut up!"

But Wisteria's smile only grew

darker. "Do you think eating from hernovelbin

ashes was satisfying? How about you, old hag? You flipped through her skin, praying to your God for mercy do you think He will bless you? And Luke, that fool, wearing a bracelet made of her ashes Whispering about how much he loved her. Hah! You idiots, all of you. Even now, you blame her for

everything..."

Every word she said was like a knife twisting into the hearts of the Sanders family. And she knew exactly where to strike.

"What's wrong? Feeling regret now? Want to play the part of a loving family, pretending you want her back? How pathetic. A love that comes too late... is worth less than dirt," Wisteria's laughter rang out, sharp and bitter.