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

Whitney was completely stunned. She had only known part of the truth, but hearing these horrifying details spill out of Wisteria's mouth was too much for her to process. She clutched her hand over her mouth, gagging as though she might vomit.

Seeing her in that state, Wisteria strolled over to her, bending down to meet her eye level.

"What's wrong? Just hearing it makes you sick, doesn't it? Oh, the great eldest daughter of the Sanders, so noble and untouchable. You and your sister really are lucky, aren't you? One of you comes back from the dead, and the other-though clearly a prisoner-is shielded by Taylor. He restricts your freedom, and you think that's unfair? Without him, you'd have been killed a thousand times over by now, used up, tossed out, and dumped in the ocean to feed the fish! Look at that face of yours. Such a pity... Is this how you seduced Taylor?"

As she spoke, Wisteria's crazed mind took over. She grabbed a dagger and began tracing it lightly across Whitney's face. "Tell me, if I ruin your face, will Taylor still care about you? How dare he love you-you, an enemy of ours!"

The moment the blade pressed against Whitney's skin, my heart clenched. "Whitney!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest.

But Dominic kicked the dagger out of Wisteria's hand with a single, sharp move. His expression turned ice-cold. "What are you doing?"

Silas's death had clearly broken Wisteria. I could sense it-the Carlyns were losing control of her.

She was like a wild horse running rampant, hellbent on dragging everyone down with her into destruction.

"Uncle Dominic, why are you so nervous? Aren't you the one who was so willing to ruin your life for love, happy to play the other man and let Aunt Amber do whatever she wanted to your son? And now you're here acting like a protective father," she said with a twisted smirk.

"Wisteria, don't forget what you promised me," Dominic snapped, his voice low and dangerous.

It was clear that, for all his flaws, Dominic was still protecting Whitney. Of course, it made sense. He was a fool in love, and his son wasn't much different.

He feared that if anything happened to Whitney, Taylor would lose it. I felt a small sense of relief-at least Whitney wouldn't be harmed.

As for me, they didn't dare touch me, likely because of Amber.

Dominic knew exactly how much Amber cared about Carter, and since he assumed my fate was tied to Carter's, his people had always treated me with unusual courtesy.

It seemed Dominic, for all his ruthlessness, still loved his wife and son.

Maybe even by extension, he pitied the two daughters of their enemies enough to leave us alive. For that, I couldn't help but feel begrudgingly thankful.

But when Dominic's stern gaze landed on Wisteria, she backed away like a ghost retreating into the shadows.

Then, with an unnervingly cheerful and playful tone, she turned her attention to Josh. She tilted her head and smiled at him, her voice like the spoiled girl she used to be when she wanted something from him. "Daddy, go on and do it. Otherwise, Greg's going to bleed out soon," she said sweetly. Josh gripped the axe tightly, his hands and legs trembling uncontrollably.

Breaking a leg bone was nothing like chopping wood-it couldn't be done in one clean swing. And to do it to yourself? How many people in the world had that kind of resolve?

If the first strike didn't sever the bone, the pain would surge through his entire body, overwhelming him. What came next would be even worse-a slow, agonizing torture as each dull swing chipped away at him, dragging him closer to despair. That was exactly why they had agreed to this cruel deal.

To them, a fate worse than death was far more satisfying than a quick, merciful end.

Penelope bit her lip, crawling toward Josh, desperate to stop him. Kate, on the other hand, froze in place. She wanted to intervene, but one look at Greg's pale and broken state left her paralyzed. What could she do? Offer her own leg instead?noveldrama

After all, she wasn't truly a Sanders by blood. She was just their daughter-in-law. The Carlyns' hatred was aimed at the Sanders bloodline, not her.

Greg, his voice weak and faint, tried to stop him. "Dad, don't..."

Josh glanced from Greg's face to mine, his expression unreadable.

He didn't say anything, but after so many years of calling him "Dad," I knew exactly what he wanted to say.

He wanted to apologize. But his pride wouldn't let him say the words.

Then, without any hesitation, he swung the axe down hard onto his own shin.

He had poured all his strength into that swing, trying to cut through the bone in one go.

Maybe he hoped to make it quick, to spare himself as much pain as possible.

"Honey!"

"Dad!"

"No!"

As Josh delivered the first blow, I barely felt anything in my chest. But when the axe came down a second time, it was like the blade had struck my own heart instead.

I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. Even if I begged for mercy, it would only excite the Carlyns even more.

The smartest thing to do was to stay silent, to do nothing.

But when I heard the sickening sound of the axe tearing into flesh and bone, I couldn't stop myself from shutting my eyes tightly.

Wisteria was overjoyed, her laughter bright and unhinged, like that of an innocent child. She moved behind me and whispered gleefully, "Chloe, you should be happy! Have you forgotten how he used to yell at you? How he used to hit you?" How could I forget?

Those moments were burned into my memory, impossible to erase.

But alongside them came flashes of the times when he loved me when he cherished me. They followed me like shadows.

"Chloe won an award again? That's my girl! My daughter's the best!"

"Sorry, sweetie. Daddy has to go on a business trip, but I'll bring you a present when I'm back, okay?"

"Happy birthday, my little princess."

"Daddy will always love you."

"Chloe, how could you turn out like this? She's your sister!"

"Don't you have any shame? She suffered for years out there. What's wrong with letting her have a little more?" "You disgust me!"

And then, the final image: that snowy night. Him kneeling in front of my shattered statue, sobbing uncontrollably.

I had loved him. I had respected him. And I had hated him. But ever since I was reborn, revenge against the Sanders had never crossed my mind.

Yet in this moment, as a storm of emotions raged within me, Wisteria pressed the tip of a dagger to my chin. Her voice was syrupy and mocking. "Oh, my dear sister, watch closely! I'm avenging you. You should be smiling right now!"

My stomach churned violently as I looked at Josh's mangled, bloodied leg, and I doubled over, gagging and dry heaving.

Whitney nearly fainted. Her forehead was already cracked and bleeding from how hard she had been bowing, but she still clung desperately to Dominic's sleeve, sobbing. "Mr. Carlyn, my father has done what you asked. Please, let someone bandage Greg's wounds!" She was the only one still thinking clearly. Whitney knew she couldn't let Josh's sacrifice be in vain.

Dominic's gaze lingered on her bloodied forehead for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. I had no idea what was going through his mind.

In the end, he kept his word and allowed the doctor to come over and tend to Greg's wounds.

Wisteria, however, was still full of excitement. "Is that all you've got? Didn't you eat today? Such little strength!" she taunted.

I, still covered in blood, walked over to Penelope and helped her to her feet. I wanted to wipe the tears off her face, but when I looked down at my hands, sticky and red, I stopped myself.

"Grandma," I called out hoarsely.

The woman who had been proud and unyielding her entire life now buried her face against my chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

I held her trembling body and quietly asked, "I need to know... Is what the Carlyns said true?"

For the Carlyns to spend two generations meticulously planning their revenge, the truth was likely not far from what they claimed.

But I still wanted to hear it from Penelope herself.

Her voice shook as she began to speak. "That year ... I wanted to curry favor with the warlord. I knew he had taken a liking to Mrs. Carlyn Senior. It was a chaotic time, and your grandfather was ... useless. We had no choice but to rely on the warlord. To rise in status, I used whatever means necessary to please him.

"At first, I thought he was just fooling around, that it would be a one-night affair. But who would've thought... he truly fell for Mrs. Carlyn Senior and refused to let her go? But the warlord's wife was ruthless. He didn't dare keep Mrs. Carlyn Senior in his home, so he hid her at Ours. We were forced to keep her locked in the basement. I never imagined that my selfish, evil decision would bring such disaster upon the Carlyns. Things spiraled completely out of control."

"No secret can stay hidden forever. The warlord's wife eventually found out. Enraged, she ordered us to send Mrs. Carlyn Senior to various officials and nobles ... and even had her humiliated by lowlifes."

"Then why did you kill the Carlyns?" I asked.

"At the time, the warlord was furious. And when the Carlyns came to make a scene, he ordered their people beaten to death on the spot," she admitted, tears streaming down her face.

"Chloe, Grandma did everything to climb the ladder. My hands are far from clean. What happened to the Carlyns was my fault. It was my greed for power that caused it all. But I swear, I never wanted to destroy their entire family! I regretted it back then. I did everything I could to save Mrs. Carlyn Senior and return her to the Carlyn Residence. I thought she might be able to start over ... but in the end, she hanged herself.

"After that, the Carlyns planned to

retaliate at Bolton Residence. By that

point, the warlord had lost his

military power but still held status in Snowville. He feared the Carlyns would ruin his reputation if they kept causing trouble. So ... he ordered me to secretly kill the Carlyns. Couldn't bring myself to do it, so I devised a way to drive them out instead, hoping to protect their lives. But I never thought... they would hate us

for it to this day..."

"Shut up, you old hag! Do you think twisting the truth will wash away your sins?" Wisteria snapped, her voice venomous.

Penelope didn't flinch at her words.

Her voice remained calm, even as

tears streaked down her face. "This

Re

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all started because of me. I don't regret the punishment I've received The Sanders have already paid in blood. My life is yours to take whenever you want it. I only one thing-please, spare these young ones. They are innocent." Her gaze turned to me, her voice breaking. "Chloe, Grandma has let you down... I'm not the good person you thought I was. I deserve all of this. But you ... you shouldn't have to die because of me. I'm so sorry, my poor child."