Chapter 262: Confession

Bill scanned the bloodstained floor, his face dark with fury. Sure, he didn’t exactly like the Wilchers either. Over the years, they’d been under his protection, like incompetent children who couldn’t fend for themselves. But no matter how much he disliked them, they were still family.

“Fix my family? This is how you fix the family?” Carter’s expression remained calm. “Haven’t seen it done this way before? Well, now you have.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Carter’s blade came down again, swift and precise. Everyone’s attention was still fixed on Bill, and no one expected Carter to strike again so suddenly.

“Ahhh!” Harper let out a piercing scream before collapsing unconscious. Bill’s anger erupted. “Carter, this is the Gardner residence!”

“I know,” Carter replied coolly. “Since you’ve failed to keep these ungrateful relatives in check all these years, I’ll take over. They’ve gone too far—slapping my wife and even targeting a pregnant woman.”

There was only one pregnant person in the family. Bill’s gaze shot toward the others.

“You laid hands on my wife?”

Benjamin, his face swollen on one side, protested weakly, “Bill, don’t listen to him. How could I ever bring myself to hit my daughter?” Though he treated Philippa poorly, he still tried to play the loving father in front of Bill. But Bill wasn’t easily fooled. Knowing Carter’s personality, he understood that Carter wouldn’t go to such extremes without a reason.

“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. What did you all do?”

“Allow me to explain,” I said, descending the staircase slowly. Carter had assumed I was still upstairs comforting Philippa. The moment he saw me, his bloodied knife still in hand, his usually calm gaze flickered with panic. He didn’t want me to see this ruthless side of him.

Damian, ever the reliable right-hand man, stepped in immediately, taking the knife from Carter. “Mr. Carter, your health is too fragile for this. Why not let me handle it?”

The others, who had witnessed Carter’s brutal efficiency, looked at Damian like he’d lost his mind. “Fragile? Did he think they were blind or deaf?”

Carter’s eyes softened as he looked at me. “Why did you come down? Did the noise disturb you?”

A hint of guilt lingered in his voice. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was probably kicking himself for not gagging Harper earlier to keep me from hearing anything.

“No, I just wanted to check on things.”

“There’s nothing to see here, just blood everywhere. Go back upstairs and rest. I’ll call you when lunch is ready.” He looked like a child caught doing something wrong, his face full of nervousness. He was afraid of scaring me. Afraid I’d despise him for what I’d seen.

But I didn’t stop walking. I went straight to his side and noticed blood splattered on the back of his hand. Carter instinctively tried to pull his hand behind him, but I caught his wrist and gently wiped the blood away with a tissue.

“Why did you do this yourself?”

Carter’s gaze wavered. “Zoey, I…”

I cut him off, adding softly, “Blood from people like this doesn’t deserve to stain your hands.”

The room fell silent. Bill, who’d been ignored, looked ready to explode. “Zoey, what’s going on here?”

I finished wiping Carter’s hand clean and stood up. “In short, Benjamin crossed the line. He always tries to hit my mother, and when I stepped in to protect her, they all turned on me.”

Bill’s eyes darkened as he noticed the swelling on my cheek and the faint outline of a handprint. Fury boiled over in him. “What the hell have you all done? I invited you here to talk some sense into Philippa, and this is how you repay me?”

Sensing Bill’s rage, Vere hurried to smooth things over. “Bill, don’t listen to her nonsense. Of course, we were just trying to persuade Philippa to work things out with you. But who could’ve guessed she’d bring up divorce? Dad just wanted to discipline her a little.”

Vere thought his explanation would get Bill on their side. But to his surprise, Bill slapped him hard across the face. “She’s my wife! Since when is it your place to discipline her? You live off my money and still dare to lay a hand on her?”

Bill’s brows furrowed tightly. “Enough. This ends here. Where are the servants? Clean this up immediately!”

“Bill, are we just letting this go?” “Bill, you can’t be serious!”

Both sides spoke at once, pressing Bill for an answer. He turned to Carter. “What more do you want?”

Carter’s expression remained cold. “I said five fingers, and I meant it. Not one less.”

“You…” Bill was taken aback by Carter’s unyielding stance.

“Carter,” Bill started, his tone firm, “we’re not the same. I won’t allow anyone to touch my wife, no matter who they are.”

Carter didn’t respond to Bill but instead addressed Damian. “Take him outside and deal with it. I don’t want my wife’s eyes to witness this any further.”

“Sure,” Damian replied coolly, dragging the unconscious Harper out of the room.

Benjamin turned to Bill, panicked. “He’s your brother!”

Bill, still furious, glared at Benjamin. “Benjamin, I’ve done more than enough for the Wilchers. Don’t forget who made the Wilchers what they are today. You’re ungrateful and disrespect my wife. If that’s the case, I have no obligation to respect any of you. Harper can stay for treatment, but the rest of you will be sent back home immediately.”

“Bill, please, don’t be mad! I would never hurt my daughter! I was just…”

“Enough!” Carter’s cold gaze cut him off, making Benjamin shrink back in fear, too afraid to speak further.

Outside, another agonizing scream rang out, but Carter remained unmoved. “Clean the room.”

The bodyguards acted quickly, tidying up in minutes. Carter gently applied medicine to my face, his eyes filled with unshakeable sorrow.

“I’m sorry I came too late.”

“You didn’t. You came just in time.”

We shared a quiet smile. With the Wilchers gone, the air felt lighter, though none of us had much of an appetite. I forced myself to adapt to this chaotic life, but the image of that severed finger lingered in my mind, leaving a faint wave of nausea. Even with all the air freshener sprayed, the thick metallic scent of blood still clung to the air.

After saying goodbye to Philippa, I got in the car with Carter and left. Carter’s face was heavy with guilt as he looked at me. “I’m sorry.”

I leaned into his embrace. “You handled everything perfectly. I’m just a little fragile right now, but I’ll grow stronger. Just give me time.”

“Do you think I’m cruel?”

“When I know your cruelty is simply a means of protecting yourself, I don’t think of it as cruel. It only makes me ache for you more. Someone who grew up without the love of their parents must have endured so much to achieve everything he has now.”

Carter held me tightly. “Chloe, thank you.”

“I’m learning to love you, Carter, and that means accepting all of you—the good and the bad. You’re my husband.”

“Besides, I don’t think what you did was bad.”

I looked up at him, my gaze meeting his gentle one: “Carter, I love the way you stand up for me.”

Hearing my passionate and straightforward confession, Carter’s ears turned a deep shade of red. The fierce Carter from earlier was nowhere to be seen now, replaced by this bashful, endearing side of him. The contrast was irresistible.

I climbed onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck as I leaned in to kiss him. “Carter…”

“Darling, we’re still in the car…”

Chapter 263: Special Gift