Chapter 409: This Plot Is Insane

Boom! My head felt like it was about to explode. Wasn't Amber the mother of the Carlyn brothers? How could she possibly be connected to Carter? The moment this possibility occurred to me, everything started to make sense.

Why was Amber so concerned about Carter? Why did she take care of him for over a decade and even assign Damian to protect him? Why did she react so strongly when she saw my Stone of Duality? It was because Carter was her son, and she had guessed what he intended to do. She didn’t want Carter to sacrifice himself to save me, so she sent Damian to kill me. If Damian hadn’t changed his mind at the last second, I’d already be a corpse.

This also explained why Tiffany and Carter could never be together. Carter was Tiffany’s cousin, and Peter was Carter’s uncle. No wonder I sometimes felt Carter and Peter shared certain similarities. If this assumption were true, Amber might have had a hand in the plan to kill me. The person I loved most was the biological son of someone who wanted me dead. I was losing it.

Carter had already figured out what I was thinking. His face showed a hint of nervousness as he said, “Chloe, I’m sorry. I didn’t know… I really didn’t know she was still alive.” A cold shiver ran down my back. Just how many secrets were hidden behind my supposed death? I felt like I was getting closer to the truth, yet it also felt like the truth was far beyond what we could currently see. Carter’s face grew paler, tension evident in his expression. No wonder he hesitated to share this theory with me earlier. If it were proven true, it would make him the son of my enemy. He was sure I would hate him for it. Just an hour ago, the two of us had been so close, practically inseparable. Now, he wanted to reach out to me but was afraid I’d push him away. What an idiot!

I threw myself into his arms. I wanted to tell him that Amber and he were two different individuals. I wouldn’t hold him accountable for what she had done. He loved me so much and cared for me so deeply. I wasn’t one of those overly dramatic heroines who would let generational grudges dictate my feelings for him. He was as much a victim as I was. He knew that revealing the truth would spark conflict between us, yet he chose to tell me anyway instead of lying. If it weren’t for him, I didn’t know what kind of person I would have become after all I’d been through. There would never be anyone else in this world who would treat me as well as Carter did—not even my own parents.

I cupped his face and smiled to reassure him that I didn’t blame him. But he still seemed to be taking it hard. I made a hand gesture. “Don’t overthink it. This is just our guess. Nothing has been confirmed yet. Maybe it’s not true at all. After all, just a while ago, I’d even suspected the Dolton siblings were the long-lost pigeon pair of the Boltons. Carter had run a DNA test and confirmed he was a Bolton. So, I had to dismiss that theory. Amber wasn’t one of the pigeon pair. I wonder if they were alive or dead.

Right now, the only person who knew I was still alive was Yael. If he didn’t tell Amber, Carter could easily get a DNA sample from her. But now that I’d escaped, who knew if Yael would tell her? He’d threatened me with Whitney before—would he actually harm her? Even though I’d survived, I didn’t feel relieved. It was as if we’d just jumped from one trap into another. Carter, on the other hand, looked like he was barely holding it together. If the situation was as we feared, then he and the Carlyn brothers were half-brothers, sharing the same mother but different fathers! This plot was absolutely insane and ridiculous. Seeing his expression, I wanted to comfort him.

But before I could say anything, a strange sound came from outside. “Coo-coo coo-coo…” I wondered why there was a cuckoo bird in the dead of night. But soon, the sound started to feel familiar. “Coo-coo… Carter, if you don’t open the door, I’m coming in myself!” Oh, come on, Zoey, could you have a little patience? Still, hearing her voice filled me with relief. I rushed to open the door and was immediately pulled into a tight hug by Zoey.

“You idiot! Do you know how terrified I was when I heard you were dead? I cried for three whole days and my eyes were swollen!” Just moments ago, she was making faces at me, but now she was sobbing uncontrollably. Her hot tears ran down my neck. I patted her shoulder in silent comfort.

“Oh, great, you’re alive, but now you’re mute,” she said, looking up and noticing my allergy-ridden face. Her sobbing grew louder. “And your face is all messed up. This is too tragic!” Harlan, who had followed her, scratched his head in confusion. “You cried when she was dead, and now you’re crying when she’s alive. Why do you have so many tears?” No wonder he looked less annoying to me now. It must have been because Zoey had spent the last few days crying at home.

Feeling the warmth of her concern, my mood lifted significantly. Sure, I’d been through a lot, but if not for my “death,” I wouldn’t have met Zoey, Carter, or Whitney. Maybe I wasn’t so unlucky after all. I raised my head, brushed her tears away, and shook my head. “Stop crying. I’m fine,” I mouthed. Zoey’s wide, watery eyes examined me. “You’ve lost weight. Did he torture you?” Well, three days with barely anything to eat wasn’t exactly fun.

Zoey grabbed my hand. “Good thing I brought a feast for you. You need to eat and get your strength back.” I nodded, silently mouthing a “thank you” to her. Harlan, trailing behind her, carried two large bags of takeout. He glanced at Carter, whose eyes were red. “It’s a good day. Let’s have a few drinks, huh?” Carter shot him a look and headed to the closet to change clothes.

As I sat down to eat, Carter emerged, dressed and ready to leave. “I’m sneaking out for a bit,” he said to me.

I grabbed his hand, shaking my head furiously. He was definitely going to see Amber. If Yael hadn’t told her anything, it wouldn’t matter. But what if he had? Even though she’d cared for Carter for over a decade, who was to say she wouldn’t turn on him now? Even Yael refused to call her “Mom.” That woman was definitely not normal.

“Don’t worry,” Carter said softly, stroking my face. “I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing.” I didn’t want to be separated from him again so soon after we’d reunited. I shook my head desperately. “Trust me, okay?” he said with a gentle smile before pulling his hand away and leaving.

Harlan stared at the door, baffled. “He just walked out, looking all healthy? He’s not pretending to be disabled anymore?” Aside from his closest friends, Carter had been pretending to be disabled to guard against the people who’d tried to kill him years ago. Since Damian was Amber’s man, she had known all along that Carter was faking. That day, Tiffany had thought she could do whatever she wanted to him because he was “disabled,” only to end up being killed by Carter in self-defense. Carter was done pretending. He left with an icy aura.

But I was on edge. Had Yael told Amber about me? If he hadn’t, we still had the upper hand. But would he really be so kind? The thought of that menacing boy with a bright smile tightened my chest. I turned around and found Harlan suddenly standing close with a serious expression. “Are you guys hiding something from me?” he asked.