Chapter 193: Awkward Moment

I handed Snowflake to the driver, instructing him to take her back to the Bolton residence for care. When I returned to the living room, Kate was unusually pleasant, her demeanor positively glowing with friendliness.

“Mrs. Bolton,” she began with an apologetic smile, “we may have had some minor misunderstandings before. That was because I had just lost a daughter and couldn’t manage my emotions well. Given the history between our families, we shouldn’t be at odds.”

“Exactly,” Josh chimed in. “If Chloe were still here, we’d still be in-laws.”

Under the table, my fingers curled tightly into a fist. They had no right to utter Chloe’s name. Before they learned of my supposed death, I could almost excuse their coldness. Almost. But after everything I’d endured, I knew exactly how they treated me. Hearing those words from Josh now only filled me with disgust.

Neither Carter nor I showed much reaction, which seemed to unsettle Josh. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair before clearing his throat.

“By the way,” he said, forcing a smile, “even though your wedding didn’t have a ceremony, we still prepared a small gift to celebrate the occasion.”

At his cue, Kate produced a jewelry box. The moment I saw it, I recognized it. This set of jewelry had been purchased with the dowry money they had taken from me and given to Anna. I still remember Anna flaunting it in front of me.

It seemed the Sander family had fallen on harder times over the years. They couldn’t even afford a decent gift and had to dig up something that had already been used. Still, it also hinted at their waning trust in Anna. If not for the child she carried, her life with them would undoubtedly be far more difficult.

“Thank you so much,” I said, opening the box in front of them. The brilliantly colored diamonds reflected the light, creating a dazzling display. How ironic. They once told me I didn’t deserve such things. Now, they offered them willingly, desperate to please me. Even if I never wore the jewelry, I would take it. After all, it was mine to begin with.

“As long as you like it,” Kate said with a tight smile.

“I do,” I replied lightly, handing the box to Damian. Josh stood and raised his glass. “Cheers to you both, and may you enjoy a lifetime of happiness.”

Carter lifted his glass with a calm smile. “Zoey isn’t much of a drinker. Allow me to drink on her behalf.”

“You’re truly considerate toward Mrs. Bolton,” Josh said with a chuckle.

Carter’s smile deepened. “Of course. It wasn’t easy to win her over. I must treasure her.”

Though I knew he was merely being polite, his words brought a faint blush to my cheeks. Just then, Luke appeared in the hall, his presence announced by a gust of icy wind that clung to him. His eyes were bloodshot, likely from reading the diary I’d left behind. Now he knew the torment I endured when I was alive.

At first, my entries were filled with attempts to rationalize his closeness with Anna, trying to convince myself not to dwell on it. But as their actions grew increasingly egregious—especially after I lost my child—I documented every ounce of my pain and hatred in those pages. By now, Luke must have grasped the depth of my suffering.

As he entered, Carter’s earlier remark seemed to have struck a nerve. Luke’s reddened eyes fixated on him with an intensity that bordered on madness. I couldn’t understand him. The people who hurt me the most were him and his family. Why was he glaring at Carter?

The Sander family hastily invited him to join the meal, clearly uneasy about his behavior. I couldn’t help but worry about what Luke might do with the diary. Without concrete evidence to tie Anna to the murder, the diary could only serve as circumstantial evidence. Worse, it could lead to unnecessary complications.

Fortunately, Luke didn’t reveal anything. Instead, he took a seat beside Carter. Carter didn’t acknowledge him. “Let’s continue,” he said, downing his glass of wine.

Kate seized the opportunity to speak again. “Mrs. Bolton, there’s another matter I’d like to discuss. Now that Anna is marrying into the Hudson family, the child she’s carrying is deeply tied to both of our families’ futures.”

“Understood. Ms. Sander wants us to keep this a secret, right? But I’m curious—Ms. Sander has been pregnant for over a month now. When her pregnancy starts showing, the Hudsons are bound to find out, aren’t they?”

“As long as you don’t say anything, we have our ways of keeping it hidden.”

So, they were worried I’d meddle, which is why they moved first today.

“Alright. As long as Ms. Sander doesn’t provoke me, I won’t say a word,” I said with a smile. Besides, once you’ve received something good from someone, you need to be a little more accommodating.

The Sanders were greedy—wanting the Boltons’ rewards while still clinging to whatever benefits the Hudsons had to offer.

I decided to wait and see what Anna’s name would become. Letting go would make her drop her guard. Maybe it was just my imagination, but Luke was staring at me like a lunatic. Especially whenever Carter handed me food—Luke glared at him with so much distaste. The look he gave us seemed like that of a betrayed husband staring at the man who stole his wife. It wasn’t his stomach that was broken; it had to be his heart.

I ignored him and left after dinner. In the car, I mentioned the notebook to Carter. He noticed my concern and gently patted my hand.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

I nodded, and sure enough, as soon as we got out of the car, Luke asked to speak to Carter alone. Carter agreed without hesitation. As they walked off, I had a gut feeling Luke wasn’t going to say anything good and would probably take the opportunity to talk behind my back.

I quickly made my way outside and tried to sneak in through the first-floor balcony, hoping to overhear their conversation. Snow was falling heavily, and the decorative lights in the corridor swayed in the icy wind. I shivered as I climbed onto the balcony. My hands were nearly frozen as I carefully pressed my ear against the door.

I could just make out Luke’s angry voice: “You knew all along! I knew something was up. Do you have any idea, she’s my…”

His what?

The wind outside howled, making it hard to hear clearly. I decided to slide the door open just a crack, hoping to catch every word. Little did I know, the door was so poorly made that with barely any force, it glided open smoothly.

Standing there, they both stopped arguing and stared at me with wide eyes. The moment was beyond awkward. I stiffly raised my hand and forced a smile. “Um… I was just seeing if the door was easy to push…”

Carter’s lips curled into a gentle smile. “If you want to listen, come in. Isn’t it cold out there?”

“It’s pretty cold.”

“Zoey, come here.” He gestured for me to sit.

I quickly closed the door, and Luke looked like he was ready to explode. I wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him as possible. Carter patted his leg. “Sit here.”

“Oh, I didn’t think much of it, since I’d sat there plenty of times before, and it was comfortable.” But just as I settled in, Luke suddenly lunged at me, grabbing my arm and pulling me away. He clenched his fist and aimed it at Carter’s face.

“Carter, you bastard!”

I was horrified. Luke was acting so recklessly now—attacking even Carter, the person he feared most.

“Carter!”