Chapter 309: An Apology Doesn’t Cut It

The Boltons lacked the necessary equipment, and with Sheila’s cries echoing, she was quickly rushed to the hospital. Luke studied me. “Did you make that happen on purpose?”

I hesitated. “I won’t lie—I did want her to fall. But I didn’t push her. It was just a thought. Who knew she’d actually slip? Still, it’s for the best. Now she won’t be able to cause any more problems for the Boltons.”

After everything with Silas, I couldn’t let Sheila remain unharmed. She was too dangerous. Maybe fate intervened before I could act. Anna remained under house arrest as the evening wore on, and Sheila was en route to the hospital.

I received a call from Carter. “Chloe, do you want to come to the shop?”

Just hearing those words made my heart race. A chill ran through me as I responded, my voice trembling, “Yes, I’m on my way.”

“Be careful on the road,” he said. “Don’t rush. I’ll be waiting for you.”

I ended the call quickly. It was done. Carter had reached the basement. He wouldn’t contact me until everything was secure. Luke, overhearing, said, “I’ll drive you.”

Now he was aligned with us, another piece on the chessboard, just like me. He was as eager as I was to uncover the truth. But I wasn’t taking any chances; I had a bodyguard with me as we headed to the shop.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I couldn’t shake the tension. If the riverbank was ground zero, the shop was where torment claimed me. Silas had stabbed me there. At that moment, I had only been losing blood, but I wasn’t dead yet. Then I was taken to the basement, uncertain of how or when it would end. My mind kept drifting back to that moment, the memory of the stone chamber, the image of myself trapped there.

“Chloe, don’t worry,” Luke said, noticing my unease. “No matter what happens, I’ll be with you.”

I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his reassurance, but before I could, Luke broke into a sudden fit of coughing. “Are you alright?” I asked, handing him two napkins. “Do you want to stop? I can drive.”

He smiled weakly. “I’m fine, Chloe. I’m glad you still care.”

I quickly dismissed the moment of tenderness with a sharp response. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not worried about you; I’m just worried you won’t be able to control the car.”

Luke’s smile faded. He wiped his mouth with a tissue, and I noticed blood on it. His stomach issues had taken a serious turn; he was now vomiting blood.

“Chloe, you used to care about me,” he said softly, as if lost in the past. “You’d make me syrup every season change. When I had a fever, you’d stay up all night with me, making soup. You always took care of me.”

I interrupted him. I didn’t want him to get lost in the past. “Luke, that’s over now. If you’re trying to make me feel sorry for you, trying to make me care because you’re letting your health go, then you’re wrong.”

“When you love someone, you don’t need to be asked to care. Even a cough would make me worry. But now, I don’t love you anymore. Even if you were hanging yourself, I’d think you were just on a swing.”

“You used to be my worry. I spent time taking care of your health. I’d even protect you from drinking when I knew your stomach was bad. Back then, I loved you. But now, I don’t. I fixed your stomach, and if you don’t want that anymore, fine. Let it go.”

My voice was cold. I saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel. His voice cracked when he asked, “Chloe… if I died right in front of you, would you even look at me?”

“No.”

Something cracked. A festival was near; fireworks began to light up the sky. I stared at the display, my voice quiet. “Luke, when you ran away from the wedding, I wanted to get back at you and Anna. You ruined my life. But when I was stabbed by the river, holding my phone, the last number I called wasn’t the police—it was you. Even as I lay there dying, I still had hope for you.”

“I knew you were with Anna. I should’ve called 911, but deep down, I knew I was done. If that was my last call, I wanted it to be to you.”

“Chloe…” Luke’s voice trembled.

I spoke calmly. “If you had shown even a little care in that phone call, maybe I wouldn’t have died with such bitterness. In my final moments, I saw fireworks in the sky. After I came back to life, the sound of them terrified me for a long time.”

“Was I afraid of dying, or was it the pain of your betrayal? I died, but my soul couldn’t leave you. I wasn’t ready to let go. I hated you, but I still loved you. We were lovers, family. Even in death, I couldn’t escape you.”

“There was a time when I couldn’t pull away. I had to watch your coldness, your indifference, your betrayal. That’s when I realized: I didn’t truly give up on you when I died. It was when I became a spirit. I started waking up from my obsession with you.”

“When you found out Anna was pregnant, you believed her. You stopped looking for me. On that rooftop, I saw you two together, and something clicked inside me. I knew I could step away. In that moment, I let go of our history. I let go of the hate and the love I had for you. That’s when I could finally step into Zoey’s life.”

“Luke, I don’t love you anymore.” The calmness in my voice only made it clearer that I had let go, hurting him more.

He clenched his teeth, tears falling slowly from his eyes, hitting his lap, one after the other. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t need your apology. It doesn’t change anything. You can’t erase the hurt with words.” I looked at him, cold and distant. “What we had is over. Don’t waste your time trying to fix it.”

“Okay.” His voice shook as he answered.

The car stopped outside the shop. Under the streetlight, we both sat—me in the passenger seat, him standing by the door. Snowflakes danced through the air as Damian stood, holding an umbrella over Carter’s head. The umbrella was weighed down by a thick blanket of snow, suggesting he had been waiting for some time.

When I finally saw Carter’s face, a wave of warmth swept through me. Before I opened the door, I spoke, almost to myself, “I’m not afraid of fireworks anymore.” Turning to Luke, whose eyes were swollen from tears, I added, “Because I know Carter will never betray me.”

With that, I stepped out of the car and made my way toward Carter. He extended his hand, his voice gentle. “Take it easy, don’t fall.”