Chapter 316: Chloe, I’ll Take You Home

I had no idea what the grandmaster intended to do to Carter, but I understood that significant events don't simply materialize. If preserving my life meant Carter had to be sacrificed, I would readily give it up. Carter had already given me more love than I deserved. How could I ask him to sacrifice everything for me?

Desperately, I pounded on the wooden door repeatedly, only to be thrown back each time by a golden barrier of light. What else could I try?

I lifted my gaze to the Divine Statue at the altar. Falling to my knees, I bowed deeply in fervent prayer, again and again, with unwavering devotion.

“If someone must die, let it be me. Carter deserves to live.”

“I have nothing left—no body, no life, just this fragile thread of a soul. There’s nothing more that can be taken from me.”

The soft light of the Divine Statue touched me, offering a faint trace of warmth. I suddenly looked up, and for a moment, it felt as if I caught a glimpse of mercy from the golden statue.

“Chloe.”

Carter’s voice, familiar and comforting, reached my ears from behind. I spun around and found him standing just a few steps away. Without a moment’s pause, I rose and rushed toward him. He pulled me into his arms, and though we couldn’t feel the warmth of each other’s touch, the bond of love between us was undeniable.

Rising on my tiptoes, I leaned close to his ear and softly murmured, “I don’t know what lies ahead, but if you can still hear me, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Mm?” he responded, waiting.

“In the past, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for you. Every little thing you did moved me deeply. Back then, I couldn’t tell if what I felt for you was truly love. I always thought there was time, that we could take things slowly. But now, with everything that has happened, I regret it. I regret not telling you sooner…”

I reached out and gently traced his brow, feeling him shudder in response. As the golden light of the Divine Statue filled his eyes, I saw my reflection in their depths. It wasn’t Zoey I saw, but Chloe.

With God above as a witness, I, Chloe Sander, vow today and for all eternity, in this life and every life to come, I will love only Carter. To live is to be his, to die is to remain his, even in spirit. If I break this vow, may my soul be scattered to the winds!

“Chloe.” His face shifted, and he reached out to gently press his hand over my mouth.

“In the presence of God, one must not speak recklessly.”

I grasped his hand tightly. “Carter, I’m not being reckless. Every word I say is from the heart. Now you can rest easy, right? Even if I exist only in spirit, I will always be with you, forever by your side, do you understand?”

“Even if you marry and have children someday, I will…”

“Chloe, in this life, you are the only one for me. I will never remarry, no matter how lonely I may be. And besides, who says you’ll always remain a spirit?”

I fixed my gaze on him. “Can I return to Zoey’s body?”

He nodded. “Think of it like an organ transplant. It’s different from the body rejecting foreign tissue or organs.”

“How can I go back?”

He remarked, “It’s not difficult. We just need to do one thing in the future.”

“What do you mean?”

He explained gently, “Your soul is unstable. Even if you return today, it could detach again in the future. If her true form is harmed, you won’t be able to return. So the priority is to stabilize your soul.”

I eyed him cautiously. “Carter, did the grandmaster ask you to trade something for this? If it’s going to hurt you, I’d rather stay by your side as a spirit forever. Help me get revenge, and we can be together in a hundred years.”

“Chloe, you’re overthinking this. How could stabilizing your soul harm me?”

He opened his hand, revealing a pendant shaped like a water droplet. As I moved closer to examine it, I noticed it was made of a material similar to moonstone, though I couldn’t identify the exact material. The pure white stone had subtle red veins weaving through it, almost like blood vessels. Yet, it was more transparent than jade, with a soft, shimmering glow.

I asked, “What is this?”

“Soul-Stabilizing Pendant.”

I blinked, hesitating before asking, “Simply wearing this pendant is enough?”

“Yes.”

I was skeptical. “No price to pay? Don’t try to trick me.”

He replied, “Why would I deceive you? I promised the Grandmaster to gold-plate all the Divine Statues at Mount Spiritus as a sign of thanks.”

I walked around him, finding nothing unusual except for the injury on his knee. “Is that true? Carter, don’t make things up.”

He sighed, his lips curling in defeat. “Well, it’s not exactly that simple. We also need a drop of blood from Philippa and Bill to get Zoey’s parents to accept you as their daughter.”

“Oh, my mom! She’s flying back today to wrap up the divorce with Bill.”

“Don’t worry, Chloe. I’ve already reached out to Philippa and Bill. They’re on their way to the hospital.”

I reminded him, “Mom’s pregnant, don’t upset her.”

“I’m being careful.”

He extended his hand to me, and we left the altar together. For some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t as straightforward as they seemed. I glanced back at the towering Divine Statue, its gaze casting down on the world below. He couldn’t provide the answers I was seeking.

Outside, the sky was slowly brightening, and the snowstorm had quieted without me noticing. A beam of golden light pierced through the clouds, banishing the darkness that had filled the world. In the distance, the sea of clouds roiled, and the golden light dazzled.

“Carter, it’s so beautiful!”

I watched the sunrise as Carter turned to face me, quietly murmuring, “Yes, it’s very beautiful.”

“Chloe…”

He said my name softly, and I snapped back to reality. He lifted his arm and pulled me into an embrace.

“I love you, forever.”

A sense of unease washed over me, and I quickly turned to look at him. But he didn’t meet my gaze. The soft golden light bathed him, casting a warm glow around him, softening his usual coldness and giving him an air of sacredness and tenderness. At that moment, as I looked at him, I had the sense that he was a divine being, sitting high among the clouds. He looked down upon the world, offering his mercy only to me.

Even though I felt like the spiritual one at that moment, I couldn’t shake the feeling that he might disappear, so I reached out to hold him, “Carter…”

He gently placed his hand on my head, his brow softening, and his expression became tender. “Let’s go… Chloe. I’ll take you home.”

“Alright, let’s go home.”

I don’t know what the future will bring, but at this moment, I have all of Carter’s love, and that makes me the luckiest person alive. I had thought I could only exist in the abbey, but oddly enough, when I returned to the car, he was still able to hold my hand with perfect precision. He couldn’t sense my presence unless he could see me.

“Carter, can you see me?”

Carter shook the droplet pendant in his hand. “With this pendant.”

I am curious about that pendant. “This pendant has no connection to me. How could it make me visible?”

“It does.”

I glanced at him, his hands on the steering wheel, his eyes focused straight ahead. Even in profile, he looked incredibly handsome.

“Do you remember the string of beads with your ashes that Luke took a picture of?”

I gave a small nod. “Yes.”

“Chloe, on the day the statue broke, besides Luke, I also saw your spirit. But at that time, my status was too insignificant for me to talk to you.”

His smile, filled with helplessness, caused my heart to tighten. “I’m sorry, Carter. I didn’t realize you were there.”

“I get it. At that moment, how could you have paid attention to anything else? When the statue fell, his beaded bracelet broke too. One of the beads rolled towards me, and I just had this gut feeling that it had something to do with you, so I picked it up.”

That explains why one bead was missing from Luke’s re-strung bracelet. Carter must have taken it.

“So how does that bead relate to the pendant?”

“Eventually, you told me that it contained your ashes, so I took the bead to Mount Spiritus and gave it to Grandmaster Clearheart. He turned it into this pendant, which now holds your ashes.”

Carter faced me with a serious expression and spoke each word carefully. “Chloe, this pendant is also your sacred artifact. From now on, you must always keep it with you.”