Chapter 434: Let My Happiness Bloom on Your Grave

No matter how the Sanders acted, all I wanted was to cherish the time I had with the person I loved. Their coldness only strengthened my determination to have a child with Carter—our legacy together.

The next day, I woke up groggily around noon. My skin bore the marks of last night’s passion, a reminder of the intensity between Carter and me. After a quick shower, I changed into fresh clothes and replaced the pink floral sheets Yael had thoughtfully laid out. His attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed. As I bent over to spread the sheets, Carter entered, setting breakfast on the table. “Let me handle that. Go eat.”

I didn’t hesitate to accept his kindness—he loved spoiling me, and I wasn’t about to complain. While enjoying the seafood congee, I casually asked, “What’s happening with the Sanders? Taylor didn’t kill them, did he?”

“They’re alive,” Carter replied. “They’re still Whitney’s family, after all. If Taylor had truly wanted them gone, they wouldn’t have survived this long.”

After everything that had happened, I finally let go of any attachment to the Sanders. Their indifference toward me had made it clear they didn’t need Wisteria’s manipulations to see me as a villain. I was grateful for their coldness; it helped me move on. The past no longer mattered. They were irrelevant to my future.

“This congee is delicious,” I said with a smile. “Your aunt is a fantastic cook.”

Carter finished changing the sheets and tossed them into the washing machine. He came over, gently patting my head. “I made it. When we leave, I’ll cook it for you every day if you’d like.”

In recent days, a quiet sadness had lingered between us, stirred by the Stone of Duality incident. Carter often caught glimpses of sorrow in my eyes, and I knew I was disrupting his plans by forcing a smile. But now, we didn’t need to hide our emotions anymore. Sitting beside me, he reached out with freshly cleaned hands. “Let me feed you.”

“I’m not a child,” I protested lightly.

“Be good. Let me take care of you,” he insisted.

We didn’t bring up the idea of fate anymore. We just wanted to savor each moment without regret. I understood what he was feeling and stopped resisting, offering him a warm smile. “Alright.”

Carter, typically consumed by work, had become unusually attached to me lately. We were practically inseparable.

After we finished eating and stepped outside, Yael came in carrying a pot of sunflowers, which he placed on the table. “Chloe, these flowers are for you. Sunflowers stand for the courage to chase happiness. From now on, I want to be like a sunflower—”

Before he could finish, the sunflower was sliced in half with a fruit knife, its petals scattering to the floor. Carter stood there, holding a dagger with a frosty expression. “Don’t be too bold. Happiness is fragile and can break easily.”

“Carter!” Yael clenched his teeth in frustration.

Carter reached out and rapped him lightly on the head. “Show some respect.”

“When you die, I swear I’ll carve sunflowers all over your gravestone so my happiness can bloom on your grave!” Yael shot back.

Carter patted his shoulder. “Make sure you live long enough to see that happen. Don’t go dying before me.”

I noticed a shift in Carter’s attitude toward Yael. Perhaps it was because he now understood the complexities of the Carlyns’ and Amber’s history. Yael had never been involved in the attempts to harm me. Having always yearned for familial love, Carter treated him a bit more kindly.

The next day was Whitney’s wedding. I found her in the basement with the Sanders. Greg’s head was wrapped in a bandage, and Josh had taken his medicine. They looked much better after a night’s rest. Kate glanced at me hesitantly, while the other two maintained an air of arrogance, though they kept stealing glances my way.

They were waiting for me to apologize, as I always had in the past whenever I was wrongly blamed for something, just to keep the peace. But I didn’t even glance at them. Instead, I walked straight over to Whitney. “The wedding staff just arrived with a selection of bouquets. Go see which one you like!”

Josh snorted when he saw me ignoring them. “Your brother is injured, and you can’t even show a bit of concern?”

“Concern? I think Carl didn’t hit him hard enough. He should’ve knocked out a few teeth to stop him from running his mouth.”

“Chloe, you’re being completely unreasonable!”

“Am I? Maybe I should knock out a few of yours too.”

Kate spoke up then, “Chloe, we might have been wrong, but in the past six months, I haven’t had a single good night’s sleep because of your death. We’ve already faced retribution. We’re family—don’t hold a grudge. Go apologize to your father and brother.”

Before I could lose my temper, Whitney quickly grabbed my arm. “Chloe, come help me pick out a bouquet.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

“Chloe, come back here!”

Come back? The Chloe they knew was long gone.

I didn’t even glance back as I walked away. Whitney seemed to understand the situation and bit her lip. “Chloe, I’m sorry my relationship with them turned out this way.”

“Don’t blame yourself for everything. None of this is our fault—it’s theirs. I won’t stop you from being kind to them, but to me, they’re no longer family. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”

I held her hand as we left. In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but wonder if Taylor would spare the Sanders after the wedding or if he’d use them as leverage to keep Whitney from leaving.

After Whitney saw her family again, her emotions visibly lifted. In the past, Taylor was always the one making decisions, and Whitney had no say in the matter. But today, she was taking charge and picking out the dress Kate would wear. For Whitney, just being with her family again was enough to make her happy. As I had mentioned earlier, it might be the only wedding she would ever have, so she wanted to experience what it felt like to be a bride.

Her tone toward Taylor was much gentler today. I watched as she held his arm, saying, “What if I wear this jewelry tomorrow? I remember you gave it to me for my birthday two years ago.”

Taylor’s eyes lit up. “You remember that?”

“Of course, I remember everything you’ve given me. This bow, for example, was a gift from you when I was five.”

Taylor smiled and placed the hairpin in her hair. “I remember. You cried when the flood washed away the hairpin your brother gave you. I searched through over 2,000 designs to find one just like it for you.”

It seemed that Yael had been right all along—Taylor had always pampered Whitney.

Whitney smiled softly and nudged Taylor. “Tomorrow is our wedding day, but my family hasn’t bathed in forever. They smell terrible. Can you let them clean up?”

Taylor’s smile faltered. “So, is this really about them?”

“I’m thinking about us too. If they smell bad on our big day, it’ll kill the mood. Don’t you think so?” Whitney pouted. “Please, Tay!”

Taylor quickly covered her mouth. “Don’t call me that. Chloe’s still here.”

I could see the tips of his ears turning red, and I cleared my throat. “You two go ahead. Don’t mind me.”

I walked away, no longer wanting to be in the way. As I left the room, I could still hear Whitney’s playful voice calling out, “Tay, can’t you help your future in-laws?”