Chapter 443: Wisteria Appears
Greg gripped the knife, his hand shaking uncontrollably. “Chloe, don’t hold it against me. I admit we wronged you all these years and misunderstood you, but can you truly claim to be blameless? Why didn’t you tell us the truth after you were reborn? You let Ethi and Jake die for nothing. I know you’re taking revenge for the way we mistreated you. To show up so calmly at the Carlyn Residence, you must be working with them, right? If that’s the case, then Ethan’s death is on you!”
With those words, he thrust the dagger toward my chest.
Alright, so be it. I had braced myself before coming here. If Dominic wanted to watch us tear each other apart, then I would strike back—for Whitney’s sake. So, he shared the same intent, leaving me with no reason to feel remorse.
I seized his wrist and drove my knee into his stomach. He was too weak to resist, and I effortlessly disarmed him. Though my self-defense training was minimal, it was more than sufficient to handle someone like Greg, whose life had been riddled with indulgence.
At the Sanders, only Ethan and Jake showed any sign of growth. One was steadfast in maintaining the family business, while the other aspired to expand abroad. Greg, on the other hand, was nothing more than a burden, draining the family’s wealth on food, alcohol, motorbikes, antiques, and women. Given his frail body and jittery state, he stood no chance against me.
As I kicked him to the ground, Kate crawled over to his side. “Chloe, let him go! Even if he’s useless, he’s still your brother!”
This moment feels all too familiar—they show no remorse, yet in their eyes, I’ve returned as a vengeful spirit. To them, the downfall of the Sanders is entirely my doing. How absurd. Whether Wisteria exists or not, they’ve always seen me as an adversary.
“Brother…” I chuckled softly.
Kate only noticed me pushing Greg to the ground, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had just tried to kill me. Or perhaps, in their minds, I’m still the same submissive Chloe, endlessly patient, incapable of sorrow, willing to endure their every slight.
Right now, I can’t help but long for Carter—he’s the only one who would unwaveringly stand by my side, no matter the circumstances. I’m not afraid to face the world as my enemy, but I can’t bear the judgmental stares of those who raised me.
At that moment, a frail figure embraced me. “Chloe,”
Whitney turned to Kate, her face full of confusion. “Mon, why do you see Chloe this way? She…”
Whitney tried to defend me, but Josh cut her off harshly. “Anna, you’ve been gone too long to understand what’s happened in the Sanders. Your brother’s death could have been avoided. Chloe is undoubtedly working with those monsters at the Carlyns. Stay away from her—she might hurt you!”
“Shut up!” Penelope snapped, her voice brimming with fury. “Fool!”
It seemed like she had more to say, but only managed to spit out those words. The rise and fall of her chest made her anger unmistakable.
At that moment, the sound of clapping echoed in my ears. A familiar woman’s voice followed, dripping with mockery. “Bravo! It’s truly entertaining to watch dogs turn on one another.”
The moment I recognized the voice, my expression shifted dramatically. “Wisteria!”
From the shadows, a figure cloaked in black stepped forward. She pulled back her hood, unveiling a pale, gaunt face. Compared to when I last saw her in Snowville a month ago, she had grown noticeably thinner. Her cheeks were hollow, and her entire appearance resembled a skeleton wrapped in skin.
The Sanders stared at her like she was a deranged, rabid animal. Kate, unable to contain her fury, lunged forward. “It’s you! You lying, treacherous woman!” Her hands gripped Wisteria’s sleeve, and her eyes burned with hatred. “We treated you like family! How could you betray us like this? You’re nothing but a monster!”
The others hurried to pull Kate away, fearing she might act recklessly. Wisteria, frail and gaunt as she appeared, seemed incapable of defending herself. But the moment Kate was restrained, Wisteria raised her hand and struck her across the face. The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the room.
“A monster? Who could rival you, Sanders, when it comes to acting like beasts?” Wisteria said coldly. Wisteria stepped closer to Penelope, her voice cold and deliberate. “You should count yourself lucky to still be breathing.”
Penelope’s composure wavered, an instinctual fear flickering in her eyes. She had witnessed, just as I had, the merciless nature of Wisteria. Wisteria was responsible for bringing Penelope to this point. The calm composure she once carried had vanished, replaced by a noticeable unease in her eyes and expression.
Penelope’s voice trembled as she spoke, “Ms. Carlyn, debts must be repaid, and I am ready to pay with my life. My children are blameless. If it’s my life you want, take it, but spare them. They’ve treated you like a daughter all these years. Please, just…”
Wisteria raised her hand to strike Penelope, but I intervened, stepping in between them. With a cold glare, Wisteria turned to face me. “Don’t worry,” she sneered. “Your turn will come soon.” She glanced at her subordinates. “Take her.”
Two men in black moved toward me, but they appeared cautious, handling me far more gently than they had with the Sanders. They simply shoved me aside, not laying a finger on me. Penelope gave me a subtle glance. I quickly understood her message—not to act recklessly. The priority now was to keep myself safe.
The events at the Sanders had made it clear: everyone was at risk. I had grasped this reality as soon as I woke up in the dungeon, already preparing to shield Whitney from causing harm to the others at the Sanders. Except for Penelope, she was the one person I couldn’t bring myself to harm. Despite being seen as a devil by the Carlyns, she had cared for me throughout half of my life, and I couldn’t just stand by and let her suffer.
Wisteria, however, held deep resentment toward her. “In the past, you were heartless, not only killing my grandparents cruelly but also causing my father to suffer, leaving him with a limp for life. The Carlyns have been tainted by you, filled with nothing but troubled souls, and my mother passed away when I was very young because of my father’s illness. Why should the Carlyns fall apart while the Sanders prosper?”
She then turned to face me, her eyes filled with bitterness. “Chloe, do you know why I hate you so much? The truth is, I knew about you when I was just a little girl. Dad made sure I memorized the faces of all our enemies. The first time I saw you and Anna at the lantern festival, you were smiling so innocently, so sweetly. But why? Why should the granddaughter of a villain be carefree while we’re struggling like rats in the gutter?”
Her expression twisted into a grimace as her anger boiled over. “I witnessed every key moment in your life. I saw you growing up, becoming more and more remarkable, like a little sun, always shining brightly and happy.”
“I can’t accept it!” She hissed, her voice filled with venom. “I want to tear you down from your pedestal, drag you through the mud, make you worthless, and strip away that light of yours until you’re nothing but rot and filth! Like dead fish, like decaying shrimp—disgusting and vile.”
A laugh escaped her lips, dark and cruel. “I succeeded, didn’t I? I took away all their love for you, made those who once cherished you treat you like dirt, pushing you away again and again, turning you into their enemy, the source of all evil. Even after your cruel death and your rebirth, they still suspect you’re plotting against the Sanders with us. What a bunch of fools! Chloe, can you feel my pain now?”
Her words stripped away the last shred of shame for the Sanders. They must have hoped that I was truly seeking revenge, so they could justify their criticisms and hide the cruelty they’d inflicted on me. But Wisteria’s harsh truth shattered that illusion. She forced them to confront the reality they’d been avoiding, leaving them no escape.
Kate turned pale and looked at me, her voice trembling. “Is she telling the truth? You didn’t team with the Carlyns to go against the Sanders?”
When we first crossed paths at the Carlyn Residence, they saw me there, walking around as if everything was normal, and immediately believed I was working with the Carlyns. I never bothered to clarify. Once someone forms an opinion, no matter how much you explain, they won’t change their mind. I hadn’t paid much attention to how they saw me until today, when their hatred for me was still so strong.
I simply stared at her without emotion and asked, “Does it even matter what the truth is?” The harm had already been done, and nothing could undo it.
Kate, perhaps haunted by the image of my brutal death, dropped to her knees. She hid her face in her hands and let out a sorrowful wail. “What have we done to you?”