Chapter 454: Finally, My Sister Was Free

After some lighthearted teasing, they finally seemed to remember I was still there and glanced up at me. Amber shot me a sharp glare, her voice biting. “You cursed child, this is all your fault! It’s because of you that Carter got hurt!”

At this point, I had a good sense of Amber’s fiery personality. I played along, acting innocent and deflecting the blame. “But I didn’t expect Wisteria to attack me like that—I’m a victim here too!”

Amber turned to Dominic, and when he caught her fierce gaze, he instinctively rubbed his nose, trying to avoid confrontation. “That girl’s a little unhinged,” he muttered, deflecting the blame. “I told her not to hurt Chloe, but she did whatever she wanted. It’s on her, not me.”

Seeing Dominic’s legs shake as if he might fall to his knees and beg Amber for mercy made me think this drama could go on forever. I feared they’d still be at it when night fell, so I interrupted. “Carter’s asleep. He’ll be hungry when he wakes up.”

Without another word, Amber tossed aside the bedsheet and started walking away. “I’ll make him some nutritious soup to help him recover.”

As soon as she left, Dominic’s demeanor shifted. The change in his posture and the intense way he looked at me made it clear he was no longer the calm, soft-spoken man from the photo. If not for my connection to Carter, I might have believed he could kill me with one hand. He was far more intimidating now—muscular and imposing. It dawned on me that his physical transformation was all for Amber. The Carlyns were clearly consumed by their own brand of love-struck madness.

He leaned back against a tree and lit a cigarette. “You’re still brave enough to come back to me? You really think I won’t do something to you?”

“Mr. Carlyn,” I replied, keeping my voice calm, “I don’t know who’s in the right in the feud between the Carlyns and the Sanders. But what I do know is that my grandparents died at your hands, and the two Sanders brothers and I were at your mercy. Now only Greg is left. I hope you’ll spare him.”

“Don’t worry. I keep my promises. Your father’s gone, and I won’t touch Greg.”

“I consider myself to have cut ties with the Sanders. Besides my sister, I won’t bother with anyone else in the future. But our deaths were so tragic; it wasn’t just the Carlyns’ doing, but also the Commander’s, right?”

His laugh was cold, dripping with twisted amusement. “Little girl, you’re laying it all out there, just like your grandmother—always scheming.”

“Mr. Carlyn,” I responded, my voice steady, “If Grandma didn’t lie… yes, she wronged Mrs. Carlyn Senior by taking her away. But if the Commander and his wife were responsible for her humiliation and death, then our true enemy is them.”

He narrowed his eyes. “What are you planning to do?”

I want to use your connections to find the truth. You have better access to information than I do. He raised an eyebrow. I thought you were going to report us to the authorities.

“I have no proof. The police won’t act without it. They’ve been investigating the underground organ trade, and if they could connect it to you, they would have moved by now. Your son is still safe, so either he wasn’t involved or he’s hidden it well. In this legal system, without evidence, there’s nothing they can do. Unless, of course, you bring us to your island for execution, like you did before. But I don’t have that kind of power. And honestly, I don’t want to hate you—I just want the truth. So, Mr. Carlyn, let’s work together. For all the lives lost on both sides, let’s seek justice.”

He crushed his cigarette underfoot and stared at me for a long moment. “Fine. We’ll work together. I’ll look into it too. The people who harmed the Carlyns will pay. Every single one of them. Let’s all go down together.” A sick smile curled on his lips, as if accepting some inevitable doom.

“I also want to take Whitney with me.”

“Do whatever you want. As long as that brat’s willing to let her go.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, my sister was free! But before I could fully savor the moment, he spoke again, his tone colder. “I won’t give you the old lady’s ashes. She’ll stay with the Carlyns to atone for her sins!” He had anticipated my request.

“But she’s from the Sanders! She deserves to rest with her own family. Let me take some of her ashes back to the Sanders’ cemetery, please, Mr. Carlyn. I’m begging you—Grandma’s already gone…”

His eyes turned icy, his fury palpable. “She got what she deserved! Chloe, don’t push your luck. If you try to negotiate with me again, none of you will leave alive!”

I fell silent, my throat tight. He turned and started walking away, but after a few steps, he paused and glanced back at me. “However, you can take Josh’s ashes.”

His towering figure disappeared into the distance. Nightfall was approaching on Rosbel Island, and the sea breeze carried with it a sense of sorrow. I heard the soft sound of an ocarina playing, a melancholy melody filling the air. Following the music, I found the source. Yael stood by the shore, looking out over the water as if composing the final, mournful song for this tragic tale.

“It’s finally over,” he said, his voice distant. “My father’s heart can finally rest.” He turned to face me. “Chloe, I’m sorry. For everything the Carlyns have done to you, I truly apologize.”

My gaze fell to the ocarina in his hands as my blood froze. He took slow steps toward me. “I made this to pass the time when I was bored. Back then, there was no internet here, but little things like this to kill time. Cher, do you like it? If you do, it’s yours.”

As I held the ocarina in my hands, a chill ran through my entire body. So it was him all along.