Chapter 9 I Never Expected Him to Be the First to Come Looking for Me After My Death

• When the car came to a stop, I snapped back to reality and realized we'd arrived at Silver Shore.
• There was a Maybach parked next to where Luke had pulled over.
• Who would be rich enough to come out here in this freezing weather just to feel the wind by the river?
• Returning to the scene of the incident, a flood of emotions hit me.
• I remembered how I dragged my heavy wedding dress along, my heart utterly broken, as I walked past the water that day.
• Even though I hated him to the core, years of love weren't something you could just cut off in a matter of weeks. Him running away from the wedding—there was shock, anger, but mostly, it was disappointment.
• Between Anna and me, in the end, he chose her.
• Watching him walk away gave me every reason to hate him completely.
• At that moment, I was numb to everything. I didn't even notice someone had come up behind me until they plunged a knife into my back, swift and precise. I looked down to see the blade sticking through my body.
• I was in shock.
• I could still see the exact spot where I fell. I couldn't feel any pain, but I instinctively reached for the wound.
• Last night, I bled a lot. The relentless waves of the river had washed it all away.
• I carefully checked the area again—there was no sign of my phone or anything else that might've fallen into the water.
• "Uncle Carter, when did you get back to the country?" Luke's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
• I looked up and saw Carter sitting in a wheelchair by the river.
• His black wool coat made his pale skin look even colder, and his face—so flawless it was almost unreal—came into view.
• One look from Carter sent chills down my spine.
• He was the product of Luke's grandfather, Jeffrey Bolton, spending one wild night abroad. His features were inherited from his blonde-haired, blue-eyed mother.
• Handsome. Dangerous.
• Though Jeffrey fathered him later in life, Carter was an illegitimate child, hidden away and raised abroad, rarely returning to the country.
• Despite that, he wasn't much older than Luke, but there was always an unshakable chill around him.
• From the very first time I met him, I was scared of him.
• And yet, fate had its way of messing with me—several times, when I found myself in danger, it was Carter who saved me.
• Like that time during the tsunami, when I thought I was going to die out in the ocean. His cargo ship happened to be nearby, and he had his men rescue me and bring me back to the Sander residence.
• I had written the wedding invitations by hand. Along with a carefully chosen thank-you gift, I sent one to him overseas.
• I'd heard that, thanks to his sharp business mind, he'd already broken away from the Boltons and become a rising star in the business world.
• He didn't get along with the Boltons, so I didn't really expect him to attend the wedding.
• Carter lazily lifted his gaze, his eyes landing on Luke's face. His voice was cold and biting. "Do I need to explain myself to you?"
• Luke was scared of him too—this man with paralyzed legs and ruthless methods.
• "Of course not," Luke replied quickly. "I was just curious what brings you here in this freezing wind, Uncle Carter."
• Carter's thin lips curled slightly. "I'm curious too—why aren't you spending time with your new wife and instead freezing yourself out here?"
• "Don't laugh at me, Uncle Carter. Chloe's got quite the temper—she's mad at me right now," Luke said.
• At that, I saw the mockery in Carter's eyes. "I don't think it's her temper that's the problem. She's just blind for marrying trash like you."
• "Uncle Carter!" Luke's face changed instantly.
• But Carter didn't even spare him another glance. He casually ordered, "Damian, let's go."
• The man behind him—about 6'3", with a scar across his brow—began pushing the wheelchair forward, slowly rolling it over the uneven stone path.
• Luke's fists clenched at his sides as he stared after Carter's retreating back and added, "At the end of the day, Uncle Carter, Chloe's the one who married me."
• I froze, not really understanding why he would say something like that out of the blue, considering I had no significant connection with Carter.