Even after Her Death (Chloe and Luke) novel Chapter 412

The results were out with one good news and one bad news.

The good news was Carter and Amber were not mother and son.

The bad news was, they were aunt and nephew.

I carefully unraveled this mess of a relationship that was more tangled than a ball of yarn. In essence, Amber was Carter's aunt, and Carter's biological mother was her sister.

Carter was the child of the Boltons and the Doltons, which explained why he bore some resemblance to Peter.

The Doltons took care of him, likely out of respect for his mother.

This also meant that Carter and the Carlyn brothers were still cousins.

It was absurd.

Carter's brows furrowed deeply, unable to find any joy in the results.

I patted his shoulder, reassuring him that this was actually good news.

Carter's voice was low, almost brooding. "Chloe, even if Amber isn't my mother, the Doltons were undoubtedly involved in the Sanders massacre and the organ trafficking atrocities. They aren't innocent. Do you remember Lady Rose that Sheila mentioned? Could it be Amber?"

The likelihood was high.

Carter cupped my face gently. "More importantly, why did she send Damian to kill you?"

I touched the Stone of Duality around my neck and asked if it might have been because of this.

At the mention of the stone, Carter's expression softened slightly. He turned to look at the rising sun.

After a night of rain, droplets still clung to the branches, glistening brilliantly in the sunlight.

Carter's response was unrelated, "It's dawn."

The seven-day deadline had arrived. If I hadn't tampered with the Stone of Duality, Carter and I would have truly exchanged fates.

If death awaited me in the future, he would take my place.

He didn't spell it out but hinted, "She knows the secret of the Stone."

Amber intended to kill me before the fate transfer succeeded.

But neither she nor Carter knew that I had already foiled their plans.

Feigning ignorance, I fiddled with the Stone of Duality and asked, "What secret could it possibly have?"

Carter's gaze softened further. "There's no secret at all."

Carl, you deceived me first, so don't blame me for deceiving you in return.

"Chloe, I tested the waters last night. The Doltons don't know you're alive. For now, just stay home and don't go out."

I nodded.

The only thing I couldn't let go of was Whitney.

I typed out a message on my phone, "What's the plan now? Even if we know the Doltons and the Carlyns are involved, we don't have direct evidence of their participation in organ trafficking. The law can't touch them. The Carlyns are close to the Whites, and Jaford is one of their strongholds. Any move against them would be risky and might alert them."

Before I was kidnapped, Carter had planned for Damian to stage an "accident" to take out the Carlyn brothers and rescue Whitney.

However, Damian betrayed us and abducted me instead. Now that we knew Whitney had a chip implanted, removing her would provoke Taylor, whose reaction could be catastrophic.

Thinking about Sheila's corpse being blown to pieces sent shivers down my spine. I clung to Carter's sleeve instantly.

I couldn't bear the thought of Whitney ending up like that.

The Carlyns acted so recklessly because they held a hostage. If they couldn't have their way, everyone would die together.

Carter read my thoughts. "We can't act rashly for now. Knowing my connection to the Doltons ensures my safety for now. I can get close to them."

I shook my head, unwilling to let him take the risk.

No, Zoey. I already owe you too much.