Loved You Once But He's My Forever (Chloe) novel Chapter 454

After some lighthearted teasing, they finally seemed to remember I was still standing 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 gotten 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 the 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 that 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 was not just the Carlyns' doing, but also the Commander's, right?"

His laugh was cold, dripping with a 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 Commander and his wife were the ones 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."