Loved You Once But He's My Forever (Chloe) novel Chapter 514

"Carl, I'm here. I've been here all along."

I pressed my face against his. Can he feel me?

He knelt on the ground, his usual elegance and dignity nowhere to be seen. He looked utterly exhausted even.

"Carl, it's raining. Please go inside. You'll catch a cold."

He had already lost so much weight. If he got sick on top of that, even the strongest immune system wouldn't help.

And if he fell ill, who would take care of our children?

As if fate enjoyed mocking me, the moment the thought crossed my mind, Carter suddenly collapsed forward.

"Carl!"

Instinctively, I reached out to catch him.

However, he fell right through me, crashing onto the wet ground.

"Somebody, help! Save Carl!"

I screamed until my voice was raw, but no one could hear me. I could only watch, helpless, as he lay unconscious before me.

"Carl ... Carl ... "

Kneeling in the rain, I pleaded with the heavens.

Please, if you must take someone, take me. Just spare Carl and our children. I don't care if I never wake up again, or if I can only stay by their side as a spirit—as long as they are safe and well.

At last, Damian arrived. Seeing Carter unconscious on the ground, he strode over in alarm.

"Mr. Carter!"

"Damian, help him, please!"

Damian lifted Carter onto his back and carried him inside. The doctor's diagnosis confirmed he was simply too weak—he hadn't rested in days, and the cold rain had only made things worse.

That night, he developed a fever.

When the doctor prepared to administer an injection to bring it down, Carter suddenly woke up, stopping him.

"Mr. Bolton, don't worry. It's just a fever-reducing shot. You have a high temperature."

His voice was weak, but firm. "Leave me be."

Damian frowned. "Mr. Carter, you're already so weak. Ms. Chloe's life is still hanging by a thread, and the little ones are barely a day old. If you fall ill, who will take care of them?"

I thought mentioning the children would soften him—after all, they were his children.

But instead, his expression darkened. For a split second, something like resentment flickered in his eyes. "If it weren't for them, Chloe wouldn't be like this ... "

So I was right. He hadn't even glanced at the children after I gave birth. Even now, he refused to hold them.

Damian, ever the honest man, couldn't hide his disapproval. "But Mr. Carter, they're the children Ms. Chloe gave her life to bring into this world. They're your flesh and blood."

Carter had always been a man of cold, singular devotion. He gave all his love to me—and not even his own children could take a share of it.

He muttered, "Just have someone take care of them."

"And what about you?"

"It doesn't matter. If I stay sick, maybe I'll be able to see her again."

I froze. So that's why ...

Carter had deliberately exposed himself to the elements, forcing his body into a fevered state—just to see if it would bring him closer to me. Luke and Grandma had both seen me when they were at their weakest. He was testing if the same would happen to him.

"You idi*t, Carter!" I whispered, cursing him softly.

His body tensed. Then, as if hearing something impossible, he turned toward me in disbelief. "Chloe ... "

He threw back the blanket and lunged toward me, arms outstretched, trying to hold me close.

By instinct, I reached for him, too—just like I always had before.

But we were like two souls from different worlds, separated by life and death. We passed right through each other.

Carter nearly collapsed onto the floor.

The doctor thought his fever was making him delirious. Damian, however, seemed to understand something. Without a word, he dismissed the doctor and quietly closed the door, leaving us alone.