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

Taylor could've dodged, but he didn't. The teacup smashed against his shoulder, and though it didn't shatter, the scalding tea splashed onto his neck, instantly reddening the skin. Tea leaves clung to his clothes, and droplets kept dripping down. He knelt there, unmoving.

Yael's tall frame trembled uncontrollably as if he were utterly terrified of Amber.

Amber's gaze shifted to his face. Her voice was cold as she ordered, "Move."

Yael shook even harder, but he stubbornly stood in front of me. "Mom, I love her. Please don't hurt her."

"Love? Ha!" Amber scoffed with disdain, the sound dripping with contempt. She wasn't even pretending anymore-the woman I'd seen at the Dolton Residence was gone.

She lounged lazily on the sofa, one hand propping up her face while her eyes brimmed with scorn.

"If your late father knew both his sons had fallen for the daughter of our enemy, he'd claw his way out of the grave to teach you two a lesson."

Yael didn't back down. "You didn't oppose Taylor marrying Whitney. Why can't I love Chloe?"

With that, he took a few steps forward and knelt before Amber. "Mom, please, I'm begging you to let her go. I've never asked you for anything my whole life. But now, I love Chloe. Please spare her!" "Spare her?"

Amber let out a cold laugh. "Who do you think you are?"

She kicked Yael square in the chest without holding back. Watching her, I finally understood why Yael was so afraid of her.

Amber didn't see Yael or Taylor as her equals at all.

She leaned down slowly and placed a dagger in Yael's hand. "Not only will I not spare her, but I want you to kill her yourself."

"Mom!" Taylor's expression shifted slightly. "You promised me you wouldn't force Yael to kill anyone."

I knew it-Taylor had been shielding Yael all this time.

Perhaps Yael was the only clean-handed member of the Carlyns.

Whitney, hearing Amber's words, instinctively moved to stand beside me. She didn't say a word, but her face was grave, and her trembling fingertips gave her away.

It was clear that she, like Yael and Taylor, was deeply afraid of Amber. She just chose silence.

"You're his sons. Demons by birth. What's the point of chasing the light? Be good and do as I say. Yael, go kill her."

Amber stood, leaning in to stroke Yael's face. "Don't you want me to love you? Be good. Kill this woman, and I'll love you. It's simple-aim the tip of the blade at her heart and push it in. She'll die quickly." Yael slapped her hand away and threw the dagger as far as he could. "I won't do it. I promised Chloe I'd never hurt her again."

"Yael, you know I hate disobedient children the most."

She patted his cheek lightly. "And disobedient children are punished."

At the word "punished," Yael's body trembled violently.

Amber clapped her hands, and a figure stepped out from the shadows.

Dressed in a black tactical jacket, with a hat and a black mask that revealed only his eyes, his identity and age were impossible to discern.

But those eyes-they looked like Damian's. Eyes of someone who'd taken lives.

Taylor picked up the dagger. "Mom, Yael's still young. Don't get angry. I'll kill the woman for him."

Hearing this, Whitney stepped in front of me, her gaze cold. "If you want to kill Chloe, you'll have to kill me first."

"Whitney, don't cause trouble." A flicker of coldness surfaced in Taylor's eyes.

The man in black ignored everyone else and walked straight toward Yael.

Yael tried to resist, but he was no match for him.

The man knocked Yael unconscious without hesitation, then dragged him away by the hair like a dead dog.

Does a mother who doesn't love her children exist?

When I saw this scene, I finally understood where Yael's terrible personality came from.

Taylor and Whitney faced off, neither willing to back down even an inch.

Amber waved her hand dismissively. "Enough. Take Anna upstairs. Chloe stays with me."

"Alright, Mom," Taylor replied calmly.

He placed the knife on the table and began walking toward Whitney. "Anna, come upstairs with me." Whitney's eyes reddened as she clenched my hand tightly. "I'm not leaving Chloe. Taylor, please let her go." Taylor grabbed her hand, but Whitney retaliated with a sharp slap across his face. "Don't touch me!"

"Anna, behave," he said, his voice steady, showing neither anger nor force. He was trying to coax her to leave.

But Whitney snapped. With a sudden burst of energy, she pushed Taylor aside, grabbed the knife from the table, and lunged at Amber.

The sudden turn of events startled everyone. I had always thought Whitney was a gentle, defenseless woman.

With tears in her eyes, she brandished the knife, thrusting it toward Amber. "You monster! You're the one who deserves to die!"novelbin

A sense of foreboding washed over me-Amber was not someone to be trifled with.

Before the blade could strike, Taylor caught it with his bare hand. Blood dripped from his fist, the crimson droplets pooling on the floor. Whitney froze in shock. "You ... "

Taylor's expression remained indifferent, as though the wound wasn't his.

"Mom, I'll take her upstairs now. Sorry for the trouble."

With that, he wrenched the knife from Whitney's hand. This time, his demeanor turned icy. He stepped closer to her, his tone frigid. "Will you come with me quietly, or do I need to knock you out and carry you?"

Whitney shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears. "Taylor, please don't hurt Chloe."

Sensing the escalating danger, I interjected. "Whitney, go with him. I'll be fine."

"Chloe ...

"Listen to me. I've fought hard to survive; I won't let myself be in danger now."

I reached out to gently pat her head.

Taylor seized the moment, scooping her up in his arms. Whitney's disbelief was palpable as she began to struggle. "No! Let me go!" Her resistance was futile. Taylor carried her upstairs without hesitation.

Now, only Amber and I remained in the living room.

She regarded me with a sneer. "You've got quite the talent. My son's already obsessed with you."

I met her gaze evenly, settling into the sofa. "Your son? Do you even consider him one?"

My composure seemed to unnerve her. Everyone else feared her, but I didn't even going so far as to sit in her presence.

"You're not afraid of me? Do you have any idea how many ways I could kill you?"

As if to prove her point, she picked up the bloodied knife and advanced toward me step by step.

She tilted my chin upward with the tip of the blade.

"Have you decided how you want to die, Chloe?"

Forced to lift my chin, I met her gaze directly. "Why don't you find out?"

My unshaken calm seemed to throw her off balance. She hesitated fora

moment but quickly red

dragging the knife's tip down to neck.

my

"Just one little cut," she murmured, "and you'll start bleeding out. How long do you think it will take?"

Her gaze fell on the silver chain

In

around my neck. Suddenly, her expression shifted. Using the knife she lifted the chain to inspect it more closely. Her face contorted in panic. "Where's the Stone of Duality?"

She had finally noticed.

I smiled at her, beaming with all the confidence I could muster. "Why don't you take a guess?"