“If there were ifs, and if I could go back to the first time I met you on the street, do you think I would help you again?“
After Shirley thought about it, she displayed a helpless and self-mocking smile.
She believed that Carter would still help her. That was because there were no ifs in this world. They could not change what had happened.
When he saw Shirley staying silent, Carter slowly pushed the wheelchair forward.
The darkness slowly overwhelmed them as the last rays from the sunset were chased away by the night. Everything in front of them was covered by the darkness.
The cold winter wind kept blowing at them, and Shirley felt her heart slowly turning cold, and eventually, it was frozen.
She felt as if she could no longer feel any warmth even if that person was in front of him.
“Go and turn yourself in.“
Shirley said.
It seemed that Carter did not hear her. He continued to push Shirley forward, minding his business.
Shirley spoke again when she saw Carter ignoring her.
“I was also to blame for you reaching this stage. I never stopped you, and I had known those things were wrong, but I kept on blindly allowing them to happen. In the end, this happened.“
“I chose this path. You don’t need to take all the blame on yourself.“
Carter refuted what Shirley said.
“Shirley, you’re not at fault. You just loved me too much. You were madly in love with me. And because of this, I’m happy.“
Shirley had nothing to say to what Carter had just said.
After walking for a while, Carter stopped.
He sat down on a stone bench by the side. It seemed that he had moved the wound on his shoulder, so he frowned in pain.
Shirley saw this but did not say anything.
In truth, she was concerned for him, and she was worried about him, but she stopped herself from caring for this man again.
The endless horizon still lay before them. The streetlights shone quietly. There was no one else here, and it was so quiet when there were only the two of them.
This moment could be described as peaceful and serene.
“It’d be amazing if time could stop here.“
Shirley was caught off guard when she heard Carter saying something so rueful.
Perhaps everything would be different if she could hear him say this earlier.
However, at the end of the day, they could not turn back time.
“Now that we’re here, can you tell me where you’re keeping Eveline and Kendrick?“
“They’re dead, and you’re still so concerned about them?“ Carter smiled softly. He then answered, “ They’re at the old address of Stygian Johnson Gang. I’ve locked them in the basement, and there’s a pool that’s more than two meters deep. Before I came to see you, I turned on the water valve and put water in the pool. It’s been two hours since then…“
Carter stopped speaking and looked at Shirley whose expression had changed drastically.
“Do you think this to be a bit cruel? If this were back then, you would’ve supported me in this too, wouldn’t you?“
“Yes, if this were back then, I might’ve even helped you,“ Shirley said, mocking herself. There was a sarcastic smile on her face, but her heart was in a knot. She felt so pained and tormented.
She seemed to kill everyone around her, and in the end, she, too, would head toward death.
After remaining silent for a while, Shirley looked at Carter.
“When did you inject Lilian with the test reagent?“
“I did it when she and you were asleep, of course,“ Carter answered nonchalantly. When he saw Shirley’s solemn expression, he asked, “You like that little thing, don’t you? If our child had been fine, he’d be in this world soon, and we’d have our own child.“
As he said this, Carter’s eyes seemed to light up, but soon after, the light vanished, and in its place was a look of hatred.
“Kendrick killed our child. Eveline too. They both destroyed our future.“
“You’re still so stubborn. “ Shirley smiled bitterly, then quietly lifted her head to look at Carter. “I ‘m asking you one last time. Are you willing to give yourself up?“
“Do you know what will happen if I do that?“ Carter asked. He then answered, “It’ll only be the death of me.“
Shirley frowned. “What do you mean when you say you’re tired?“
Carter smiled seemingly.
He got up slowly and walked toward the sea in front of him.
“I won’t turn back, but right now, it’ll still be the same. It doesn’t matter if I go forward or backward. If that’s the case, I would rather end myself.“
When Shirley heard this, her heart skipped a beat.
A cold wind blew past her face, and a sharp chill restricted her breathing.
“What do you mean? Carter, what are you planning to do?”
Shirley asked anxiously as she tried to stand up to stop Carter, but in the end, she could not regain the feeling and energy in her legs.
Carter turned around to look at Shirley. The anxious look on her face elicited a glad smile from his face.
“I’d rather kill myself than die in the hands of others.“
“Carter, don’t do anything stupid.“
Shirley completely understood what Carter was saying now.
She was panicking; her eyes turned red from the cold wind.
“Shirley, don’t you hate me? I indirectly killed your only brother and that girl named Cathy. You also hate me for indirectly killing our child. Don’t worry, I’ll repent my sins with them soon.“
When Shirley heard this, her heartbeat was a mess.
She looked dazedly at Carter who had just spoken, and she tightly held the handles of her wheelchair.
“Carter, you can’t do this. You can’t do such a stupid thing.“
“It’s not stupid. I’ve already given it some thought, “ Carter replied softly and then walked in front of Shirley.
“Before that, I still want to do something. Once I’ve done that, I won’t have any more regrets.“
When he finished saying that, he knelt slowly in front of Shirley.
Carter reached out his hand and gently took Shirley’s right hand that had turned cold from the wind.
After that, he took out a purple velvet box from his shirt pocket. After he opened it, there was a simple yet gorgeous diamond ring.
Shirley looked dazed at this ring, and then, she heard Carter seemingly murmuring to himself.
“When I first saw you, I hadn’t felt anything. I just felt happy that, with a word, I could make a poor and lonely girl live the rest of her life without worry.
After we got along and started developing feelings for each other, I had thought that I’d be taking you as my wife when the time comes, but in reality, the fate between us is not enough to make us last forever. So, Shirley, parting ways would be the most suitable ending for us… ”
After listening to what had Carter said, Shirley’s tears rolled out of her eyes one by one.
The scorching tears fell onto the back of Carter’s hand, and the heat immediately burned his heart.
As Carter spoke, he put the diamond ring on Shirley’s ring finger.
He could feel Shirley’s misery at this moment, so Carter suppressed his emotions. His Adam’s apple gently moved twice, suppressing the feeling of grief.
“Shirley, I am very happy that I had the chance of knowing you in this life. I was too petty for not being able to forgive you for leaving without saying goodbye. In the end, my obsession made me wander onto the wrong path, and now, there’s no turning back for me.“
Carter suppressed his pain and forced himself to finish speaking. He grabbed Shirley’s hand, put it to his lips, and kissed it lightly.
“I know that you always have me in your heart, but so what? We might not be able to come together in the end just because of our mutual affection. Maybe someone like me isn’t worthy of love at all.
“Shirley, do you think there’s a next life for us humans?“
Carter suddenly asked this childish question, but his eyes were full of expectation.
“If so, can I make an appointment with your next life now?“
Shirley’s heart trembled violently when she heard this.
She bit her lip tightly, took a deep breath, and tried to keep her emotions under control. “Carter, listen, there is no next life. Don’t do anything stupid.“
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.