Chapter 7
When Rita found my mother, Carter had already been living in that bridge cave for a month.
That winter was especially cold.
He had frostbite on his feet and almost lost a limb.
But nothing could pull him out of that cave.
When my mother arrived, Carter was still in his suit, holding a laptop, calmly handling business as if nothing had changed.
Ben, along with several assistants, stood nearby, holding stacks of documents, waiting for his orders.
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If it weren’t for the bone–chilling wind, the filthy, cold floor, and the dirty walls, one might think he was still in a high–rise office.
“Ariya, I’m hungry…”
No one responded.
He turned around. There was no instant noodles. No me.
Then, something seemed to click in his mind. His eyes filled with an overwhelming panic.
“Carter!”
Ben hurried to bring him a cup of hot coffee from the RV.
Carter looked at it with disgust and coldly spat out one word: “Go away!”
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“Ariya, I knew you weren’t dead. I knew you’d come back to see me…”
He rushed toward me, but as he neared, he passed right through my body.
Frozen in place, he looked at me with wide, unbelieving eyes.
I stared back at him, just as stunned.
For a moment, it felt like we both suddenly understood what had happened.
Rita, however, was almost paralyzed with shock.
“Call a doctor! Carter’s having another episode!”
Carter smiled at me, showing no signs of struggle.
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Rita cried for a long time in the hospital corridor.
Carter was revived, staring out the window, lost in thought.
I thought maybe I had imagined it–how could he possibly see me?
But what I didn’t know was that when I turned away, his eyes locked onto mine once again.
After that, Carter continued as the head of the Shadow Gang mafia, but his business became more legitimate.
As my mother left, Carter said,
“Hey,aunt, I’m sorry.”
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My mother glanced back, her face devoid of any emotion.
I went on to live a quiet, ordinary life with my mother.
A month later, a huge headline broke out: Carter’s group was planning to move its headquarters to my hometown.
No, more specifically, to the house next door,. where we became our neighbors.
Every day, Carter took care of my mother, even personally washing her feet.
At the age of 85, my mother passed away peacefully.
Before she died, she grasped Carter’s hand and said,
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“After all these years, Ariya must have forgiven you by now.”
Carter nodded, staying by her side until the very last moment.
Not long after, he took poison in front of my grave.
I stood in front of him, watching as he took his final breath.
He reached out, and for the first time, he finally held my hand.
“It wasn’t an illusion after all.”
“You’ve really been here all this time…”
“Ariya, I will never let go again!”
The End.
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Chapter 7
+ 5 Points
Book 5: When My Chubby’s Identity as a Mafia Boss Was Revealed
Brandon, my chubby, charming husband, thinks he’s hiding secrets from me.
Little does he know, from day one, I knew who he really was–the ruthless head of the Dragon Gang Mafia.
But he never knew my true identity, not until my college first love reappeared.
The jealousy that burned in Brandon’s eyes was as fierce as a child’s–raw, uncontrollable.
The mafia leader, usually unshakable, would sacrifice everything to win me from John, even if it meant learning the truth about who I really am.
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But I wondered–would he still want me when all the secrets came to light?
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