A Love That Will Never Be

Terrified, Misty stared at the dejected Carter. Her eyes widened in disbelief as though she had seen his true colors.

Between sobs, she wailed, "Carter Flanagan, that's too much!"

Carter remained silent. After he said all there was to say, he stared at his feet quietly. He had kept his thoughts to himself for a long time, and it felt cathartic to say them aloud today.

He even flashed an out-of-place smile filled with bitterness.

Crying, Misty left the cemetery. She arrived home having cried her heart out.

She complained, "Yeah, I might have forgotten about my in-laws' death anniversary, but I hurried to the cemetery when I remembered! Am I the only one who's in the wrong here? How about Carter? He should have reminded me and waited for me!"

Misty had never expected Carter to confront her at the cemetery. She felt humiliated. He had never treated her in that way in the past.

Of course, she knew very well that Carter disliked Zach, but he would never act petty over Zach, not to mention lose his temper.

However, Carter seemed to have changed lately. He often fought with her about anything related to Zach. This was Carter's second time raising his voice at her.

She argued, "There's nothing between me and Zeke! Why is Carter always fighting with a dead man? As if I wasn't nice enough to him!"

She sobbed uncontrollably until her eyes became swollen. Leslie and Kathy, who were listening to her rant, were hesitant to speak. They wanted to tell their daughter off for not remembering a date as important as her in-laws' death anniversary, but Misty was in no mood to listen—she was too consumed by her grievances.

Looking at her state, her parents had no choice but to call Carter, even though they knew Misty was in the wrong.

"Carter, do you want to join us for dinner? I made your favorite soup. Misty is here too. Do you want to drive her home after dinner?" Kathy prodded cautiously.

After a pause, Carter rejected the invitation, "Mom, I'm getting discharged this afternoon. There's a lot of work waiting for me back in my office. I can't make it."

Misty's face paled when he refused to join dinner. She angrily tossed away the pillow in her arms and growled, "Fine! Do not ever set foot into my house again!"

When Misty was busy throwing a tantrum, Kathy realized that Carter must have lost his patience after eight long years. He might be seriously considering giving up on Misty, but Misty seemed oblivious to the fact.

…

After hanging up, Carter placed the bunch of lilies from Misty in front of his parents' headstones—the flowers that she had left behind when she stormed away.

Misty's crying in the background of his call with Kathy distracted him a little. He had never made Misty cry this badly, but Misty was not the only one who got her heart broken. He, too, had feelings.

Wearing a smirk, he left the cemetery in his wheelchair.

That afternoon, Taylor handed a report to him. "Mr. Flanagan, your discharge has been processed."

He grunted. "Okay. Let's go."

When he was ready to leave, he heard a sardonic voice from before him.

"Are you leaving the hospital now? Why don't you stay a few more days?"

Carter looked up and met Zeke's blatantly provocative eyes.

Standing a few steps away from him, Zeke said smilingly, "I heard it was your parents' death anniversary today. I'm sorry that Misty forgot about it because she was too busy fussing over me. She didn't hold up your visit, did she?"

Carter's expression crumpled when Zeke made fun of the important day. Taylor, who served as both Carter's bodyguard and assistant, stepped forward and grabbed Zeke by the shoulder.

Still, Carter, ever the gentleman, suppressed his anger. He addressed Zeke coldly, "You should really work on yourself instead of wasting your time on me. Do you have anything to show apart from that face you share with Zach?"

Compared to Zach, Zeke was truly a good-for-nothing. His business acumen and painting skills paled in comparison to Zach's. He had to make use of Zach's fame to market his own art exhibition.

Losers hated it when people called them out. Zeke's face darkened, but soon, he put on an evil smile. He questioned Carter with hostility, "What about you? You might have come from a reputable family, and you have all the money and status you could ask for, but have you won Misty's love?"

"As for me," Zeke pointed at his own face. "All I need is a face that looks like Zach."

Suddenly, Zeke saw something from the corner of his eye and threw himself at Carter, leaving the sullen-looking Carter with no time to respond.

Taylor, who was on his guard, reflexively landed a kick on Zeke. The kick threw Zeke backward.

At the same time, Misty's furious voice filled the air.

"Carter, what are you doing?"