Chapter 24
Carter took a deep breath. “Harper Miller, from the moment you begged your mother to bring you to see Adrian, you were no longer my daughter.
“I told you last time, didn’t I? What you need to do now is understand your mistakes and correct them. Grow up well. Don’t think about me anymore.
Harper wiped her tears and reached out to him. “I know I was wrong before, Daddy. Can you give me one last hug?”
Carter looked at her. He didn’t reach out. “It’s too late now, Harper.
Harper’s eyes reddened at his refusal. She tried to plead again. “Please, Daddy. Give me a hug-
“Daddy,” At Can’t your some point, Nancy had brought Maddox over. “Daddy, she looks so s give her a hug?”
Carter stroked his hair and smiled. “If everyone who ever hurt you cried a little and asked for forgiveness, would you forgive them?”
After some thought, Maddox shook his head. “I wouldn’t.”
“That’s right.” Then, he turned to the other two. “Selene, Harper, this should be the last time
we’ll see each other.”
Selene’s face paled. She knew that meant that he was leaving this world again and for good
this time.
Harper burst into tears again. “Where are you going, Daddy? I don’t want you to go!”
“You’re almost six now, Harper. Soon, you’ll be going to elementary school. You should stop crying so much,” Carter said.
Selene clenched her fists and stared at Carter, trying to etch his face into her memory. In the end, she smiled bitterly. “Alright, then. I understand why you have to go. But you raised Harper. You…”
“Yes, I did raise her, but have you forgotten? While I was unwell, you kept bringing her to Adrian’s place, so she spent more time with him than she did with me. If you really think about it, shouldn’t Adrian be her father?” Carter said truthfully.
“Besides, I’ve already erased my identity from this world. You’re her only legal guardian. I’m just some stranger,” he added. Then, without waiting for their reaction, he walked away, taking Nancy and Maddox with him.
Only after the family of three disappeared down the street did Harper turn to Selene with tears in her eyes. “Mommy, does this mean Daddy doesn’t want us
anymore?”
Selene felt her heart clench. She smiled bitterly, unable to speak.
From the first time she had sex with Adrian and the first time she brought Harper to his house, she had already sealed her fate. She shouldn’t have cheated on Carter, thinking that she wouldn’t be found out.
Even when the affair had been exposed, she still thought that Carter would forgive her if she just apologized and got Harper to shed a few tears.
In the end, the two of them vanished down the street, distraught.
the groom,
On the day of, Selene brought Harper to Carter and Nancy’s wedding.
They just stood quietly in the corner and watched as
the groom, the man who used to be her husband, the father of her child, stood at the altar waiting for another woman while holding
the hand of another child.
Selene had seen Carter in a suit multiple times, but he had never looked as handsome as he did today.
In her mother’s arms, Harper watched her father from afar. She knew that from now on, her
father was another little boy’s father.
Crea 25
