Chapter 8
'This is your last chance,' Carter thought.
A wave of unease swept over Misty, as though she was losing something important for good. But the fleeting panic was quickly replaced by a surge of anger. Trembling with rage, she lost all sense of reason.
By now, she had forgotten what Carter meant by the eight chances, or perhaps, she didn't care at all.
"Carter, apologize to Zach!" Misty demanded coldly, her reddened eyes blazing.
Even at this moment, all she could think of was Zach.
Carter tasted blood in his mouth. He forced a faint smile and teared up. Finally, he blurted out the words that he had kept hidden for a long time, "Misty, let's get a divorce."
Misty froze for a brief moment. Then, in her fury, she made a decision she would regret for the rest of her life.
"Fine, let's get a divorce!"
No one—not even her husband—had the right to insult Zach Sterling.
Carter wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. From the moment he brought up divorce, it felt as if all his negative emotions had been sucked away. He pulled a divorce agreement from his bag, his face devoid of expression.
"Sign this," he said to Misty.
Misty didn't pause for a moment to think over the reason Carter had prepared the divorce papers in advance. Without hesitation, she signed her name, her handwriting sharp, angry strokes. Then, she left him coldly.
Carter didn't go after her. He stood there, watching the distance between them grow.
Zeke didn't immediately run after Misty. Instead, he leaned toward Carter, his voice low.
"You were easier to defeat than I had imagined," Zeke taunted.
Carter met his gaze and snapped, "Get lost."
The cold fury in Carter's eyes made Zeke step back. Zeke later fled in panic.
Carter, however, stood motionless in the garden for a long time.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally stepped into the living room. He found a cigarette in a drawer and lit it. As the smoke rose in the air, his tears began to fall.
He had deliberately provoked Misty about Zach, hoping to see if she would keep her emotions under control even a little for the sake of their fragile marriage.
The result was clear.
Zach was like a spell that was cast over Misty—one Carter could never break.
When the cigarette burned out, Carter began packing his belongings in silence. He decided to leave the house to Misty. There was no point in keeping his things there anymore.
Still, eight years was a long time. The home he had carefully built bore traces of his life everywhere. It took him a long time to sort and pack everything.
Finally, his hand rested on an old, faded metal keychain—the very first gift Misty had given him.
Back then, Carter's parents had just passed away in a car accident. Once a carefree soul, he had been plunged into darkness, orphaned and alone. His relatives eyed his inheritance, his classmates turned on him, and his old friends harassed him.
In the darkest days of his life, Misty had reached out to him.
"Hey, Carter," she had said with a radiant smile on a sunny day. "If no one else wants to be your friend, I'll be your friend. From now on, I've got your back."
She scratched her head bashfully when he stared at her. Upon second thought, she unhooked the keychain from her backpack and handed it to him with a dimpled grin.
"Here. This is a friendship gift," she said.
At that moment, the seed of love took root in Carter's heart.
He had treasured that gift for many years. Now, staring at the keychain for what felt like an eternity, Carter finally placed it into a box.
Sealing the box felt like he was storing away the love he had harbored for Misty over the past decade.
When everything was packed, Carter took one last look at the home they had shared for eight years. Without hesitation, he turned and walked away, his steps steady and firm.
His figure shrunk with each step as he gradually faded into the horizon.
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