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?"

Despite feeling mad at Carter, Misty still showed up at the hospital on the day he was discharged after some inner debate.

Never had she thought she would witness Carter instructing his bodyguard to beat Zeke up.

She tossed away the roses she brought and helped Zeke up. Snapping her head around, she hissed at Carter, "Carter Flanagan, you're unbelievable!"

It had been a long time since someone had pulled such a wretched move against Carter. He couldn't be bothered to defend himself. All he said was, "Call the police if you like."

Zeke's expression shifted a little. He hurriedly said, "There's no need to call the police."

Turning to Misty, he explained, "Misty, I'm sure Carter did not do that on purpose. Look, I'm fine."

Despite that, he inhaled sharply as he pressed a hand on his waist. When Misty wasn't looking, he shot a daring look at Carter as though telling him, "Say, will she trust me or you?"

Misty looked upset. She glared at Carter before helping Zeke up with a forced smile. "Zeke, I'll take you to the doctor."

"Thanks, Misty."

Before Zeke left with Misty, he shot Carter an unnoticeable, victorious look. Carter ignored him. No amount of petty actions by Zeke could beat the hurt Misty had inflicted on him with her callous words.

If she hadn't trusted Zeke, Zeke wouldn't have been able to pull off his foolish trick. At the end of the day, in matters related to Zach, Misty would take Zach's side unconditionally—even if the man was just Zach's younger brother.

Frozen on the spot, Carter looked away from Misty, who was holding Zeke. His gaze fell on the roses scattered across the ground. The petals trembled on the stem when a gust of wind traveled through, looking as fragile as his marriage to Misty.

He mouthed, "Misty, this is the seventh chance."

Following that incident, their relationship dipped to a new low. Misty refused to come home because she was upset, and Carter spent nights in his office.

In his one month of hospitalization, he had missed a lot of work. He had to work overtime for days to catch up. Even if his marriage was a mess, life needed to go on.

Suddenly, he received a WhatsApp message from Zeke. Zeke texted him a photo he had taken with Misty but quickly removed the message. After that, Carter noticed that Zeke had updated his Instagram story.

Zeke had posted a photo of himself in bed and being fed soup by Misty. The caption read, "Misty, thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick."

Carter stared at the jarring photo without emotions. At this point, he knew that Misty only had eyes for Zach. She couldn't care for other men, including Carter.

However, his assumption was proven wrong soon after.

…

After weeks of working overtime, Carter finally completed his work and went to the hospital for a follow-up checkup.

"Your post-surgery recovery went well. Remember to do your physio daily from today," the doctor reminded him.

Keeping the advice in mind, Carter finally decided to head home. After all, he could not sleep and eat at his office any longer. Besides, it was easier to keep up his physiotherapy activities at home because he had all the equipment.

The scene that greeted him when he got home was beyond shocking. Misty, whom he hadn't seen in a while, was making out with another man.

Upon hearing the noises, Misty and the man sluggishly turned their attention to the door. She looked dazed and in love.

Slowly, she collected herself. All color drained from her face. Shoving Zeke away in shock, she stared at Carter helplessly. "Darling…"

Carter turned around to leave. Panicking, she ran after him and caught his arm. "Darling, hear me out."

Carter stood still, his expression frosty. "Okay. Go ahead."

Looking pale, she muttered, "I mistook Zeke for Zach. That was why…"

After Carter took in a deep breath, he laughed at her ridiculous excuse. Pointing at Zeke, he snapped, "Does that mean you would kiss and sleep with Zach if he were the one standing before you today? Misty Lawrence, do you understand that you're a married woman?"

Her flinching gaze made Carter realize he was absolutely wrong about Zeke. Zeke was right—all he needed was a resemblance to Zach.

Never had Carter felt so defeated. He put a hand on his chest. He thought he had gone numb from all the pain, but why did it still hurt?

He no longer wanted to spend even a second at the "home" he shared with Misty. Prying her fingers away, he marched out of the place.

To his dismay, Zeke stood in his path with guilt in his sensual eyes. "Carter, I'm really sorry. I dressed up to look like Zach to tempt Misty because I was in love with her. It's all my fault. Please do not blame her; she has nothing to do with this."

What an incredulous remark!

Carter's gaze landed on Misty, who stood behind Zeke with a mortified expression. Smirking, he questioned, "Are you that easily confused just because Zeke looks like Zach?"

He pointed at Zeke in an accusatory manner. "Zeke is a shameless man with ulterior motives—a mere clown and a poor imitation of his brother. If you mistook him for Zach, that only proves you never truly loved Zach."

Glaring at Misty, he pressed on. "Or did you mistake him for Zach because Zach, just like his brother, was a shameless man with ill intentions?"

Misty reacted with a slap to Carter's face. Carter's face turned sideways from the impact as the sound reverberated in the hall. He tasted blood in his mouth.

The panic in Misty's eyes had been replaced with bridling resentment. In an icy tone, she hissed at him, "Never speak of Zach in that way!"

From her reaction, it felt like she might fight him with her life if he insulted Zach one more time.

He closed his eyes. The searing pain on his cheek was merely a fraction of the pain shooting through his heart.

He announced with a heavy heart, "Misty, this is your eighth chance."

'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.