Meanwhile, Selene, who was naked, leaned against a man's firm chest. Yet, she was feeling more and more uneasy.

Her heart missed a beat as she recalled seeing the calm, distant look in Carter's eyes before leaving the place with Harper earlier.

Adrian, who circled his arms around Selene, hadn't noticed her restlessness. He was about to press his lips on her cheek, but Selene shoved him away.

"Honey?" With a confused look on his face, Adrian was about to reach for Selene again. 

However, Selene didn't even spare him a glance as she got out of bed and picked up her torn blouse.

She stared at the blouse with a frown before tossing it aside. Then, Selene got a new blouse from the closet and put it on.

She was about to leave the room when Adrian asked, "Honey, where are you going?"

He was flustered when he saw Selene heading for the door in large strides. He didn't even put on his slip

The villa stood empty and desolate.

The living room felt so curiously empty. It was as though no one had lived in this space before.

Harper, who came in after Selene, called out to Carter instinctively, "Daddy? Daddy!"

Yet, no one responded to her, no matter how long she shouted.

Harper started panicking. Her eyes were red as she grabbed Selene's hand. "Daddy… Where's Daddy?"

Selene was feeling increasingly anxious. She took out her phone and dialed Carter's number. However, she could only hear a mechanical female voice when the line got through. "Sorry. The number you've dialed is unavailable."

Harper broke down in tears. "I want Daddy!"

The whole city learned the news of Carter's disappearance very quickly. However, the more dire issue was Selene and Adrian's intimate photos being displayed on every billboard in the city for an entire day.

Selene spent a huge sum of money to ta

As expected, Selene glanced at her phone when she heard the ringtone. Then, she walked to the side and answered the phone.

Carter had no idea what Adrian said, but Selene's expression hardened slightly. Before she hung up, her gaze fell on Harper briefly.

Selene whispered something to Harper afterward. Then, both of them came up to him.

"Carter, Harper and I have to leave to settle something urgent. Can you take a cab home? I'll arrange to celebrate our anniversary on another day."

What could they possibly be doing for her to need to bring Harper along? They were just leaving to be with Adrian.

Selene's lies were flawed, yet Carter didn't have the energy to expose her. He lifted his gaze and took in the two people, who were waiting for him to agree.

Carter smiled softly and said, "Alright. Be careful on your way."

Selene breathed a sigh of relief. She picked Harper up and was about to head toward the school entrance.

A thought occurred to her just then. She turned and gave Carter a kiss on his cheek. "Carter, I'll prepare a huge surprise for you next time."

Then, she started walking away.

Selene had only taken a few steps away when Carter's voice came from behind her.

"Selene… Harper…"

Selene halted and turned around to look at him.

"Go on, and don't look back. I just wanted to say… goodbye."

Carter stressed the last word, but Selene didn't notice. She smiled and waved at him. Similarly, Harper waved her hand and said, "Bye, Daddy."

Then, the two of them left.

Carter stood at the same spot as he watched Selene's and Harper's receding figures. Eventually, they disappeared from his sight, and he turned his gaze away. 

He took a stroll around the school grounds. Everywhere he went reminded him of their youth and the memories they shared.

As he entered the classroom, Carter felt as though he could still see the pretty, innocent girl who sat in the seat behind him. Her ears were red as she poked Carter's back and asked, "Carter, will you be my boyfriend?"

When he came under a certain sycamore tree, Carter could see the girl holding his hand under the moonlight. She slowly carved a line on the tree trunk.

"The 18-year-old Selene will always love the 17-year-old Carter."

As he walked along the corridor, Carter could almost see the night the school had a power outage. The other students in the building were cheering aloud in excitement.

Meanwhile, the girl, whose face was burning, pulled him to a quiet corner of the corridor and gave him her first kiss.

Finally, Carter pushed open the door to the rooftop. He could see once more a lady wearing a white gown and a bridal veil. She stood there with a bouquet of roses in her hands. The lady looked nervous, but Carter could see the longing in her eyes.

She said, "Marry me, Carter. I will always love you. You're the only person I want as my husband in this life. It'll only and always be you. I will never betray your love and trust, Carter."

Yet, Selene eventually made those very same promises to another man.

In the end, Carter returned to the villa alone. It was almost midnight, but Selene and Harper were still not home.

"What are they doing now? Are they enjoying a meal with Adrian? Are they watching a movie together? Or just like how they would with me, would the three of them be sleeping in the same bed together?" Carter wondered.

He sat quietly on the couch until the clock struck 12.

At midnight sharp, Carter closed his eyes. He could hear the system's voice.

"Carter, it's time to leave. Are you ready?"

Carter didn't open his eyes. He said softly, "I'm ready. Take me home."

A blinding light appeared before his eyes. Before he could react, the light surrounded him. Slowly, his soul was extracted from his body.

Eventually, the light dimmed and disappeared. The person on the couch had stopped breathing. A relieved smile hung on his lips.

"Selene, Harper, I'm going home now. I don't ever want to see you two again in any other lifetimes…"

Meanwhile, Selene, who was naked, leaned against a man's firm chest. Yet, she was feeling more and more uneasy.

Her heart missed a beat as she recalled seeing the calm, distant look in Carter's eyes before leaving the place with Harper earlier.

Adrian, who circled his arms around Selene, hadn't noticed her restlessness. He was about to press his lips on her cheek, but Selene shoved him away.

"Honey?" With a confused look on his face, Adrian was about to reach for Selene again. 

However, Selene didn't even spare him a glance as she got out of bed and picked up her torn blouse.

She stared at the blouse with a frown before tossing it aside. Then, Selene got a new blouse from the closet and put it on.

She was about to leave the room when Adrian asked, "Honey, where are you going?"

He was flustered when he saw Selene heading for the door in large strides. He didn't even put on his slippers as he got out of bed and hurried after her.

Selene stopped him. "Harper and I are going back n

Chapter 9