Chapter 7

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."