chapter 3

Caleb seemed to have lost his patience.

He released my chin, maneuvered his wheelchair back a little, and resumed that cold, detached demeanor.

"Never mind, it's pointless to bring up the past now."

His voice was devoid of any emotion, as if the person who had lost control moments ago wasn't him.

"Your husband brought you here today. I assume you know why."

He paused, his gaze resting on me with the cold appraisal one might give a piece of merchandise.

"Since he's been so... 'sincere,' I shouldn't disappoint him."

My heart sank, little by little.

What did he mean?

He clearly hated me, yet he still wanted to…

Was this revenge?

Punishing me for my "betrayal" in the most humiliating way possible?

The drug was still coursing through my system, waves of heat pulsing from deep within my bones.

I looked at him, the last flicker of light in my eyes gradually dying out.

"Caleb," I smiled mockingly, "Five years apart, and you're still so arrogant. What makes you think I'll do as you wish?"

He raised an eyebrow, seeming intrigued by my resistance.

"Because you're lying here now, and your husband is outside, waiting for my 'good news.'"

He took out his phone, dialed a number, and put it on speakerphone.

Vincent's fawning voice came through the receiver almost immediately.

"Mr. Grant, is everything... to your satisfaction?"

Caleb's gaze never left me. His thin lips parted, and he spoke slowly. "The 'gift' is quite satisfactory. However…"

He deliberately drew out the pause.

I could hear Vincent's breathing quicken on the other end.

"However what? Mr. Grant, whatever you need, just name it!"

"She seems rather unwilling." Caleb's voice took on a hint of amusement. "What do you suggest I do?"

Vincent was silent for a few seconds. Then, a voice so cold it chilled me to the bone came through the speaker.

"Mr. Grant, don't mind her. She's just a woman. Coax her a little, or… use some force if needed. She'll comply. Feel free, sir. Do whatever pleases you."

Caleb ended the call and tossed the phone aside casually.

A deathly silence filled the room.

I looked at him and laughed, but tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

This was the man I married.

The man I once thought I could entrust my life to.

For a promotion, he could personally push me into hell, even going so far as to suggest using force.

My heart ached so much I could barely breathe.

Caleb watched me quietly, the emotions swirling in his eyes more complex than before.

After a long moment, he sighed, a trace of weariness surprisingly audible in his voice.

"Serena, you abandoned me for a man like this?"

Nothing happened that night.

Caleb didn't touch me. He just sat in the armchair by the bed, watching me silently the entire night.

As for me, worn out by the drugs and the emotional turmoil, I drifted into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, I was woken by an insistent doorbell.

I opened my eyes and found a thin blanket draped over me. Caleb was no longer in the room.

The faint scent of fir still lingered in the air.

I sat up, my head throbbing violently. The events of last night replayed in my mind like a movie.

Vincent's betrayal, Caleb's reappearance, and that colossal misunderstanding…

My heart was a tangled mess.

The doorbell continued to ring persistently.

I took a deep breath, threw off the covers, and got out of bed.

My legs nearly buckled beneath me the moment my feet touched the floor.

Leaning against the wall for support, I shuffled step by step to the door and looked through the peephole.

It was Vincent.

He was wearing a brand new suit, his hair perfectly styled. He held a document folder in his hand, and his face was alight with unconcealed triumph and anticipation.

A wave of nausea washed over me.

I didn't open the door.

Vincent seemed to grow impatient and started knocking.

"Serena, open the door! I know you're in there!"

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

Caleb emerged in his wheelchair. He had changed into casual homewear, and his hair was still slightly damp. He looked less like the sharp businessman and somewhat softer.

He glanced at me. "Who is it?"

"Vincent," I replied flatly.

He nodded in understanding, maneuvered his wheelchair next to me, and reached out to open the door.

Vincent, outside, his hand raised to knock again, froze mid-air when he saw Caleb.

The expression on his face instantly switched from impatience to an obsequious smile.

"Mr. Grant! Good morning! I… I'm here to pick up Serena."

As he spoke, his gaze traveled past Caleb and landed on me.

When he saw that I was unharmed, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, a flicker of confusion and disappointment passed through his eyes.

Caleb ignored him. Instead, he turned to me. His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for Vincent to hear every word.

"Where are your shoes?"

I was startled, looking down to see I was barefoot.

Before I could react, Caleb had already taken a brand-new pair of ladies' slippers from the entryway shoe rack.

He bent down and placed them neatly by my feet.

Then, he looked up at me, his voice carrying a note of undeniable command.

"Put them on."

As if bewitched, I obediently slipped my feet into them.

The soft material enveloped my feet, seeming to warm my ice-cold heart along with them.

Vincent in the doorway was completely dumbstruck.

His smile had frozen on his face, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Mr. Grant, you…"

Caleb slowly straightened up and lifted his gaze. His eyes, sharp as ice, shot towards Vincent.

"I was very satisfied with last night's... 'gift.'"

Hearing this, Vincent's stiff expression instantly relaxed, and his smile returned in full force.

"That's wonderful! Wonderful news! Mr. Grant, then, about my contract…"

He proffered the document folder like a treasured offering.

Caleb didn't take it.

He just looked coldly at Vincent, the corner of his mouth lifting in a cruel arc.

"In return," he said, each word deliberate and landing like a hammer blow on Vincent's heart, "I will make you watch. Watch how you lose everything."