chapter 4

Vincent's smile froze solid on his face.

He looked as if he hadn't understood or couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Mr. Grant, what do you mean? You just said… you were satisfied…"

"That's right," Caleb let out a soft, humorless laugh. "I'm satisfied. She has returned to me. Therefore, you are no longer necessary."

As he spoke, he reached out and pulled me into his embrace.

The action was filled with possessiveness, a clear declaration of ownership.

I stiffened, instinctively wanting to struggle, but he only held me tighter.

His chest was solid and warm; through the thin fabric of my clothes, I could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart.

Vincent's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

He looked from me to Caleb, the color draining from his face until it was deathly pale.

"You… you two…" He pointed a trembling finger at us, his lips quivering, unable to form a complete sentence. "Serena, you bitch! When did you hook up with Mr. Grant?!"

He had finally put it together.

He thought I had betrayed him, that I had been secretly involved with Caleb all along.

Looking at his furious, desperate expression, I felt nothing but absurdity.

Even now, he was shifting the blame onto others.

I couldn't be bothered to explain. I just stared coldly back at him.

"Vincent, I want a divorce."

I said it calmly, without a single ripple of emotion in my heart.

From the moment he decided to deliver me to another man's bed, what was between us was already over.

Vincent seemed to have all the strength sucked out of him. He staggered back two steps.

He looked at me, his eyes filled with despair and bitter resentment.

"No… that's impossible… Serena, listen to me, I did it all for us! For our future!"

He tried to step forward and grab me, but Caleb's cold voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Get out."

A single word, carrying an authority that brooked no argument.

Cowed by his presence, Vincent didn't dare advance further. He could only look at me with a pleading, desperate gaze.

"Serena, come home with me; let's talk this through properly…"

"Why should my woman go home with you?" Caleb interrupted him icily. "From today onward, she stays here."

With that, he didn't spare Vincent another glance. Holding me, he turned, wheeled us back into the room, and slammed the door shut with a definitive bang.

It cut off all of Vincent's subsequent wails and curses.

Silence filled the room once more.

Caleb released me. The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.

I kept my head down, staring at the slippers on my feet, unsure of what to say.

"Just now… thank you," I said quietly.

Even though I knew it was probably just part of his revenge against Vincent, his act of protection had still stirred faint ripples in my heart.

He didn't respond. He simply maneuvered his wheelchair over to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

The morning sun streamed through the glass, bathing him in a golden halo.

His profile was still handsome, but a trace of lingering gloom now resided between his brows.

"Do you truly intend to divorce him?" he asked suddenly, his voice betraying no emotion.

"Yes," I replied without a moment's hesitation.

"Because of me?"

I lifted my head and looked at his back.

"No," I shook my head. "Because he is unworthy."

A man who would trade his wife for career advancement deserved no forgiveness.

Caleb was silent for a moment, then slowly turned his wheelchair to face me.

"And you? Where will you go?"

I was stumped.

He was right. After divorcing Vincent, where could I go?

The house we lived in was bought by Vincent. My parents, my sister… I didn't want to go back and face them.

For a moment, I realized that in this vast city, I had nowhere to call home.

Seeing my lost expression, the corner of Caleb's mouth curved into a barely perceptible arc.

"I said, from today onward, you stay here."

It wasn't a question. It was a statement.

I frowned. "Mr. Grant, I think there might be some misunderstandings between us…"

"Misunderstandings?" He cut me off, his gaze sharpening. "Do you mean the misunderstanding where you thought I was dead? Or the misunderstanding where you abandoned me and married someone else?"

His words stabbed into me once again.

"I did not abandon you!" I couldn't stop my voice from rising. "I thought you were dead!"

"And now?" He pressed closer, his powerful aura suffocating. "Now you know I'm alive. Shouldn't you pay a little price for your… assumption?"

Seeing the obsession and possessiveness swirling in his eyes, my heart trembled.

"You… what do you want?"

He reached out and gently stroked my cheek. The action was tender, but his eyes were terrifyingly cold.

"It's simple," he said slowly, enunciating every word. "Stay by my side. Until… I grow tired of you."