Just after I changed into the hospital gown, Caleb stormed in and threw a red ribbon at me.

"Whitney Parrish! Why did you give me this unlucky thing?"

I picked up the wishing ribbon calmly and replied, "I didn't give it to you."

Upon hearing that, he immediately grabbed the ribbon back and eagerly tied it around his wrist.

I knew it was a gift from Lucille Cooper, who had wished to be with Caleb forever.

Thinking of that, I grabbed his hand.

Under his disgusted and guarded gaze, I tightened the loose knot around his wrist.

My fingers were icy cold, making Caleb froze for a second.

He asked, "Why are you wearing a hospital gown?"

I stayed calm and replied, "I'm about to have a minor surgery."

Caleb frowned. Just when he looked like he was about to accuse me of faking it, a nurse walked in to take my blood.

He parted his mouth, about to ask the nurse about my condition when his phone rang at the perfect moment.

It was a video call from Lucille.

In a sweet, delicate voice, she complained about how creepy the hospital felt at night.

Without sparing me a glance, Caleb strode out of the ward.

As he brushed past, he bumped into the nurse, causing the needle to slip and blood to spill from my arm.

Even when I cried out softly, he didn't look back.

At that time, the doctor came in, holding the surgery consent form.

I didn't hesitate or even glance at the risks before signing my name.

Half an hour later, the surgery was completed.

As soon as I got off the operating table, I got a message from Caleb.

"Wait for me at the hospital entrance."

Heavy snow was falling. Wearing only thin clothes, I sat outside on a cold plastic stool and waited for two hours.

Caleb never showed up.

Two nurses passed by and chatted about what they had seen in the emergency room.

"In all my years, I've never seen a man dote on his wife like that," one said.

"Exactly. He carried her the whole time and comforted her even though she just had a small bruise. Then, he got her airlifted to a top hospital," the other replied.

Hearing their conversation, I opened our chat window and noticed Caleb had changed his profile picture.

It was now Nick from Zootopia wearing sunglasses, matching perfectly with Lucille's bunny cop avatar.

Closing WhatsApp, I opened the flight booking app.

Due to the bad weather, the earliest flight home was in two days.

I bought the ticket, paid for it, and confirmed my seat.

Then, I left the hospital and made my way home alone.

At 3:00 a.m., Caleb finally came back. He opened the bedroom door and lay down next to me.

In the darkness, he wanted to touch my expecting belly, but I turned my back toward him.

He clicked his tongue in frustration, got up, and slammed the bathroom door.

We had been in love for nine years. In the past, whenever he was upset, I would panic and beg for his forgiveness.

But tonight, even after he finished showering, and saw me lying there, still and silent.

"Keep putting on an act," he muttered.

Then he stormed out of the master bedroom and never came back.

The next morning, I spotted a wine glass with red marks on the living room table.

Chapter 2

I didn't shake Caleb awake or bombarded him with questions like I used to.

I had just finished frying an omelet and sat down to eat when Caleb, who had just gotten up, spoke, "Don't wait for me for dinner. I've got a company event tonight."

He opened the fridge, drank a few big gulps of iced water, and seemed surprised that I neither scolded him about hurting his stomach for drinking iced water nor asked who he would be meeting.

Through the kitchen glass, Caleb frowned at me.

"Whitney, did you hear me?"

I swallowed my food and answered with a hum before continuing to eat.

Seeing that, he tossed a black coat at me.

"A birthday gift for you."

The coat, carrying the faint scent of perfume, landed neatly over my flat belly.

Under Caleb's stare, I reached into the coat pocket and pulled out a small box.

Inside was a sparkling diamond ring.

Before I could react, Caleb quickly grabbed it away, looking annoyed.

"Wrong one," he muttered. "Yours is in the other pocket."

I dug into the other side and found an emerald brooch.

After one glance, I handed it back to him.

I said calmly, "It's beautiful, but I don't have clothes that go with it.

"Besides, my birthday was three months ago. You can give it to Lucille as well."

Caleb went quiet for a moment before speaking again reluctantly, "There's a jewelry auction soon. Come with me."

It was the first time he had ever invited me to be his date.

Over the past six months, Lucille had always taken that spot at every party.

Even on yacht trips with friends, she and Caleb always appeared together, holding hands in photos.

Thinking back, I just felt completely bored.

"No, I don't want anything."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded and replied, "Let Lucille go with you instead."

My sincere words made his face turn cold right away.

"Whitney, go look in the mirror," he said sharply. "See for yourself how ridiculous your jealous face is."

If it were before, I would have exploded and argued back.

But now, I didn't even feel like wasting my breath.

Just as I was about to leave for my room, Caleb's phone rang.

It was the special ringtone he set for Lucille.

She was crying on the other end, saying she forgot her keys after taking out the trash.

"What should I do, Caleb?" she whined.

"Silly girl, stay right there," he said gently. "Don't wander off. I'll bring the key to you."

After ending the call, he was ready to head out, but I stopped him.

"The scarf you asked me to knit is done," I said calmly. "It's on the hanger. Don't forget to take it to her."

For a second, Caleb looked like he wanted to say something.

But then, Lucille sent another voice message, meowing like a kitten and asking him to bring her a milkshake.

He emptied the shopping bag on the hanger, tucked the scarf inside, and left with a small smile.

I glanced at the baby clothes tossed on the floor and walked into the study.

Ignoring the photo of Caleb and Lucille smiling together on the desk, I went straight to the safe.

I tried his or my birthday as the password. It was wrong.

I tried our love anniversary again, but it still didn't work.

Then, I walked Lucille's birthday, and the safe finally clicked open.

As I pulled out my ID, two old movie tickets slipped out with it.

They were the ticket stubs from the first movie Caleb and I saw together.

I ripped them into pieces and tossed them in the trash.

After that, I went back to my room and began to pack my things.

Later that evening, Caleb called and asked me to bring him a document.

The weather was freezing and snowy, so I bundled up in a mink coat before heading out.

When I opened the restaurant door, I caught sight of Caleb and Lucille, drinking with their arms entwined.

Chapter 3

The moment I walked in, the noise in the restaurant suddenly died down.

Caleb glared at me, feeling like the mood was ruined by my presence.

Everyone else watched me like they were waiting for a scene, expecting me to blow up.

But instead of reacting, I stayed calm.

I handed him the document and said, "Could you lend me your car keys? I left something inside."

Before Caleb could answer, Lucille pulled out the Porsche keys from her purse, stuck her tongue out at me, and said, "Sorry, Mrs. Johnston. I'm always running late because I love sleeping in. So Caleb lent me his car."

"Mrs. Johnston? Don't call her that, silly."

Caleb gently wiped the wine from the corners of Lucille's mouth, his gaze full of affection.

I repeated his words, "Mr. Johnston and I aren't married. Ms. Cooper, please don't misunderstand."

After saying that, I grabbed the keys and started to leave, but Caleb suddenly stopped me with a puzzled look. "Whitney, you've always felt sick from the smell of spirit since you got expecting. Why is it different today?"

Before I could reply, Lucille went pale and clung to his arm.

"Caleb, is Whitney going to look for that pearl necklace in the car?

"Uh, but I lost that necklace. What should I do?"

The necklace she mentioned was a keepsake from my deceased grandmother.

Caleb reassured her gently, saying it was just a cheap piece of jewelry and not worth getting upset over.

I set the car keys down and looked at Lucille without any real emotion.

"He's right. It's just a cheap necklace I've had for nine years. If you like it, I'll give it to you."

I walked out of the restaurant and was about to catch a taxi when Caleb ran after me.

He shoved a container of shrimp congee into my hands. As if giving me a favor, he said, "I'll go with you to your checkup tomorrow."

I lied, "You've got the date wrong. The appointment is the day after tomorrow."

Caleb wanted to refute but stopped when he saw Lucille standing at the door.

He quickly turned around, took her hand, and started warming it with his breath.

I watched them head back into the restaurant. Since I didn't eat shrimp, I gave the shrimp congee to some stray cats before going home.

That night, Caleb didn't come back, and I didn't call him.

At 5:00 p.m., I had just put on my coat when Caleb unexpectedly returned home and took me to the car.

Once at the Johnston's residence, he introduced me to his parents.

"Dad, Mom, this is Whitney."

After all these years, he finally brought me to meet them.

But my reaction seemed to disappoint him.

"It's nice to meet you. I have something important to do. Please excuse me."

As soon as I finished speaking, Caleb grabbed my wrist with a hidden force.

"Dad, Mom, she's just joking. Go ahead and start dinner. I'll show her around first."

He dragged me to the bedroom on the top floor and started the so-called tour.

I kept checking my phone, which didn't sit well with him.

"Whitney, you've always wanted to see the room I grew up in. But now that you've seen it, you're quiet?"

"Hmm? It's nice."

My indifferent response made Caleb frown.

"You've been staring at your phone. Is there something interesting?"

"No."

Even though I answered, he still looked uneasy. He grabbed my phone and held it up to his face.

The screen kept showing 'Unlock Failed'.

Caleb asked me in surprise, "Why can't I unlock it?"

I was about to reply when a sudden crisp sound came from outside the window behind me.