Chapter 3

3.

I called home and told my grandfather I was coming back.

The old man sounded ecstatic. "Good! Grandpa will be waiting for you, Wren!"

I bought a bus ticket to the countryside and stared out the window, remembering when I first met Caleb.

Six years ago, at a mixer between the mill workers and the school staff.

Caleb had reached out his hand to invite me to dance, bowing like a true gentleman.

After that night, I fell for him hook, line, and sinker.

Everyone said I was lucky. Caleb was handsome, had a steady job, and treated me like a queen.

He was the most romantic man in our small town. On our wedding day, he threw a massive party according to city traditions.

He took me to see so many things for the first time―the fair, the beach, high-end restaurants...

He gave me a future I actually wanted to live in.

My grandfather was a famous seer, and I had learned a lot from him growing up.

On my wedding day, I cast a reading for my marriage to Caleb.

When the results came up, my hands shook so hard I dropped my glass.

The omen was disastrous. It spoke of deep deception and a path that wouldn't last.

My readings were never wrong, but that time, I wavered. I let my heart cloud my judgment.

In the end, I chose to ignore it, pretending I had never cast the reading at all.

After the wedding, I never dared to look into our future again.

The only other time things felt off was when the mill workers went on strike over the subsidies.

I joined the protest, and for the first time, I saw a flash of pure disgust on Caleb's face. It was gone in a second.

That same day, I found a long entry in his journal.

I had never snooped before, but that day, I felt a strange urge to open it.

He had written one sentence: "She isn't as gentle as you. Daisy, you're the one who should be by my side."

I thought back to the wedding omen. Disastrous. Truly disastrous.

I wanted to do another reading, but I was too terrified to pick up the stones.

Deep down, I already knew the truth.

I just wanted to stay wrapped in this beautiful, soapy bubble of a lie where I could pretend I was loved.

The truth was exactly what my grandfather had said when I was a child.

He had sighed and told me, "Wren, you are destined for a lonely life. It's better if you never marry."

From the very start, I was meant to end up alone.

Caleb came home that evening with a bunch of snacks and baby clothes, likely trying to cover up his "school trip."

"Wren, the other teachers gave me all this stuff for the baby. Everyone is so excited for him to arrive."

He smiled while sorting through the items, popping a piece of candy and handing it to me just like he always did.

"The baby will be so happy when he finds out."

I kept a cold smile on my face and didn't take the candy.

Caleb's smile remained gentle. "Yeah, our little guy is going to be the happiest kid in the world."

"By the way, let's head to the back-alley market tomorrow afternoon. I heard there's someone there who can bless the baby."

Tomorrow was the day we had agreed upon for the destiny swap.

I wondered if he would be furious or heartbroken if he found out the baby was already gone.

He unwrapped a piece of chocolate and pressed it against my lips. I nodded.

"Okay."

The chocolate tasted like ash in my mouth.

I packed my bags, finished my resignation at the mill, and bought a ticket for the afternoon bus.

Caleb left early the next morning, claiming there was some emergency at the school.

It was Sunday. What school emergency happens on a Sunday morning?

A little while later, Daisy walked into my house. She rubbed her belly and looked at me.

"Wren, your baby is almost four months along now, right?"

She couldn't hide the smug look on her face.

"My baby is only two months along. I wonder if he'll even get to meet your child after he's born."

She said such biting things because she knew that after the swap, her dying child would be tied to me.

Too bad her words couldn't hurt me anymore.

I stared at her and said calmly, "Most mistresses try to hide. I've never seen one as shameless as you."

Daisy's face went dark, and she screamed at me.

"Who are you calling a mistress?! Caleb and I have twenty years of history! If you hadn't barged in, we'd be the ones married!"

"Do you think his gentleness is natural? He practiced all of that on me! You should be thanking me for letting you use my scraps for six years!"

I stared her down, but before I could reply, Caleb burst in.

He immediately started screaming at Daisy.

"Who gave you permission to say that to Wren? Daisy, you've gone too far! I told you we were done!"

"Get out! Get out and stay away from my wife!"

Daisy's face crumpled. She looked devastated. "Caleb St. Claire! Don't you forget what you said!"

She stormed out, and I saw the flicker of worry in Caleb's eyes as he watched her leave.

I chuckled. "Go after her. Don't let her get too far."

Caleb looked at me in shock, grabbing my hand. "Wren, what are you saying? She means nothing to me!"

A moment later, Daisy's screams echoed from the yard.

"Caleb... my stomach... it hurts so much..."

Caleb didn't even think. He bolted out the door.

He helped her sit down in the yard and then ran back inside, falling to his knees with a loud thud.

"Wren, we have to go to the back-alley now... Daisy's baby can't wait any longer..."

His eyes were bloodshot with desperation. I asked him slowly.

"Why are we going there?"

Caleb choked back a sob. "I'm sorry, Wren. I found someone to swap your baby's destiny with hers! Her baby won't survive three months without it, and she won't be able to have another..."

"I'm begging you, Wren... we can have more kids later... please..."

Looking at his tear-streaked face, I found the whole thing hilarious.

Even now, he was still talking about our future.

I pulled the hospital discharge papers out of my bag and handed them to him.

"Caleb, the baby is gone. There's nothing left to swap."