Chapter 3

3

Caleb froze when he saw my suitcase, but he didn't say much about it.

He handed me a small gift box with a guilty tone.

"Happy anniversary. I am so sorry, Chloe."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

I reached out, took the box, and opened it to find a silver bracelet.

I closed the lid and said, "I love the gift, thank you."

Caleb looked stunned, the words he wanted to use to explain himself stuck in his throat.

He looked at me in surprise, probably expecting me to throw a fit.

He thought I would demand an explanation and argue with him.

I also thought I would scream and question him after seeing that trending topic.

But once I made the firm decision to let go, I felt strangely at peace.

He grabbed my wrist and looked at me with complex eyes. "Today is our anniversary."

I looked back at him, confused. "And?"

His brow furrowed even deeper. "Chloe, where is my gift?"

"I threw it away."

I replied calmly. I had already tossed those engraved rings into the trash.

Just like our five-year relationship, it was all garbage now.

"Are you still mad at me?" Caleb asked, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Let's break up. My resignation letter is on the table."

I spoke smoothly, leaving Caleb completely paralyzed in place.

I had always been the one giving so much in this relationship.

My sudden withdrawal clearly made him uncomfortable.

He might be unwilling to let go, or maybe he just couldn't figure it out.

But I knew it had nothing to do with him actually loving me.

Seeing me turn to leave, Caleb hugged me tightly from behind.

Just like before, he buried his face in my hair and tried to explain.

"That proposal photo is totally fake. I only did it to make Melody cooperate with her treatments."

"Chloe, you have to believe me."

He seemed to have an excuse for everything he did.

But every single excuse somehow involved Melody.

Right now, my attention was completely focused on the lingering perfume on his shirt.

It was an orchid scent.

It was Melody's favorite perfume.

I pushed his arms away and took a step back.

"You've had a long day. Get some rest."

3

The next morning, Caleb actually went into the kitchen to make breakfast.

I was a little taken aback.

In our five years together, Caleb had never cooked a single meal.

But I knew that when he was with Melody, he used to cook for her every day.

He made her special meals for months because she suffered from stomach issues.

No matter how busy he was, he always delivered the food on time.

Back when they were together, Caleb had a secret Instagram account.

He updated it daily with pictures of the loving meals he made for Melody.

Even without showing their faces, his pure, youthful love was so obvious.

After they broke up, he set that account to private.

But last night, I tortured myself by checking his account again.

I found out that Caleb had quietly made the page public again.

I saw his latest post, featuring that very familiar diamond ring.

The person wearing it was a weak-looking Melody lying in a hospital bed.

The caption read: "I really can't let you go. What should I do with you?"

Even though I was prepared to leave, my heart still felt like it was being ripped out.

"Chloe, come eat. I made some sweet oatmeal."

Caleb casually called me over to the table.

He acted like everything from yesterday was already forgotten.

This was exactly how he always handled things.

I picked up a spoon and took a bite. It was incredibly sweet.

It was sickeningly sweet, and I absolutely despised sweet food.

But Melody had a massive sweet tooth.

Just last night, she posted on Twitter: "I have no appetite lately. I just want some sweet oatmeal."

I stared at the bowl in front of me and spoke flatly.

"I don't like my oatmeal sweet."

Caleb froze for a few seconds before trying to fix his mistake.

"Then I'll just..."

He opened his mouth but didn't know how to solve the problem.

Plain oatmeal could be made sweet with sugar, but how do you make sweet oatmeal plain?

"It's fine. I'm in a rush."

I had just hired a new assistant and needed to hand things over to her.

Even though we were breaking up, I wanted to keep things professional.

Caleb grabbed my arm as I headed for the door, frowning deeply.

"Are you still angry? Is this about yesterday?"

"Melody fainted at her concert last night. I couldn't just leave her there."

"As for that proposal photo, I already explained it to you."

He rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Chloe, you used to be so understanding. You never threw tantrums like this."

He was right. I had always played the role of the perfect, hidden lover.

I kept our relationship a secret and never picked fights with him.

I didn't want to fight because I loved him too much.

And I knew that even if I threw a fit, he wouldn't try very hard to comfort me.

I pulled my arm free from his grip and looked right at him.

"Caleb, I get tired of constantly accommodating you too."

A look of sheer confusion washed over Caleb's face.

He was just about to speak when his phone started ringing.

It was Melody.

Caleb glanced at me a few times while the phone kept ringing.

"I'm just worried something happened to her..." he muttered.

"Okay."

I nodded, picked up my purse, and walked out the door.

As he answered the phone, I clearly heard Melody's pathetic, whining voice.

"Caleb, the treatments hurt so much. Can you come keep me company?"

The moment I shut the door, Caleb's soft "Okay" drifted into my ears.