Chapter 2 You disgust me, Baldwin

At eleven o'clock that night, the electronic lock on the apartment door chimed, signaling a correct passcode.

Baldwin pushed the door open and stepped inside, loosening his tie. As he flipped on the entryway light, he paused, catching sight of Cassie sitting silently on the living room sofa in the dim shadows.

He swapped his dress shoes for slippers and walked over, naturally leaning down to wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Cassie, why are you sitting here in the dark? Were you waiting up for me?"

Cassie's entire body went rigid. A wave of intense, physiological nausea violently churned in her stomach. Just a few hours ago, these exact same arms had been holding another woman. This very body had been sweating and writhing with someone else. And now, he had the sheer audacity to come home and put on this sickening display of fake affection.

She shoved him away with all her strength.

Caught completely off guard, Baldwin stumbled back two steps, his expression instantly darkening into a scowl. "What is wrong with you?"

Cassie didn't say a single word. She stood up and walked straight toward the master bedroom.

Frowning in irritation, Baldwin followed her down the hall. Just as he reached the doorway, Cassie emerged, dragging a large, packed suitcase behind her.

Seeing the luggage, Baldwin immediately assumed she was throwing a childish tantrum because he had missed their anniversary dinner. He swallowed his rising impatience and forced a coaxing tone. "Alright, I know I messed up today. But things have been insane at the firm. I'm working this hard to build a future for us, aren't I? Once this busy period is over, I promise I'll take you on a nice vacation. We'll spend a whole week together, just the two of us, okay?"

Staring at his hypocritical, lying face, Cassie lost any desire to speak to him. She pulled her phone from her pocket, pulled up the digital medical record she had photographed from the hospital system, and shoved the screen right into his face.

The screen clearly displayed the patient's information and diagnosis: Kindra Gonzales, 22 years old, acute ruptured corpus luteum.

Baldwin's eyes locked onto the screen, and his pupils shrank to pinpricks. Within the span of a few seconds, the color of his face shifted from flushed red to chalk-white, and finally to a sickly, furious gray.

He snapped his head up, staring at Cassie in sheer disbelief. He never imagined that Cassie's reach was long enough to pull confidential records from a completely different hospital!

"Cassie, you investigated me?!" Baldwin's first reaction wasn't guilt or shame; it was the explosive anger of a man whose privacy had been violated.

Cassie pulled her phone back, looking at his panicked, defensive rage. She found it utterly pathetic. She didn't even bother explaining that she had been the lead surgeon holding the scalpel. Her silence, in Baldwin's eyes, was a blatant admission of guilt.

In a flash, his anger completely overrode whatever logic he had left. His handsome features twisted into a vicious sneer. "Fine, Cassie! I really underestimated you! But so what if you found out? Don't forget, you completely cut ties with your wealthy family just to be with me! You have absolutely nowhere to go! Without this apartment, you'd be sleeping on the streets!"

Cassie looked at the man standing in front of her as if she were watching a clown perform a miserable routine. Three years of devotion and sacrifice felt so incredibly cheap and laughable in this moment. She had given up her luxurious life, alienated her fiercely protective brothers, and worked grueling shifts just to support his startup. But suddenly, she felt a profound sense of relief. She was glad she had seen his true colors before she married him and ruined her life completely.

*Smack!*

A sharp, ringing slap echoed through the apartment as Cassie's hand connected flawlessly with Baldwin's cheek. She didn't hold back an ounce of strength, her calloused fingers leaving a bright red mark on his skin.

"You disgust me, Baldwin."

With that, she grabbed the handle of her suitcase, bypassed his frozen figure, and walked straight toward the front door.

Clutching his burning cheek, Baldwin spun around and roared at her retreating back, "Cassie! If you walk out that door, don't you dare come crying back to me!"

Cassie stepped out into the biting New York night without a single backward glance. Standing under the dim glow of a streetlamp, she pulled out her phone and ruthlessly blocked Baldwin's number, his social media accounts, and every mutual contact they shared.

Then, she scrolled down to a number she hadn't dialed in three long years. Her thumb hovered over the screen for a second before she pressed call. The line connected on the very first ring.

Hearing the deep, familiar voice on the other end, Cassie's eyes burned with unshed tears. Her voice choked with emotion as she whispered, "Cody... I was wrong. I want to come home."