Chapter 2

2

I got into the passenger seat of Callan's car anyway.

That's when I noticed a shopping bag sitting right there.

I picked it up and froze when I saw a set of lacy lingerie inside.

The tags were still on.

The style was exactly the kind Callan used to buy for me.

Callan saw me holding it and immediately snatched the bag away.

"Why are you touching other people's things?"

My hands stayed frozen in mid-air.

When did he and Jaya get so close that he was buying her underwear?

Callan looked down, seemingly embarrassed, and tossed the bag into the backseat.

"Jaya bought it and accidentally left it here last time. I'm just giving it back."

I let out a dull "Mhm" and told him to just drive.

Seeing that I wasn't putting up a fight, Callan looked surprised.

He smirked. "You being this quiet is actually making me uncomfortable."

I didn't answer. I just watched the city skyline pass by.

I used to be the loud one.

The first time Callan ditched me for Jaya, I marched up to her and slapped her.

I demanded an apology in front of the entire staff.

But Callan ended up screaming at me in front of everyone, calling me insane.

Then he took Jaya's hand and walked away, leaving me standing there.

I fought every time after that, trying to make him realize I was his wife.

But it only made him more disgusted with me.

And honestly, I was just done.

We stopped to pick up Jaya.

She didn't see me in the front seat and pulled the door open immediately.

"C-Bear, you're so slow today~ If I'm late for the meeting..."

She stopped dead when she saw me.

"C-Bear" was my old nickname for him.

He eventually told me he hated it, so I stopped.

Now, it belonged to her.

I smiled at her through her shock. "Do you want me to give you the front seat?"

Jaya waved her hands frantically. "No... no, I'll just sit in the back."

As she moved, my eyes locked onto the bracelet on her wrist.

It was stunning―a vintage piece of incredible quality.

Jaya noticed me staring and immediately started taking it off.

Before I could even reach for it, Callan snapped.

"Who gave you permission to take that off?"

Wow, he really was acting like some alpha-hero in a bad novel.

Jaya flinched, her whole body trembling.

Callan looked at her and softened his voice. "Keep it on. When you're bored of it in a few weeks, you can give it back to Sutton."

Jaya whispered an okay and climbed into the back.

We hadn't been driving long when Jaya suddenly let out a sharp gasp, clutching her stomach.

Callan panicked and pulled over instantly.

"Jaya, what's wrong?"

She didn't look up, her voice strained with fake agony. "My stomach... it hurts so much."

Callan immediately put the car in gear. "I'm taking you to the ER."

Then he looked at me. "You need to get out. Go tell the board the meeting is postponed."

I stared at him. "Today is the launch for the new product line. Are you really going to ditch the investors and partners?"

Callan growled at me. "Do you have a heart? Jaya is in pain and all you care about is a meeting?"

I thought he had lost his damn mind.

Even if he wanted to take her to the hospital, there was plenty of time to drop her off and get back.

He wanted to postpone because he planned on staying there with her.

I remembered when I was sick and asked him to come home.

He told me I was being needy and didn't understand how busy he was.

He called me useless for being fragile.

I ended up driving myself to the hospital and stayed there alone for a week.

When I got home, he was taking a nap.

He didn't even ask how I was; he just told me to go cook dinner.

Now I realized that the difference between love and apathy is very loud.

I didn't want to be in that car for another second.

But it was pouring rain outside, and we were in a suburban area where Ubers were scarce.

Callan noticed the downpour. "Wait here, I'll have my driver come get you."

I opened the door and stepped out. "Don't bother."

I held my hands over my head and ran toward a bus stop.

It was far enough that I was soaked to the bone within seconds.

Callan's car didn't linger. He hit the gas and vanished.

I sat on the cold bench, shivering, trying to book a ride on my phone.

It took an hour for a car to finally accept the request.

The rain had splashed all over me, leaving me trembling.

When the car pulled up, I stood up to run to it.

I didn't see the slick edge of the curb. My ankle twisted, and I slammed onto the pavement.

I tried to get up, but the world suddenly went black.

I lost consciousness right there in the rain.