Chapter 2

I had just gotten into the taxi when my mother's call finally came through. From the silence on the other end, it sounded like she had spent a long time figuring out how to start.

"Cal, did... Did something happen?"

I leaned against the window and watched the night blur past outside. My throat tightened, and my voice came out hoarser than I expected. "Mom, Jessica is pregnant. The baby is Daniel's."

The line went quiet for a long time. Eventually, my mother let out a soft sigh. "Come home, Cal. Your father and I are both here."

My nose stung, and my voice came out thick.

The driver reached back without a word and handed me a tissue. He didn't say anything, but somehow, it felt like he'd said everything there was to say.

I didn't manage to steady myself until I got out of the car. I pulled out my phone, opened the company app, and typed a few words into a resignation letter before hitting Confirm. Only then did I step into the elevator and head upstairs.

The apartment was dark. I turned on the lights, changed my shoes, and caught sight of the keychain hanging from the cabinet.

I froze.

Jessica and I had lived here for five years. The apartment had always been black, white, and gray, with no other colors to soften the stark interior. It had no warmth and felt like nothing more than empty space.

We were both constantly busy, buried in cases and court dates. Most of our time went to the firm or the courthouse. Neither of us had bought that keychain.

I looked around the room more carefully. A set of nice coasters sat on the dining table, though they hadn't been there before. A few pots of colorful flowers lined the balcony. Even Jessica's bookshelf held game cartridges that had no business being there.

The apartment was still quiet, but something about that quiet had changed.

Every trace of me was gone. Daniel's things had taken its place.

An ashtray that wasn't mine sat on the nightstand. In the bathroom, two tubes of toothpaste were crammed into Jessica's cup. A brand-new men's razor sat beside her eyebrow razor. Even another towel had been folded beside Jessica's, this one in a brighter color.

None of it was mine.

My stomach lurched. I doubled over the sink and dry-heaved before I could stop myself.

Their belongings and every last trace of their life together turned my stomach.

The keypad lock outside the door beeped.

I wiped my mouth and walked out.

Daniel leaned against the wall, clearly unsteady on his feet. Jessica reached out to support him, but he pushed her hand away.

His eyes were red, and his voice came out rough. "Don't touch me. What if Callum gets angry again?"

Jessica looked at me, her voice breaking. "Are you satisfied now? Do you have any idea how weak he is right after surgery? You drove him out of the hospital, and he still came back just to apologize!"

I stared at her, my face blank. "I didn't force him to come back and apologize. And I didn't force him to get you pregnant either."

Jessica had nothing to say to that.

Daniel dropped to his knees with a thud. "Cal, this was all on me. None of it is your fault. I should've come clean sooner. That's what made you angry. I... I'll leave right now."

He pushed himself up from the floor, clearly straining with the effort.

Jessica reached for him more than once, only to pull her hand back each time. She managed to restrain herself until he actually stepped into the bedroom.

Then she finally lost it. "Callum Walton, are you really this cold-hearted? He has no family and no friends here. He doesn't even have a place to sleep. Are you seriously going to send him out there to drag himself around and wait to die?"

I looked at her, unmoved. "He doesn't have a place to sleep, so you're letting him sleep in your bed?"

Before Jessica could come up with an answer, Daniel emerged with a suitcase already in hand. He shuffled slowly toward the door and glanced back every few steps.

The second his hand touched the doorknob, Jessica snapped, "Callum, Danny just got out of the ER. As his friend, you owe him at least enough to let him recover here first!"

It was the first time I'd ever seen her like this. Attorney Jessica Garner had always prided herself on staying composed, yet here she was, going to war with me over my childhood friend. The absurdity of it all almost left me speechless.

I stared at their hands, one resting over the other. "Either he goes, or I go."

The room stayed quiet for a long time. Finally, Jessica said my name, her voice worn out and helpless. "Callum..."

Her answer was already clear.

I turned around, went into the bedroom, grabbed my ID and bank cards, and headed for the door.

Daniel stood on the left. Jessica stood on the right. I looked at neither of them. I pushed the door open and walked straight out.

No one called after me.

Daniel had never really been sorry, and he'd never truly planned to leave.

Jessica had also forgotten the promise she'd once made in front of my parents, when she'd sworn she would stay with me and treat me right.

"Mr. and Mrs. Walton, don't worry. I will never have a change of heart."

Now someone else was living in that home, and I was the one who had let him in.

…

I had just pushed open the door to my hotel room when my phone buzzed twice. A message from Jessica lit up the screen.

Jessica: [Once Danny can support himself, we'll get married. That day will come soon.]

I stared at the message for a long time. In the end, I didn't reply.

So the condition for marrying me was that Daniel could support himself.

I forced my mouth into a smile.

Jessica should never have become a lawyer. She should've gone into comedy, the kind where every joke fell completely flat.

A flight confirmation popped up on my screen.

She had no idea that no matter how fast she moved now, she would never be fast enough.

…

The next morning, I went to work as usual. My resignation hadn't been approved yet, and the handover still had to go through the proper channels.

I took my last remaining case to my team lead so he could arrange a backup.

He clicked the mouse twice, then looked at me with a complicated expression. "Callum, Miss Garner already snatched this case out from under you."