Chapter 2

Over time, Portia grew disgruntled with me as well. I suspected that she would have spoken with my parents and called off the engagement if it weren't for my family's background.

I only loved Caleb, and naturally, I couldn't care less what Portia thought of me.

But while everyone was watching us intently in the hospital room earlier, Caleb had held me close and clutched my arm with his large, firm hand. The anesthesia had left him delirious, and I blushed crimson when he told me he couldn't leave me and said all those sweet nothings.

He was never one for sweet talk. I thought he might have been putting on a solemn front after I saw how endearing he could be under the influence of anesthesia, but the next second, Naomi's name slipped off his tongue.

At that moment, exhaustion overwhelmed me. I was done being a part of their twisted game.

Portia was still bombarding me with calls, the interval between each call shorter than the last. I figured Naomi must be at the hospital now, so I dismissed the calls and sent Portia a curt text instead.

"Feel free to direct any questions you have to Caleb once he comes to. Also, I don't think I'm cut out to be Caleb's wife. We should talk about calling off the engagement once he feels better."

After that, I switched off my phone.

Upon arriving at the private dining room, I saw that the cake and food I'd ordered remained untouched. My best friend, Enid Zimmerman, was bewildered.

"What's going on? What are you doing back here? Didn't you say you were going to look after your injured fiance?"

"His wife's looking after him."

"His what?" Enid scratched the back of her head. "Woah, rewind. You just lost me."

I told her what happened at the hospital and the things Caleb had said under the influence of anesthesia.

After she was brought up to speed, she couldn't resist letting loose a torrent of curses. Then, she eyed me with sympathy.

"Well, look at it this way—you've been using this guy for free for so long, it's about time you find someone else. There are plenty of men out there for you to choose from.

"You must be hungry. The food's gone cold. I'll get the kitchen to whip up a fresh spread."

I was, indeed, hungry and exhausted after enduring Portia's scolding outside the operating room. "It'll be a waste to dump all this food. Let's just reheat it. But throw out that cake."

Back when I learned that Caleb would be showing up at my birthday party, I searched the entire city and finally found the elderflower cake he loved. Alas, it was only during his delirious speech back at the hospital that I discovered elderflower wasn't his favorite cake flavor, but Naomi's.

That was far from all, though. Naomi's presence seemed to haunt every detail of our relationship.

Our villa had been decorated in Naomi's preferred classical style. Caleb hated seeing me in a red dress because I'd resemble Naomi too much for his comfort. Even the vacant room in the villa was frequently straightened up so it would be ready if Naomi came home.

I felt like I'd been made the butt of their twisted joke.

After some thought, I sent Caleb a text. "Hey, Mr. Lifesaver, call me when you wake up so we can talk about calling off the engagement."

I expected him to fool around with Naomi after he woke up and take his time replying to my text, but surprisingly, I got his call almost right away.

I'd just put the call through when I heard a self-righteous voice on the other end. "I'm sorry, Ms. Carter, but Caleb is still asleep. I heard about what happened in the hospital. Please rest assured that nothing is going on between us, so don't get the wrong idea.

"I didn't return from abroad with the intention of stealing Caleb from you. We just couldn't move on from our feelings for each other. But please believe me when I say I don't want to come between you two.

"Also, I should tell you that it's pretty heartless of you to abandon Caleb here in critical condition after his surgery. You're his fiancee, and no man would appreciate a move like that. I'll delete your text from earlier, so you—"

Enid lost her patience and immediately snatched the phone from me. "Excuse me? Are you sick in the head? Mr. Lifesaver got stabbed because he was trying to save you, remember? How dare you talk down to Sonia like she's the one at fault?"

She was met with a two-beat silence, then a curt, "It's rude of her to pass the phone to someone else mid-call. I don't need to explain myself to you."

Naomi hung up after that, and the dial tone sounded in my ear. Enid tried to call Caleb's number again, but the call was rejected.