Chapter 3

Marcus called me for the first time before 7:00 pm the next day.

I was puking my guts out, crouching by the bathroom door. My stomach felt empty, and stomach acid burned my throat.

My voice was hoarse as I answered, "Yes?"

It was quiet on Marcus' end. "Bring that white shirt in your wardrobe to the office."

He meant the shirt I'd bought last month for an interview. I hadn't even removed the price tag yet.

"What do you need it for?"

He paused for a brief second before answering, "Cindy spilled some coffee on her shirt. She has a presentation in half an hour. Your shirt is the perfect size for her."

I braced myself against the bathroom sink, feeling my stomach twist again. "I'm not feeling well."

"Juniper." Marcus' voice was always calm when he called my name. "Don't make trouble at a time like this. Bringing it here won't eat up much of your time."

I ended up going to his office as he instructed.

It was raining, and the Uber driver took 20 minutes to get to my place. I carefully shielded the shirt in my arms, getting my skirt wet in the process.

When I arrived at Bane Corporation, Cindy was waiting for me at the entrance. Her hair hung loose, and Marcus' coat was draped over her. There were coffee stains on her collar.

"Juniper, I'm sorry to make you come all this way." She reached out and accidentally touched my cold fingers, then pulled back immediately. "Why is your hand so cold? Are you feeling unwell?"

Before I could answer her, she lowered her eyes. "It's all my fault. If I had known you were not feeling well, I would never have asked Mr. Bane to call you."

Cindy made it sound so simple, as if she couldn't have stopped Marcus from calling and I'd chosen to get soaked in the rain.

When Marcus stepped out of the elevator, he heard the last sentence. He looked at me. "Where's the shirt?"

He didn't even bother to ask me why I was drenched or why I was so pale.

I handed over the shirt, while Cindy bit her lip and said softly, "Mr. Bane, forget it. Juniper seems sick."

Marcus furrowed his brows. "If you're sick, get some rest somewhere nearby. Don't stand right here in the lobby and make a spectacle of yourself."

The lobby's cold air chilled me to the bone.

A few of Cindy's colleagues were standing outside the conference room after she changed into the shirt I'd brought.

One of them teased, grinning. "Looking good, Ms. Moore. First you had Mr. Bane's coat on, and now you've even changed into a new shirt."

Cindy blushed, then glanced at me, looking flustered. But she didn't bother explaining.

It was only after her colleagues quieted down that she mumbled, "Don't be ridiculous. This is Mrs. Bane's shirt."

Those people looked at me.

"Mrs. Bane?"

Someone paused, then asked, "Mr. Bane is married?"

I thought Marcus would introduce me as his wife, but he just handed the documents to Cindy and said nonchalantly, "She's just here to deliver some stuff."

His words made three years of our marriage feel like nothing.

Cindy quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Yes, she's Mrs. Bane." She tugged on her shirt, looking a little embarrassed. "I didn't want to trouble her at first, but Mr. Bane said his wife is very generous and wouldn't mind me wearing her shirt for the time being."

Marcus looked at me, without denying what Cindy had said. "Go back first. Don't get in the way of her presentation."

Just before the elevator doors closed, Cindy looked up at me and smiled.

I stood there, soaked to the skin, looking like I'd just made a delivery. My phone vibrated, and a message from Marcus popped up.

He said, "I won't be calling at 7:00 pm. We have a project review after the meeting."

I stared at it and suddenly felt like replying to him was a waste of my energy.

It was still pouring when I left the building. Standing on the roadside, I opened the appointment page of a law firm and made an appointment.