Chapter 3

Out of the blue, Caleb returned home that night. He brought home an exquisite birthday cake.

I was slightly shocked. After all, this was the first time Caleb made a move, showing that he wanted to reconcile.

A long time ago, I had just gotten engaged to Caleb. Back then, I was still caught up in my fantasy. I casually brought up my birthday. The closer it got to my birthday, the more I was looking forward to it.

But on that day, not only did I not see a cake, but there was no sign of Caleb either. I had given him a call, but he snorted and said, "You forced me to break up with Julie. Now, you expect me to love you. Natasha, don't you think you're being too greedy?"

That was when I realized that Caleb had hated me for a long time. Ever since that incident, I never mentioned anything about myself ever again.

All this while, I assumed that Caleb had forgotten my birthday. I was surprised he still remembered. That showed he had been intentionally hostile toward me.

"Happy birthday." Caleb smiled at me, acting rather relaxed. He was always really good at covering things up. As long as he did not bring up the incident, he could pretend that nothing ever happened. Life would go on peacefully.

I stared at Caleb and did not respond.

His smile froze. He looked around, desperate to find a new topic. "Why are your things gone, Natasha?"

I immediately noticed a faint red mark on Caleb's neck. Even after multiple layers of concealer, he still couldn't hide it. He probably just got out of Julie's bed and hurried here.

I took a deep breath. "Lots of those things were rather old. Keeping them would be a waste of space. Also, didn't you always complain that I like collecting useless stuff?"

My tone was rather aggressive. I didn't even bother to hide my displeasure.

Lately, I had been acting out of character, and that probably made Caleb feel uneasy. He was acting gentle with me out of nowhere.

"I've thought about it. Julie did go overboard for some things she did recently." Caleb reached out to stroke my hair.

In the past, all I ever wanted was for Caleb to come close and touch me. But now, all I felt was disgust. I backed off to avoid his touch.

"I'll get someone to get rid of those photos and screenshots. I've also fired those who knew the inside story. Your work and daily life won't be affected, so no need to worry."

Caleb scooped up some cake and brought it to my mouth. "We've not visited your dad in a long time. I wonder how he's doing.

"After our monthly dinner with Mom, we'll go and visit your father. I heard the hospital just brought in a new miracle medicine. Perhaps that'll help with his treatment." Caleb was still talking, but I was no longer listening.

At this point, he still had no idea that Julie's overbearing attitude had upset Dad so much, causing him to die in a fit of anger. Caleb was still fantasizing about having a harmonious family and a happy marriage.

An intense rage rose within my heart. I smashed the entire cake onto the floor.

"Caleb, why are you still acting so concerned? Get lost!" I yelled angrily.

I had refused Caleb's attempts to reconcile. At that moment, he could no longer put up with my nonsense.

His expression was extremely grim as he silently got up and looked at me.

"Natasha, when will you stop being so domineering and stubborn? If you were just as kind and gentle as Julie, we wouldn't have ended up this way."

I shoved Caleb out of the room before slamming the door. I stepped on the buttery floor as I made my way to the bedside table. I crouched down and slowly picked up Dad's urn.

I had placed the urn by the bedside table, yet Caleb didn't even notice it.

I had had enough of being shunned and ignored. I also refused to put up with Caleb always making decisions on his own.

Tomorrow, I would definitely leave him.