Chapter 3

Elena's usually calm eyes widened in shock. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

A flicker of guilt crossed her face, then gave way to unmistakable anger.

She stepped forward and instinctively shielded Jake behind her. "Jake was only joking upstairs. Why have you suddenly become so petty? Just to get back at him, you actually said something that disgusting!"

This was the first time Caleb had ever seen her so angry. Her reaction startled him, but the disappointment in his heart only grew heavier.

One accusation was all it took to make her this furious. The mutual respect they'd always shared was gone, along with the protection she'd once promised him.

Who would believe there was nothing going on between them?

"Uncle Caleb, don't get the wrong idea." Jake stepped forward to explain, but his smug smile didn't fade in the slightest. "I've been overseas for too long, so I'm pretty blunt. You'll have to forgive me."

Caleb ignored him and looked at Elena instead. "I was joking too. Why are you getting so worked up? Unless I actually hit a nerve. Do you really want to marry him?"

He wanted to believe her. If Elena denied it, he would choose to trust her.

Unfortunately, she didn't.

"Enough!" Elena shouted and swept the soup bowl off the dining table.

The bowl shattered against the floor. Scalding soup and shards of porcelain flew through the air, and a jagged piece of ceramic sliced into Caleb's arm.

"Ah!" He sucked in a sharp breath and clutched his arm with his other hand. Blood seeped through his fingers.

Elena froze for a moment.

She was about to step forward when Jake grabbed his suitcase and headed for the door. "I shouldn't have come back. My parents are both gone. What home do I even have anymore? I'll leave right now. I won't disturb the happy couple."

With that, he walked out.

The moment he stepped into the courtyard, Elena rushed after him and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist. "Stop it. This is your home! Anyone can leave, but not you!"

'So this is Jake's home,' Caleb thought.

Yet on the day they got married, when Elena had brought Caleb here, she'd told him the same thing. "This is your home from now on."

Apparently, those words no longer counted.

Caleb let out a bitter laugh. Bean-sized tears fell to the floor as he got up and returned to his room.

He treated his wound and wrapped it in a bandage. Then he crawled numbly beneath the covers.

All night long, he dreamed of the people and events from his past. His father, Keith Wallace, who had died with a broken heart. The parents, who had slapped him and forced him to leave school.

But when Caleb woke with a start, those slender hands were no longer there to soothe him.

...

The next morning, Caleb woke to find the space beside him still cold. He stared blankly at it for a long while before throwing off the covers and getting up to wash.

The moment he reached the first floor, he heard hushed voices nearby.

"Shh! Keep it down. Mr. Jake just got back and is still adjusting to the time difference. Ms. Elena stayed up talking with him all night. They didn't go to bed until dawn, so don't wake them."

"She really dotes on Mr. Jake. She not only cleaned his room herself but also gave us instructions for all three meals. She's so attentive and considerate. Even Mr. Caleb doesn't get that kind of treatment, does he?"

"That's nothing. Ms. Elena used to spoil Mr. Jake even more. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was raising her nephew, but anyone who didn't know they were related might think..."

"Ahem! Enough. Get back to work!"

When the service staff saw Caleb coming downstairs, their expressions changed instantly. They fell silent and scattered.

Even though he'd already prepared himself for this, hearing it still made his heart ache.

Caleb showed no reaction. He walked straight into the dining room, finished breakfast, and immediately left the house.

Today was the anniversary of Keith's death.

In previous years, Elena would make the necessary preparations, cancel all her work, and personally accompany Caleb to pay his respects to his father.

But now that Jake was back, she couldn't even be bothered to pretend.

…

Caleb went to the law firm first and handed the divorce agreement to Alex Cooper. Then he bought Keith's favorite cigarettes, liquor, and snacks before taking a taxi to the cemetery.

"Dad, I'm getting divorced. You always said I shouldn't settle. Maybe I really did take after you in that regard. But don't worry. Even if no one loves me, I'll still love myself."

Caleb leaned against the gravestone and talked to his father's photograph for a long time. He didn't force himself to leave until noon.

But the moment he stood up, Jake appeared with a group of bodyguards, arrogance written all over his face.

He raised a sledgehammer and brought it crashing down on Keith's gravestone.

The gravestone split in two, and Keith's smiling photograph fluttered to the ground.