Chapter 5

Edmund and Helen were just about to speak when Sheldon cut in. "No one. You must've misheard."

At that, both Edmund and Helen looked at him in surprise.

Caroline didn't notice the puzzled looks her parents gave Sheldon. Instead, she pulled him along to the car. "Good thing you're here. You're done talking, right? Come with me. I want to take you somewhere."

They drove in silence. Only when the car stopped did he realize she'd brought him to a luxury boutique.

There, Caroline had the sales associates bring out stacks of clothes, shoes, and bags. Then she told Sheldon to try everything on, one item at a time.

He frowned, confusion written across his face. "What am I trying all this on for?"

But Caroline simply pushed him toward the fitting rooms.

"Just try them on," she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Sheldon started to protest, but the sales associates had already closed the door and begun unpacking the boxes.

Each time he tried on an outfit, a sales associate took a picture, then sent him back to change into the next one.

The process went on outfit after outfit. By the time Sheldon had tried on more than a hundred pieces, he was exhausted, and his shoes had rubbed his feet bloody.

At last, he snapped. He pushed the sales associates aside, strode over to Caroline, and said in a low voice, "I don't need you buying me all this stuff to make up for—"

"Leave out the burgundy suit. Pack everything else up and have it delivered to Mr. Oliver Campbell at Mistmont Villa."

Caroline's words stopped Sheldon cold, and the rest of his sentence died on his lips.

He watched her swipe her card without hesitation, then spoke in a hoarse voice. "You brought me here to try all this on just so you could give it to your boyfriend?"

Caroline nodded casually, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Yes. I wanted to get him a few things, but I wasn't sure what he'd like. Since you two are built about the same, I figured you could try everything for me. That way, I'd know what to buy him."

She added, "Next, we're going to the car showroom upstairs, the watch store, and the men's stores. I want you to try the food, drinks, and everything else for me, too. I'm going to get Oliver nothing but the best."

As Caroline kept making plans without asking him, Sheldon could no longer hold back his anger.

"Caroline Reed! I'm not some prop you can use to win over your boyfriend!" he snapped.

She had never seen him lose his temper like this. Shocked, she lifted her head and saw that his eyes were red-rimmed.

"You know what? I never saw what we had as something casual. Every time I held you, kissed you, or slept with you, it meant something to me! You don't have to love me back, but you don't get to treat me like I'm nothing!"

Sheldon's voice shook, catching in his throat as he spoke.

Caroline stood frozen as a rush of conflicting emotions washed over her. She wanted to explain, but he had already turned and walked away.

As she watched Sheldon disappear into the crowd, something shifted in her eyes. A moment later, her expression was back to normal.

…

When Sheldon got home, he pulled out his suitcase and began packing.

Over dinner, Lewis and Diana would bring up Caroline from time to time.

"I heard Caroline rented out the amusement park for three days for Oliver's birthday. She even had the roses flown in from Eurea. She really went all out for him."

"Just a couple of days ago, she took him to the family estate to see her grandfather. She even paid for several collectibles herself and passed them off as gifts from Oliver. Mr. Reed Senior was so pleased, he couldn't stop praising him."

Whenever his parents brought up the Reed family, Sheldon stayed silent. Sometimes, hearing about them still stirred something inside him, but it no longer hurt.

After that, he kept to himself and turned down every invitation to an event where he might run into Caroline.

Several times, Caroline got drunk late at night and messaged Sheldon as if everything were fine, asking him to come pick her up. Yet, he never went.

Every now and then, someone in their social circle would bring it up after a few drinks. They were all curious about what had happened and would ask, "Caroline, how come the guy you grew up with hasn't been around lately?"

Caroline barely gave it a second thought, and the way she spoke made it clear she didn't care.

"He's just sulking. Leave him alone. He'll get over it eventually."

But as more time passed, Sheldon still didn't contact her. Ultimately, he stopped replying to her messages altogether.

By the day before her birthday, Caroline could no longer wait and sent Sheldon an e-invitation.

This time, Sheldon finally texted back two words. "Not going."