Chapter 2

"Come with me immediately! Veronica says that her face is itchy!"

It was a little past midnight right now, and Callum was dressed in his pajamas. Was he spending the night here?

If I remembered correctly, he was supposed to head to Mallorn for a work trip tonight.

Callum had always been strongly career-oriented. Even when I was having a difficult labor three years ago, he still abandoned me for a business deal.

Yet, here he was, spending the night with Veronica?

I stepped out of the on-call room and checked on Veronica.

It turned out that she was only having a mild allergic reaction, nothing that some topical solution applied to her face wouldn't fix.

Callum brushed his fingers across the smooth, supple skin of her face. He looked completely infatuated.

"What reward do you want?"

Those words were clearly meant for me.

Raising a brow, I replied, "I can ask for anything?"

"Yeah."

With that, I dug out the divorce agreement I had prepared beforehand and handed it to him.

Callum didn't even read it before signing the paper.

However, the instant his fingers brushed against the back of Veronica's hand, his expression grew solemn. "Why are you so cold?"

He began barking orders. "Hurry, turn up the temperature of the room and bring a thicker blanket over! Also, bring some hot water!"

His subordinates scurried in and out of the room. The breeze from their opening and closing the door caused me to sneeze.

The air conditioner in the on-call room had broken down, so I had been having a cold for the past two days.

Still, Callum didn't seem to think that anything was wrong with me.

Once Veronica's hands were warm again, Callum had to hurry away to attend an international conference. Before he left, he instructed me to stay behind.

"Lia, Veronica is afraid of the dark, so I'll feel much more at ease if you stay with her."

Out of professional duty to properly care for my last patient, I agreed.

After Callum was gone, Veronica shot me a smile that radiated smugness.

"Mrs. Holden, I want to bring Callum to meet my friends sometime soon. What do you think I should introduce him as?"

I didn't bother taking her words to heart. With how profit-driven Callum was, there was no way he would meet with people who weren't of significant status.

However, Veronica's next words utterly floored me.

"I think I should introduce him as my husband. After all, Callum and I are throwing a wedding soon."

Impossible!

That was the first thought that leaped into my mind.

A wedding was something Callum was saving for that dead woman.

Veronica showed me Callum's social media account. There was a photo post on it depicting various wedding themes.

The caption was simple and succinct. "I'm throwing a wedding. See which suits me."

In the comment section, everyone was expressing their congratulations. I also noticed that I had been the only one who was restricted. I was blocked from seeing that post.

I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling a dull, throbbing pain in my heart.

Back then, no matter how much pressure Callum's mother put him under, he adamantly refused to give me a wedding ceremony.

Yet, Veronica, a woman he had only met a few days ago, had gotten it without any effort at all.

After the 50th time I created a substitute for Callum, I had this crazy idea to get the same smile lip done in hopes that he would also treat me like her substitute and love me.

Then, with his mother's help, Callum and I finally slept together. It was the first and also last time that happened.

However, after waking up, Callum rubbed my lips with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Lia, these lips are absolutely hideous on your face. You will never become a substitute for her, because if it weren't for you, she wouldn't be dead."

Back in the present, I took a deep breath before smiling lightly.

"Then, congratulations to you. All those options look gorgeous."

Not a hint of the jealousy she had expected graced my face. At that, Veronica grew displeased.

"How about this, Talia? Previously, I said I wanted to thank you for giving me this face, but I haven't done anything to express my gratitude yet. Since that's the case, let me give you a chance to indulge in the company of a man tonight."