Chapter 2

I was shocked that Caleb knew I was a strategist. He was too intelligent. I couldn't hide the truth from him when I was trying to get close to him, so I told him what I was, but I never told him the events of the story.

How did he find out that I had to play the role of his first love who died early? Did he always know? Or did he only find out after I faked my death and escaped?

"She's my mother!" Arthur exclaimed. "It wasn't easy for us to meet. Get lost! Don't touch her!"

Arthur glared fiercely at the maid, reminiscent of a beast protecting its young. He stood in front of me, shielding me behind him. He chased the maid out of the ward, but before she left, I saw her making a call.

He bit his lip and tried to wipe his tears discreetly. An uncomfortable feeling churned in my heart when I saw how red his eyes were.

"Did you strain the wound from your surgery?" I asked. "Does it hurt?"

Arthur scoffed. His arrogance was truly identical to Caleb's. "It's just an appendectomy."

I was stunned. An appendectomy? Why did Caleb make Arthur's condition sound so serious? Why did he mention removing his oxygen tube? His words made me assume that Arthur already had one foot in the grave!

The system explained timidly, "Perhaps he threatened you the way he did to trick you into coming back, Ms. Rockworth."

It certainly sounded like something Caleb was capable of. I massaged my brow as I looked at Arthur's pale face, feeling my heart softening. Spotting the bottle of medicine on the table, I tried walking over to it, only for Arthur to grip the hem of my shirt tightly.

"Mommy, I… Let me write a new IOU slip for you. You can ask for as much money as you want. I'll definitely pay you, so please don't leave me, okay?"

My heart melted completely as I gazed at his pitiful expression. He looked as if he were terrified that I would abandon him. Even though I had just learned of his existence—even though this was our first time meeting, I could feel the guilt of abandoning my husband and child festering within me.

I picked Arthur up and placed him on the bed. "I'm not leaving. I don't need an IOU slip, either. Let me get your medicine for you. Your wound won't hurt anymore once you take it."

"I'm not hurting," he said, shaking his head vigorously. "I'm easy to take care of."

"I won't leave if you take your medicine," I murmured.

Arthur's eyes suddenly brightened. He took the medicine from me, pinched his nose, and drank everything in one breath. He choked on the liquid, coughing a few times before clutching the hem of my shirt in a death grip.

"You can't leave even after I finish my medicine. You have to stay by my side!"

"Okay, I will."

"Swear it to me!"

Helplessness washed over me. It was no wonder Arthur was Caleb's son. They were so fond of making me swear to them.

"I swear that I'll stay by your side. You aren't fully recovered yet. You need to rest more. Go ahead and sleep," I said while patting his back gently.

Arthur's ears had reddened. He scrutinized me with wide eyes, but in the end, he couldn't fight against his drowsiness and succumbed to sleep. His fingers were still fisted tightly in my sleeve, unwilling to loosen them even by a fraction.

The system that had been silent the whole time suddenly came to life, blaring its alarms urgently. "Ms. Rockworth, something happened to Mr. Finley!"

Surprise gripped my heart. "What happened?"

A large screen appeared in front of me in the next second. The footage showed the villa that Caleb and I used to live in in the past. The hall was packed with wooden dolls. Caleb sat in the very center of it. His sharp and defined features made him look as handsome as he did six years ago.

He was holding a carving knife, slowly shaping the earlobe of the wooden doll. When the last wood carving fluttered to the floor, he muttered, "Lena, this is the 2,090th carving of you. I've been waiting for you every day for the past six years, but why do you refuse to come back?

"Am I not good enough? Is that why you abandoned me?"

His eyes were completely hollow. The wild glint in his gaze had completely disappeared, replaced by hopelessness and numbness.

I felt my heart stuttering in my chest and couldn't help but think about the first time I met Caleb. He had been chased out of his home by his father and was only wearing a set of thin pajamas during a freezing winter day. He was covered in bruises as he walked toward the ocean on bare feet.

Just like now, his eyes had been completely devoid of light at the time.