Sme·ràl·do [Authors: Aysha Khan & Zohara Khan]

In the third year of her marriage, on the day Caleb Hampton's older brother died, Sydney Wilson asked for a divorce.

Caleb frowned in confusion. "All because I took a slap for Penny?"

'Penny. How affectionately he said her name,' Sydney thought.

The truth was, Penelope Monroe was his sister-in-law.

Sydney smiled coldly. "Yeah. That's why."

Could a single slap really shatter a marriage? The red mark on Caleb's face that night was hard to ignore. He had shielded Penelope so openly that even the Hampton family had been stunned. Only Sydney had not flinched.

Three days earlier, on their wedding anniversary…

Sydney had planned a surprise trip and taken a late-night flight to the city where Caleb worked. Instead of a warm reunion, she overheard him chatting with two friends.

"Caleb, man, I gotta say it. Running off every year on your anniversary? That's cold. Sydney's been nothing but good to you."

Caleb, usually composed and gentlemanly, looked weary. "You think I want this? If I didn't avoid her, she'd never believe I haven't touched her all these years."

"She…" One friend, clearly holding back, finally snapped. "You mean Penelope? Caleb, are you out of your damn mind? Are you gonna keep pining after her even if she's got another kid on the way?"

He snorted. "And what about Sydney? You keep treating her like this. Aren't you afraid Julian Sterling's gonna come after you?"

"He won't." Caleb rubbed his fingers together calmly. "She married me. That was it for them. Julian's had her blocked on WhatsApp for three years now."

Outside the room, Sydney walked away quietly. Her steps were steady, but her fingers trembled almost imperceptibly.

She had suspected someone else. She had asked around, tried to find out who, but no one had said a word. She had guessed many possibilities but never thought it would be Penelope—the same "sister-in-law" she had greeted politely for three years.

'God, how humiliating,' she thought bitterly.

When Sydney left the club, the sky opened up. She did not react as the rain drenched her like a broken doll.

That night, she took a late flight back to Jouleston.

The moment she got home, she fell ill. She burned with fever for two days. Just as she started to recover, Lucas Hampton, Caleb's older brother, had an accident.

…

A week later, Lucas's funeral was held in Jouleston.

Sydney had barely slept two or three hours each night at the Hampton residence. After the funeral, as she stepped out of the cemetery, her body moved forward while her soul dragged behind.

Their driver waited at the gate.

Sydney climbed in and closed her eyes. "Jack, take me home."

"Not going back to the family house?" he asked.

"No."

The funeral was over, but the drama at the Hamptons had just begun.

Lucas was the eldest son and the family's golden child. He died because Penelope had insisted on skydiving. His equipment failed, and he fell from high altitude. By the time they reached the hospital, it was to stitch his body, not to save him.

The Hampton family's fury at Penelope had not cooled. Sydney had no interest in watching her husband defend another woman. She had her own life to manage.

Unexpectedly, as the car started moving, the rear door opened.

Caleb stood there, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. Tall, lean, composed, but with a rare flicker of discomfort on his face.

"Syd, heading home?" he asked.

"Mm." Sydney barely glanced before spotting the woman next to him. It was Penelope, and she was holding a chubby little boy.

Penelope and Lucas' son, Timothy Hampton, was four years old. He was round and soft like a beach ball.

Before Sydney could ask what they were doing there, Timothy scrambled into the car as if it was his. "Aunt Sydney, can you give me and Mommy a ride home?"

Sydney furrowed her brow and glanced at Caleb.

He pressed his lips together. "Mom and Dad are still furious. Let Penny and Timmy stay at our place for now."

Seeing her hesitation, he added, "Didn't you say you wanted a kid? Now's a good time to practice with Timmy."

Sydney almost laughed out loud, then remembered where she was and held it in.

So now he was sending Penelope and her son to stay with them while he faced the heat back at the Hamptons? What a noble man.

…

Back home, the housekeeper, Nancy Potts, had already prepared the guest room. Caleb must have called ahead.

Sydney did not care. After a shower, she collapsed into bed and slept like the dead. When she finally woke, it was 9:00 p.m. As she reached for her phone, it rang. It was her best friend, Tiffany Voss.

"I've drafted the divorce agreement just like you wanted. Want me to send it over for you to review?" Tiffany asked.

"Thanks, Ms. Voss, my beloved lawyer." Sydney's voice was groggy and soft. "No need. Just call a courier and have it delivered."

"You're in a rush?" Tiffany sounded concerned. "Are you sure about this? Caleb might not be the best husband, but in some ways…"

Sydney switched on the lamp and sat up. Her head cleared. "I'm sure, Tiff. I caught him jerking off to another woman's photo."