Chapter 2

At around 9:00 pm, Trevor and Jordyn returned home.

Jordyn clung to the hem of Trevor's coat and got out of the car sluggishly. Because Celeste was at home, she was reluctant to return that night.

But Wynn had said that Celeste came specifically to be with her and Trevor, and if they didn't return, she would be sad. Trevor also said that if they didn't go home that night, Celeste would definitely insist on joining them on their outing to the sea the next day.

Reluctantly, Jordyn agreed to come home.

Still worried, she muttered gloomily, "Dad, what if Mom insists on tagging along with us tomorrow?"

"She won't," Trevor replied confidently.

In all the years they'd been married, Celeste had always tried to find ways to spend more time with him. But she was also sensible. As long as he made his stance clear, she wouldn't dare make him upset.

In Jordyn's memory, Celeste always listened to Trevor. Since he said she wouldn't, she felt reassured. As a result, her mood lifted. She made her way into the villa cheerfully and told Hannah she wanted to take a bath.

"Sure, sure," Hannah replied to Jordyn. Then, she remembered Celeste's instructions and handed an envelope to Trevor. "Mr. Fleming, this is from Mrs. Fleming. She asked me to give it to you."

Trevor took the envelope and asked casually, "Where is she?"

"Mrs. Fleming packed up and went back to the country this afternoon. Didn't you know?" Hannah responded.

Trevor paused mid-step as he was heading upstairs. He turned back, feeling a little surprised. "Has she gone back?"

"Yes."

Why had Celeste suddenly come to Andostan? Trevor hadn't given her a chance to tell him about it. He hadn't cared to ask either. Upon learning she'd left, he didn't dwell on it.

Jordyn was a little surprised too. When she heard the news, she felt a small twinge of disappointment. She'd been thinking that even if Celeste didn't join them for the outing tomorrow, it might be nice to have her around at home in the evening.

Polishing the seashells made her hands hurt—she had been counting on Celeste's help in finishing the necklace.

Though it had been months since Trevor and Celeste had seen each other, she had made the effort to visit but only to leave without seeing him in person. Hannah recalled Celeste's grim expression as she left and thought that things felt a little off.

She couldn't help but say, "Mr. Fleming, Mrs. Fleming looked upset when she left. She seemed angry."

Hannah had assumed Celeste's sudden departure was due to an urgent matter. Upon realizing Trevor hadn't known she'd left, she began to feel something was amiss.

"Angry?" Trevor repeated in his mind.

In his presence, Celeste had always been patient and accommodating. So, she could get angry too? This was new.

Trevor smiled faintly and responded to Hannah perfunctorily before heading upstairs.

Back in the bedroom, he was about to open the envelope Celeste had left when Wynn called. After answering the call, he tossed the envelope aside and walked out the door.

A short while later, the envelope slipped off the bed onto the floor.

That night, Trevor didn't return home.

The next day, Hannah noticed the envelope on the floor when she was cleaning. Recognizing it as the one Celeste had asked her to hand over, she assumed Trevor had already seen it and placed it in a nearby drawer.

…

Right after getting off the plane, Celeste went home and began packing her belongings. She had accumulated quite a few things in the house since she'd been living there for six years, after all. But she only took a few sets of clothes, two sets of daily necessities, and some books that were related to her field of study back in college.

After their marriage, Trevor had been depositing money for her and Jordyn into two separate accounts every month. One account was hers, and the other was Jordyn's.

However, Celeste was used to spending her own money only. She had never touched the money in Jordyn's account. Because she loved Trevor, whenever she went shopping and saw clothes, shoes, cufflinks, or ties that suited him, she couldn't help but buy them.

In contrast, she didn't have many expenses on a daily basis because all she did was go to work. Her heart and mind were always focused on Trevor and Jordyn. She wanted to give them the best of everything.

Most of the money Trevor deposited into her bank account was spent on him and Jordyn.

Given this spending pattern, there shouldn't have been much money left in Celeste's account. But over the past year, her opportunities to buy things for Trevor and Jordyn had decreased significantly because they were in Andostan.

Now, there were over three million dollars in her account. That amount might not matter to Trevor, but to her, it was no small sum. And since it was her money, Celeste didn't hesitate to transfer it out.

She left both cards behind, dragged her suitcase out the door, and didn't look back.

Celeste had an apartment near her workplace, which was a little over 1,100 square feet. She'd bought it four years ago to support a friend who had been struggling to meet their sales targets. She had never lived there before.

Now, the apartment came in handy. She had it cleaned regularly, so it wasn't dirty. After a quick tidy-up, it was ready to move in.

After a long day, Celeste washed up and went to bed around 10:00 pm.

…

The shrill sound of an alarm jolted Celeste awake. Startled, her mind went blank for a moment.

When she came to her senses, she realized that while it was 1:00 am here, it was 7:00 am in Andostan, where Trevor and Jordyn were. This was their usual breakfast time.

Ever since Jordyn had gone to live with Trevor in Andostan, Celeste had developed the habit of calling her at this time every day. As she was always exhausted from work and was used to going to bed early, she had set this alarm to ensure she wouldn't miss the call.

At first, Jordyn hadn't adapted well to living in Andostan and had missed her terribly. She had called Celeste constantly. But as time went on, the calls that used to be full of yearning and dependence had grown perfunctory and impatient.

The alarm was no longer necessary. She just hadn't been able to let go.

Smiling bitterly, Celeste deleted the alarm and turned off her phone before going back to sleep.

…

Meanwhile, Trevor and Jordyn were nearly done with breakfast. Though he knew Celeste usually called Jordyn at this time, he wasn't always home and hadn't paid much attention to the routine.

He noticed that Celeste hadn't called that day. The fact registered in his mind, but he didn't care. After finishing breakfast, he went upstairs to change.

Jordyn, finding Celeste increasingly annoying, had grown less fond of their calls. Upon realizing that Celeste hadn't called yet, she figured something must have come up.

She grabbed her backpack and bolted for the door.

Hannah hurried after her. "Ms. Fleming, it's still early. There's no rush!"

Jordyn ignored her and ran to the car happily. She was thrilled that Celeste hadn't called on time that day. If she stayed home, she might still have to talk to Celeste later. Well, she didn't want that!

…

After getting married to Trevor, Celeste had joined Fleming Group for his sake. Now that she was planning to divorce him, she saw no reason to stay.

The next morning, Celeste handed her resignation letter to Zeke Jackson after arriving at the office.