Chapter 5

When I woke again, I found myself in our familiar bedroom.

Caleb was gently applying medicine to my wounds, a tenderness in his eyes he himself hadn't noticed.

He didn't realize I was awake. After finishing the dressing and bandaging, he left the room.

The door didn't close tightly. Through the crack, I heard him on the phone with Serena Thorne.

"Caleb, I have a new idea. Lots of people are into wilderness survival lately. I just found a remote mountain. How about you trick Layla into going there and abandon her for a couple of days?"

"Just imagining her lost on a wild mountain, unable to find you, afraid to leave, forced to eat bark when she's hungry and drink her own urine when she's thirsty—I find it absolutely hilarious."

Caleb seemed to hesitate. "Layla just got whipped by Grandma Vivian over the birthday gift, and she's still covered in injuries. Maybe we should wait on the wilderness survival thing?"

Serena immediately grew displeased. "Are you feeling sorry for Layla? I knew it. All that talk about me being your true love was just lies."

Hearing Serena's words, Caleb immediately caved. "How could it be a lie? I'll do it."

Listening to Caleb's voice, my heart felt utterly desolate.

In the past, when Caleb loved me, he would be heartbroken if I so much as bumped into a table corner by accident.

But now, at Serena's behest, he had caused me to endure nine lashes.

My wounds hadn't even healed, and he was already planning to send me into the wilderness to fend for myself.

If that's the case, Caleb, let this wilderness survival trip be an unforgettable memory for you.

I relayed the wilderness survival details to the fake death agency, and they quickly responded.

After reading their reply, I deleted all records related to the agency from my phone.

After a day of recovery, Caleb found me.

"Layla, you've seemed a little unhappy lately. How about I take you out hiking to clear your head?"

I nodded calmly.

Caleb had expected me to resist, having prepared all his coaxing words, but he was surprised by my cooperation.

He paused, a vague unease stirring within him.

But he quickly suppressed it, smiling as he stroked my head. "Layla is so well-behaved today."

Feeling the familiar warmth on my head, I could no longer feel any joy.

After lunch, Caleb and I left.

The car drove on. While stopped at a red light, Caleb glanced at me several times, looking as if he wanted to say something.

I asked him, "What's wrong?"

His gaze lingered on my injuries, but when he spoke, he said, "Nothing, I just remembered you mentioned you had a surprise for me, and the date was tomorrow, I think."

I forced a smile. "You remember? Don't worry, it'll be a surprise you'll love."

Even though I was smiling, I felt my eyes welling up, and I quickly turned my head away.

Caleb's unease returned, stronger than before.

The car soon reached the "wild mountain" Serena had mentioned. Looking at the mountain before me, a ripple of emotion still stirred in my heart.

I knew this mountain. It had been in the news several times before for tiger attacks.

Serena really knew how to pick a place.

And Caleb? Did he know there were tigers in the mountains?

As I turned to look at Caleb, a tiger's roar echoed.

Caleb heard the sound but only frowned. "Layla, I forgot something in the car. You go ahead and start up the mountain, and I'll come find you after I get it."

With that, he walked back the way we came without looking back.

Watching his retreating figure, the last shred of affection I held for Caleb completely dissipated.

I truly followed Caleb's words and ascended the mountain.

By the time I reached the summit, the sun had already set.

The tigers and wolves in the mountain roared again and again, but Caleb, who was supposed to retrieve something, never returned.

When the appointed time came, I didn't hesitate for a second. I simply jumped off the cliff.

As Caleb drove back, the unease in his heart grew stronger.

What was that sound just now? Leaving Layla alone, wouldn't she be in danger?

His mind instinctively replayed Layla's recent calm yet sorrowful eyes, and his heart tightened.

When he arrived at the place he'd arranged with Serena, he pushed open the door to find several friends already there.

But he wasn't in the mood to socialize.

He immediately grabbed Serena's hand and said, "That mountain you picked, it's not dangerous, is it?"

Serena impatiently pulled her hand away.

"What danger could there be? If you're so worried, go back and be with Layla."

Caleb quickly hugged Serena, trying to soothe her.

Once he had calmed her down, he started talking to his friends.

It was exactly what he always did.

But today, Caleb felt a strange dread, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Time ticked by. Caleb's phone received several calls, but Serena hung up every single one for him.

"It must be Layla trying to call you for help. Just ignore her."

Caleb didn't intervene, but his heart was already filled with a growing sense of foreboding.

After another urgent call rang, Caleb snatched the phone before Serena could.

But it wasn't Layla on the other end. It was an unfamiliar male voice.

"Is this Ms. Layla Hayes's husband? We're the police. We just received an alarm from infrared sensors in the mountains. Ms. Hayes has committed suicide by jumping off a cliff."