Chapter 3

I felt the meager seven dollars left in my pocket.

A wave of sorrow washed over me.

I slowly sat down on the steps of the main entrance, clutching my stomach.

I hugged myself tightly,

trying to find some warmth.

Just then.

I suddenly remembered my junior year of college.

I missed my dorm's curfew trying to rush back from my off-campus part-time job.

Just when I felt helpless and didn't know what to do,

Caleb appeared before me like an angel, seemingly out of nowhere.

He brought me back to this very mansion and gently told me:

"Skylar, these doors are always open for you. This is your home, your place."

And now.

I looked at the place that was once called home.

But it felt incredibly strange.

I sat outside the villa all night.

When Maria, the housekeeper, woke up and opened the door,

my limbs were already stiff and numb.

"Mrs. Hayes, why didn't you find somewhere to stay? Come in quickly before you catch a cold."

She anxiously took my hand.

When she touched my icy palm, her heart skipped a beat.

Her eyes held a hint of pity and sympathy.

She didn't say anything more.

She hurried to the kitchen to make me ginger tea.

In these three years.

When I was despised and insulted by others,

only Maria steadfastly believed in me.

She told me:

"You're not a materialistic person. You must have had an unavoidable reason for what you did, I believe you."

Back then, the time we spent together was only a few visits before my wedding.

But even she chose to believe me.

While Caleb, who constantly proclaimed his love for me,

still refused to believe me.

It was truly laughable.

I had Maria's ginger tea and breakfast.

Then I went to my room to wash up.

Just as I was about to rest,

I heard a woman's clear, pleasant voice outside, sweetly flirting.

"It's all your fault, you wouldn't stop last night, kept bothering me. My back is so sore now. My fault? Should I rub it for you?"

Caleb's familiar, deep voice drifted through the bedroom door.

His slightly hoarse tone carried a distinct note of joyful laughter.

Hearing his laughter, my mind felt a bit hazy.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen him smile.

Suddenly, I spotted the divorce papers I'd prepared on the nightstand.

I sat up, grabbed them, and walked out the door.

Only to run straight into Caleb and his new fling, Brittany, passionately kissing in the hallway.

His hand was already on her thigh.

I moved my dry lips and whispered:

"Sorry to interrupt you for a few minutes."

Caleb's gaze, which had just been filled with tenderness, instantly turned piercingly cold when it landed on me.

Brittany stood beside him,

her back arrogantly straight, revealing the pale skin of her neck covered in suggestive red marks.

"Mrs. Hayes, you're actually home? I thought you missed curfew last night and had to find somewhere else to stay."

I didn't pay attention to her provocation and cold mockery.

I walked toward Caleb.

"Here are the divorce papers I prepared. I'll pay back the money I owe you, every last cent."

"You don't even have a job. How do you plan to pay it back?"

Caleb's lips curled into a faint smile,

but no genuine amusement reached his eyes.

He knew. He knew I hadn't had a job or income for three years.

I suppressed the turmoil inside me.

"How I pay it back is my business. You don't need to worry about it."

Before Caleb could say anything,

Brittany snatched the papers from my hand and scanned them.

Then she burst into laughter.

"Oh my God, Mrs. Hayes, there are so many typos! Where did you find such an unprofessional lawyer?"