Chapter 4
That evening, Julian returned unusually early. The moment I stepped through the door, he dragged me into the study.
He flung a gilded card at me, his eyes full of disdain.
“The reception invitation. Friday night. Don’t mess it up.”
I rubbed my aching wrist. “I’ll be ready.”
“Ready?”
Julian sneered. “You’ve only had coffee with him a few times in two weeks. Your progress is like a snail’s pace.”
“I need evidence to ruin Caleb Vance, not to see you discussing some damn classical music with him.”
He slammed a stack of photos onto the table. They were all candid shots of Caleb and me at a coffee shop.
My stomach twisted in a painful knot. He had been having me followed all along.
“I need time to build trust.”
I tried to keep my voice steady.
Julian grabbed my chin. “Listen, your father’s new project is signing the contract next week.”
“Before that, I want to see results.”
His thumb brushed my lips, but his eyes were cold as ice.
“If necessary, use some… special methods. Understand?”
I understood. Too well.
For three years, I had learned to interpret the meaning behind his every threat.
Friday morning, the sky was heavily overcast.
I stood across from the Vance Tower, hesitating whether I should “accidentally” run into Caleb for lunch as planned.
A drop of rain landed on my nose, and instantly, a downpour began.
I hurried to take shelter under the eaves of a convenience store, watching the rain create countless splashes on the ground.
It was twenty minutes before our scheduled time, but my clothes were already soaked through.
“Looks like we both underestimated the weather.”
A black umbrella opened above my head. Caleb had appeared beside me without me noticing.
He took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders. The fabric still held his body heat.
“My car is just ahead,” he said.
The rain blurred my vision as I followed him into a discreet black sedan.
“Address?” he asked.
I instinctively gave him the address of the Hayes mansion, immediately regretting it.
It was like telling him I was going back to my “husband’s” house.
But Caleb just nodded and set the navigation.
Soft piano music suddenly filled the car.
My body tensed. It was a rare, obscure piece, an anodyne I often listened to when I couldn’t sleep.
“This song…” My voice trembled.
Rain streamed down the car windows.
I gripped the towel tightly, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.
He knew my coffee preference, remembered my phone’s ringtone, and now he was playing this almost unknown piece of music.
Too many coincidences stopped being coincidences.
“What exactly do you…”
“We’re here.”
Caleb cut me off, stopping the car a block away from the Hayes mansion, thoughtfully giving me room to explain.
Caleb turned to look at me. The rain cast flowing shadows on the car window, making his expression hard to read.
After a long moment, he reached out and gently brushed a drop of water from my hair, his voice soft.
“Aurora, why haven’t you understood yet?”
The civil affairs office door clicked shut behind me.
I looked down at the brand-new divorce certificate in my hand, its red cover stinging my eyes in the sunlight.
“Don’t make that face.”
Julian adjusted his cufflink, his eyes full of mockery.
“We’ll remarry in three months. This is just a formality.”
I quickly composed my expression and shoved the divorce certificate into my bag.