I ignored Caleb and met the pair of eyes that were fixed on me. I smiled. "Sure."

My voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly enough for everyone to hear, including Caleb, whose hearing had just returned.

His expression instantly shifted. This time, he didn't hesitate and strode toward me, but Janessa suddenly dropped her glass.

The sharp crash cut through the room, followed by her soft cry. The sound was irritating.

Her intentions weren't subtle, but it worked.

Caleb turned without hesitation, grabbing both of her hands to check for injuries. He carefully wiped away her tears. His voice was low and gentle as he comforted her.

She made a small show of pulling back before leaning into him. Her voice was soft and fragile when she said, "Caleb, you should go after Carolyn. Don't upset her. It's just a small cut on my leg from the glass. I'll be fine."

The moment she said that, Caleb picked her up without another word. His tone was laced with urgency. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

I watched the scene unfold, feeling almost entertained. Back in high school, when I had been hurt by broken glass, he had comforted me the same way.

Janessa's soft, delicate demeanor was undeniably appealing, but Caleb had forgotten something again.

That kind of fragility wasn't enough to pull him out of the darkness.

Three years ago, when I gave up my chance to study abroad, my teacher had been furious.

He, the person who had always believed in me, walked away without a word. Disappointment was written all over his face, while I stood there with nothing but Caleb on my mind.

At 17 or 18, he had been reliable.

He was the one who drove away the bullies for me, the one who held me and comforted me, and the one who taught me how to stand up for myself.

But at 27, he had changed.

He became the man who clutched his ears helplessly as he shut himself off and hid in the dark, the man who drank himself senseless after a breakup and cried in my arms.

And when he found out I was leaving, he had hooked his pinky with mine and said in a fragile voice, "Carolyn, you're all I have left."

I couldn't walk away, so before we made anything official, I moved into his apartment and took care of his every need.

The first time I cooked for him, the knife sliced into my finger.

Still out of it, Caleb rushed over and pressed down on the wound. Tears streamed down his cheeks and landed on the back of my hand.

That was when I became sure he felt something for me.

So when he started slamming his head against the piano keys, I used my hand as a cushion without hesitation, even though I ended up bleeding from the impact.

It hurt, but the gesture broke through his defenses.

That day, after bandaging my hand with trembling fingers, he instantly packed away everything Janessa had left behind.

Those were items he treasured most. He never even let me touch them before.

I would've been lying if I said I wasn't happy about it.

He hated lip-reading, so I patiently stayed with him, practicing sign language over and over again. Even when he pushed me away, I still took quiet pride in the way we had built a language that belonged only to us.

For the past three years, the kindness Caleb showed me had been real.

After that injury, he held my hand, and his heart broke for me. "If hurting myself means hurting you too, then I'm willing to live for you."

When he broke down while learning sign language, he would cling to me. He would bury his face in my stomach and say, "I'm so lucky to have you."

The day we officially got together, he gave me a song.

Even someone who didn't understand music could hear how much love went into composing it, and that was when I fell for him completely.

He said the song was inspired by me and that he would die if I left him.

The entire Turner family was deeply grateful to me. Benedict even transferred a large number of shares to me as a show of sincerity, already treating me as his future daughter-in-law.

My childhood dream was finally coming through, and I wasn't ready to lose it.

That was why I had flirted with Anthony in front of everyone. Part of me had hoped to use him to pull Caleb back.

My thoughts were a mess. I kept trying to remind myself of all the ways he had loved me, but the first thing that came to mind was the image of him carrying Janessa out.

I decided to give it one last try.

Caleb didn't come back until 11:00 pm that night. I had fallen asleep on the couch when I felt his jacket settle over me. It was still carrying his scent.

For a moment, I felt comforted. Without thinking, I murmured, "Now that your hearing's back, you don't even need me anymore…"

My words trailed off.

Even with the lights off, the deep red lipstick stain on his jacket was impossible to miss under the moonlight.

Something sharp that had been lodged in my chest suddenly took root, spreading and clawing, like it wanted to tear me apart from the inside out.

Janessa was provoking me, and Caleb had allowed her to.

He had always disliked it when women wore makeup.

Once, he had held my chin and said with a cold laugh, "Don't come near me if you're wearing makeup. It smells awful."

I loved looking put together, but because he hated it, I had gone barefaced for three years. I had even stopped wearing perfume.

However, now, another woman's scent lingered on his jacket.

I couldn't stay calm anymore, and I grabbed his hand before I could stop myself.

I took a deep breath. My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it might burst, and I could almost taste blood.

"Caleb, do you still love me? Or should I ask… does our engagement still mean anything?"

He met my questioning with a wall of silence. It felt as if the ground beneath me had disappeared.

I was on the verge of breaking down. My grip loosened as the strength drained out of me. However, just as I was about to let go, he suddenly pulled me into his arms.

My whole body snapped back to life, hope rushing in so fast it almost brought tears to my eyes. We had spent three years together, day in and day out. A bond that deep wasn't supposed to fall apart this easily.

Then, Caleb finally spoke. "Carolyn… I'm sorry."

For a second, it felt like the sword that had been hanging over me this entire time had finally dropped, splitting me clean in half.

It hurt.

I slowly let go of him.

At that time, I could almost see the 17-year-old version of him, standing under a stretch of green trees, smiling as he waved goodbye.

He mouthed the words to me. "Carolyn, learn how to protect yourself."

That summer heat from when I was 17 drifted further and further away until it disappeared completely, as it had never been there in the first place.

It was like a dream, and now that I was awake, it was time to leave.

Caleb was still patting my shoulder, trying to comfort me, but the hand that had once made me feel safe now felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.

"No matter what, I'll always remember everything you did for me," he reassured me.

I wiped my tears and suppressed the emotions welling up within me. Hearing that, I almost laughed.

What did he think I was? Someone who gave everything just to corner him into loving me?

I took a deep breath and forced myself to sound calm.

"You don't have to. Caleb, you don't need to remember anything I've done. If there's no love left between us, then let's call these past three years what they were—a deal.

"Your father gave me plenty of shares. If you want out of the engagement, that's fine. Just pay me what I'm owed."

I held onto the last bit of my dignity, even though every word felt like it was cutting into me.

Caleb's expression shifted abruptly. "Carolyn Sutton, you took care of me just for money?"

His face darkened, and his grip tightened around my arm without him realizing it. Pain shot through me. I flinched and yanked myself free. "Let go. You're hurting me!"

As I shoved him away, a look of hurt flashed across his face. He stared at me blankly, murmuring, "But you liked it when Anthony touched you."

I retorted, "Caleb, what right do you have to hold me? And what right do you have to be jealous of Anthony? When you carried Janessa out this afternoon, did it even cross your mind that we hadn't broken up yet?"

At the mention of Janessa, Caleb seemed to snap back to himself, and he frowned. "Janessa isn't like you. She's fragile, and she needs me to protect her."

He was always like this. He could care about me, rely on me, and even love me in his own way, but the second Janessa came up, it was like he was a completely different person.

Just like that, I didn't feel like talking anymore. I leaned back against the couch and closed my eyes.

Then, I pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Caleb frowned again. "Carolyn, I told you I don't like the smell of cigarettes. And perfume. Are you wearing perfume today? It smells awful. Don't wear it again—"

I scoffed. "I'm not wearing any. That's Janessa's perfume."

He froze, like someone had cut him off mid-breath, and went silent.

The cigarette burned slowly between my fingers. After a long pause, he finally said, "I'm sorry…"

I was tired of hearing it.

An apology didn't change anything, and I didn't want to hear it anymore.

Through the thin haze of smoke, I looked at the man I had loved for more than ten years one last time before stubbing the cigarette out.

"Let's break up. You don't matter to me anymore," I said in an even voice. "You know my account number. Just transfer the termination fee there."

Caleb didn't respond. Only when I pulled the door open did he suddenly look up. His voice wavered with a strange tremor.

"Carolyn… I still love you. I just…"

He just couldn't let go of Janessa. He just assumed I would always be right here, waiting for him.

I understood it all.

I didn't stay to hear the rest. I simply shut the door behind me and left.

Those words came far too late.

This time, I wasn't going to stay where he left me anymore.