There were seven more days until Tobey's discharge.

When I went home to pack, the moment I stepped through the door, I saw Lila sitting on the couch, eating dessert.

Hearing the noise, Caleb emerged from the kitchen. He was wearing an apron and holding a spatula, clearly in the middle of cooking.

I remembered Tobey's third birthday. He had wanted both of us to make a birthday cake with him, but Caleb had refused, saying he never cooked. Tobey had sulked over it for days.

Yet now, Caleb seemed to be enjoying cooking for Lila quite a lot.

He walked over. "Sienna, the hospital's too noisy and not conducive to Lila's recovery, so I brought her home. You don't mind, do you?"

I shook my head and headed upstairs. Caleb followed and continued, "I knew you would understand. Don't worry. I'll have Lila stay in the guest room farthest from ours. She won't disturb you."

Suddenly, Lila yelled from downstairs, "Caleb! The food's burning!"

He responded right away and ran back downstairs.

Keeping my composure, I stepped into the main bedroom. I thought nothing Caleb did for Lila would surprise me anymore—until I found a bra there that wasn't mine.

"Oh! You found it!" Lila exclaimed, suddenly appearing in the bedroom.

She plucked the bra from my hand and said, "Thank you for finding my bra, Sienna. This one was personally picked out for me by Ca—by a good friend. With how thoughtful Caleb is, I'm sure you've had a similar experience too, right?"

Lila's cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were bright. She looked nothing like a sick patient.

Of course, I knew who that "good friend" was, but I said nothing and only smiled.

Lila, however, wasn't ready to leave just yet. She continued, "You and Caleb have been married for so many years, and your relationship is still going strong. You must have some secret to keeping your marriage fresh. Please, share it with me, Ms. Hart. I'd love to learn."

Lila's words were undoubtedly a slap in the face, but Caleb's voice cut in right then, interrupting our tense exchange.

"Sienna, do you remember where the limited-edition Arachnids vinyl is? Lila was feeling bored during her recovery, so I thought I'd lend it to her."

The Arachnids were my favorite band, and that limited-edition vinyl had been a gift from Caleb when he first confessed his love for me.

I treasured it and had kept it carefully stored all these years.

There were plenty of other records in the house. I didn't believe for a second he was unaware of what that vinyl meant to us.

While I was hesitating, Lila said softly, "Caleb, it's fine if Ms. Hart isn't willing to lend it out. I remember I had to go through so many connections before I managed to buy it and give it to you. I'm honored that Ms. Hart likes it so much."

Caleb's eyes darted around, but he didn't correct her.

The record I treasured so much… had actually been a gift from Lila. A wave of revulsion rose in me.

"Why wouldn't I be willing?" I said, pretending to be nonchalant. "I just couldn't remember where I put it for a moment. There's nothing wrong with you wanting your own stuff back, Ms. Monroe. Of course, I'll return it to its rightful owner."

Without looking at Caleb, I walked straight to the study, retrieved the record, and handed it to Lila.

"You don't have any family around anymore, Ms. Monroe, so be sure to ask Caleb if you need anything. Also, since this record means so much to you, take good care of it. Don't give it away so easily again."

Lila didn't move, and it was Caleb who took the record instead. "Lila hasn't fully recovered yet, and the doctor said she shouldn't overexert herself. I'll hold on to it."

I smiled and nodded, then turned and started to pack Tobey's clothes as if there were no one else around.

Caleb and Lila went downstairs to eat, and he even enthusiastically invited me to join them.

I declined.

Later, Caleb came back to look for me, feeling uneasy. He grabbed my arm and asked, "What's going on with you today, Sienna? You usually snap at Lila whenever you talk to her, but you're so… nice to her today. Are you still mad?"

I turned to look at him.

Caleb had taken good care of himself and still looked as handsome as he'd been in his 20s with his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and striking features.

Yet, just looking at him now made me feel a mixture of hatred and disgust.

"What's wrong with you? This is our house, Caleb. Isn't it normal to be nice to a guest? If you don't like it, I can go pick a fight with her right now."

Hearing this, Caleb finally relaxed. He gave a few more reassurances before rushing downstairs.

I had to admit, his acting was getting better and better.

If it hadn't been for what Lila whispered to me right before she left, I might almost have believed that they really were just friends.

"Ms. Hart, the bedding you chose truly is comfortable," she had said.

She was taunting me. Relentlessly.

She had left the bra here on purpose. She wanted to make sure I knew about her affair with Caleb.

My fingertips went cold. I felt like every moment I'd spent with him had been a mistake, and I wanted nothing more than to get as far away from him as possible.

I pulled out a stack of documents from the bottom shelf. Among them were things that guaranteed I could walk away, which were also the things that made it so easy for Caleb to trust me—two copies of our divorce agreements, already signed.

Both sets of divorce agreements clearly bore both our signatures—mine and Caleb's.

I had forced him to sign them after the second time he hurt our son, but I had never gotten the chance to hand them over to the lawyer.

Later, Caleb had told me to destroy them. Though I had pretended to agree, I kept them just in case he made mistakes again. That way, I could leave him.

Now, it was time to put them to use. He had probably long forgotten they even existed.

I grabbed the papers and the suitcase and left the house I'd lived in for nearly ten years without looking back.

I thought I wouldn't hear from Caleb anymore in those final few days, but unexpectedly, he messaged me almost every single day. I couldn't figure out what he wanted, so I called him directly.

Caleb chuckled. "Missed me?"

I rolled my eyes. "What do you want? I need to take care of Tobey, so it's faster to talk on the phone."

His voice darkened. "Can't I talk to my wife without needing a reason?"

Swallowing my disgust, I asked, "Don't you need to keep Ms. Monroe company?"

Caleb fell silent for a few seconds. "I already told you that Lila and I are just friends. At most, I see her as a little sister. I don't need to keep her company all the time. You're still just jealous.

"Sienna, I've got a surprise for you. I promise you'll love me even more once you find out what it is."

I really didn't have the patience to keep up this act with Caleb. "I'm busy. Just spit it out."

Finally, after dragging it out long enough, he said, "I'll go pick you up in a few days—we're going to see Minim Orchestra's 100th-anniversary tour!"

Minim Orchestra, my favorite orchestra, was actually coming to perform in Westbridge? My heart wavered for a moment, but I only replied flatly, "I'll think about it."

After hanging up, I headed to a couture boutique. I really liked the work of their designer, Lorenzo Laurent, so I decided that while I was still in Westbridge, I'd ask him to make a few more outfits for me and Tobey.

When I arrived at the entrance, I saw Lila walking out, arm in arm with Caleb. She greeted me, "What a coincidence, Ms. Hart. You came to get clothes made, too? But Caleb booked the whole place today, so they're not taking other clients."

Lorenzo looked at me awkwardly. "Maybe you could come back another day, Ms. Hart?"

Just as I was about to leave, Lila stopped me. "Oh, how could we make Ms. Hart come back another day? Please, wait just a little bit—my girlfriends and I will be done very soon."

With that, someone pushed me into the boutique.

But Lila and her dozen girlfriends were clearly stalling on purpose. They kept changing their measurements and went over the color choices again and again. They tossed the clothes onto the couch where I sat, and someone even ordered me to fetch them tea and coffee. And even worse, someone stepped on my feet repeatedly.

Every time I tried to leave, Lila would come over and innocently ask if I was bored and tell me to wait just a little bit longer—they would be done very soon. Then, she'd go back to asking Caleb to help her pick colors.

And any time he so much as glanced my way, Lila would find new ways to pull his attention back.

She wasn't always so restless, though.

When they finally finished, Lorenzo called me over to take my measurements. As I walked past the fitting rooms, I saw Caleb and Lila locked in a passionate kiss.

A chill ran over my entire body, and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

When another one of the girlfriends stopped me to get her some water, I dumped the whole glass over her head and strode right out of there.

And with that, my resolve to leave Caleb grew even stronger.

The day before Tobey's discharge was also the day of the concert Caleb had invited me to.

Caleb sent over a pure white evening gown, identical to the one I'd worn ten years earlier.

The reason he was putting so much effort into this was that we had met at one of these concerts, and we'd hit it off right away.

Inside the box, along with the dress, was a handwritten letter.

"We've weathered countless storms together, and I'm so glad you're still by my side. I hope we can walk together through the next decade—and beyond."

I had to admit—Caleb knew me too well. He knew I was a sucker for heartfelt, sincere gestures.

I ran my fingers over the bold, vigorous strokes of his handwriting, and memories of all we had shared flooded back to me.

When I was pregnant with Tobey, I suffered terrible morning sickness. Caleb put his work aside and stayed with me every day. He would even point at my belly and say to Tobey, "You're making Mommy suffer so much. When you come out, you have to protect her along with Daddy."

The memory was filled with warmth, but the present reality was bitterly ironic.

Time and again, Caleb failed as a husband and a father, putting me and our son in danger and facing humiliation. He made promise after promise, only to break them again and again, leaving us to look like utter fools.

I wiped away my tears. After deliberating for a long moment, I ultimately put on the dress.

Caleb had said that after the concert, we could go backstage to take photos with my favorite musicians. It was a rare opportunity that might never come again.

But he never came to pick me up.

He said something urgent had come up but that he'd be done with it soon, begging me to wait for him outside the theater.

Standing at the entrance, with the concert about to begin, I finally saw a car that looked like his approaching from a distance.

I was angry and was about to turn and leave, but the car suddenly made a sharp U-turn and sped away.

Half an hour later, Caleb finally called.

"I'm sorry, Sienna. Lila was suddenly admitted into the emergency room. I was already at the theater when I got the call. I swear, I even bought you flowers—"

Rain began to pour, and muddy water splattered onto my white gown. I didn't bother to listen anymore and hung up on him.

What a joke. What a joke I was.

I shouldn't have let myself hold even a shred of hope for him.

Countless occasions had proven that in his heart, I would never come before Lila. His wife and his son were never his priority—Lila was.

I walked into the rain, clearer-headed than ever.

…

At dawn the next day, I took Tobey and boarded a plane, leaving the city. I had just stowed my luggage when Caleb's call came in, one after another.

His voice trembled with panic. "Sienna, where did you and Tobey go?"