Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
During our pre-wedding honeymoon trip, my fiancé suddenly dropped everything and caught a flight back after receiving a text from his secretary claiming she had a cold. He stayed by her bedside day and night.
A few days later, I found suspicious stains and an unmistakably intimate scent on the $700,000 limited-edition collector doll I had won at an auction. Soon after, an anonymous text popped up on my phone.
"Caleb told me this is your favorite doll, so I left a little souvenir just for you. Did you see it?"
"By the way, Caleb took me so many times on your bridal bed that night..."
Just as I was about to confront Caleb, a text from him came through:
"Brooke just joined the company, so I need to train her personally. Let's postpone our wedding."
"Also, her rental place is over two miles from the office. I offered her a room in our penthouse. You're always so mature and understanding; I'm sure you won't mind."
I instantly blocked his number everywhere and listed our bridal apartment for sale.
Rushing straight to the university lab, I grabbed my handsome younger junior by his collar.
"Asher, didn't you say you were into me? There's an opening for a husband right now. You in or out?"
During our honeymoon trip, my fiancé disappeared out of nowhere.
I stood by the freezing shore for three agonizing hours. My calls went straight to voicemail until the thirty-third attempt finally connected.
A girl’s voice answered instead.
"Chloe, he’s peeling an apple for me right now. It's not a good time for him to talk."
"It's Brooke. I texted him this morning saying I caught a cold and needed a sick day. He was so worried that he rushed to the hospital to take care of me. You're not mad, are you?"
"Put him on the phone."
"Caleb, couldn't you have at least shot me a text before running off to visit your employee? Do you have any idea how long I’ve been freezing alone on this beach?"
"Brooke has a fever. I have to look after her. Let’s talk later. Bye."
A wave of pure rage washed over me.
Brooke was a textbook manipulative pick-me girl, and men always fell for that fake, helpless act.
I had no choice but to book the next red-eye flight back myself. Landing in the morning, I stopped by the lab on my way to upload my research data.
"Chloe? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon? What are you doing here today?"
"Don't get me started. He ditched me early this morning to babysit his assistant without even telling me. I barely snagged a ticket back home."
"What a jerk. Dump him. Walk away and be with me instead."
I paused for a second. "Stop joking around, Asher. I don't date younger guys."
My phone buzzed with an incoming message from Brooke.
"I’m so sorry, Chloe. I heard your trip was cut short."
"It's all my fault for catching this stupid cold. But Caleb insisted on flying back, even though I told him I'd be fine on my own."
I typed back: "Thanks for the concern. He's a caring boss, checking on his team is normal."
"And by the way, I'm an only child. No need to call me sister. Next time, submit your sick leave through HR like a real adult."
I took a deep breath, letting out the frustration.
Brooke immediately shot back: "Sorry! I call Caleb 'big brother' all the time, so I figured I’d call you that too."
"Caleb always tells me to report everything directly to him. I can't stop him from fussing over me. Maybe you should take it up with him yourself."
I showed my screen to Asher. "Does this sound like something a normal assistant would say?"
"And Caleb has the nerve to tell me not to overthink it. How could I not?"
A minute later, Brooke posted an update on her Ins story.
"Where do you find a boss this sweet?"
The photo showed her lying in a hospital bed, with a man’s tailored sleeve visible in the corner as he spoon-fed her soup.
My blood boiled. I dialed Caleb’s number immediately.
"How long do you plan on playing nurse? It's just a mild cold!"
"Can you grow up for once? I'm the CEO. What's wrong with looking out for my staff?"
"Chloe, since when did you become so petty?"
"Petty? You barely take a single day off all year! We finally get a week for our honeymoon, and you ditch me the second she texts you!"
Caleb sighed, falling quiet for a brief moment. "Chloe, I didn't think it through."
"You know her mom is best friends with mine. We grew up together. Naturally, I feel responsible for her."
"Cut me some slack, okay?"
"Fine. Don't pull this stunt ever again."
I choked down my frustration, choosing to let it go. But then another text popped up.
"Chloe, I'm at the hospital. Brooke is craving homemade soup. If you're free, whip up a batch and bring it over.""Why on earth would I make her soup?" I scoffed, furiously tapping my screen.
"If she wants soup, order takeout."
"Takeout isn't healthy. Brooke is like family to me. She's sick and miserable. Is making a pot of soup for her really too much to ask from my future wife?"
"Caleb, as far as I know, your parents only had one child. When did you magically get a sister?"
"Chloe, I promised her mom I'd look after her. Just treat it like helping a relative. I'll wait for you at the hospital."
The aggressive clacking of my keys caught Asher’s attention.
"What happened now?"
"He wants me to make homemade soup and deliver it to his assistant."
"Your fiancé is completely out of line. Who dotes on an assistant like that?"
"Her mom is close friends with his mom. They have family ties, so keeping an eye on her isn't totally absurd."
Even as I defended him out loud, my stomach twisted with unease.
On my way home, I bought fresh ingredients and simmered the broth from scratch. By the time I reached the hospital, it was well past midnight.
I pushed the room door open, holding the hot thermos with fingers that were red and throbbing.
"The soup is ready. I even added restorative herbs to help with your cough..."
Brooke suddenly broke into an exaggerated, dainty cough, cutting me off. "Caleb, my throat hurts so much..."
She pulled the blanket tighter and leaned closer to Caleb.
Caleb checked his watch, frowning deeply. "What took you so long? Brooke stayed awake waiting for this soup all night."
"I went home straight after work to cook it! I've been running around for hours—"
"Wait... is there sugar in this? Caleb, you know I quit sugar..." Brooke whined.
Hearing that, Caleb set the bowl down with a sharp clatter.
"Can't you get a single simple thing right? Didn't you know she doesn't eat sugar?"
I remembered our last company retreat. She had wolfed down desserts like there was no tomorrow.
Looking down at my burned fingers, and then up at Caleb’s arrogant, demanding face, I finally snapped.
"Drop the act! I'm done catering to you!"
Caleb’s scowl darkened with annoyance.
"What is your problem? Brooke is sick! Can't you show a little compassion?"
Brooke clutched Caleb’s sleeve with a tearful, guilty look.
"Did I make Chloe mad? Caleb, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have made her go through all this trouble..."
Caleb raised his voice at me. "She's sick! Why are you picking a fight with a sick girl?"
I grabbed my bag and yanked the door open without looking back.
"Then stay and take great care of her. Looks like she needs you an awful lot."
As I stepped out, Brooke’s soft voice floated through the cracked door: "Caleb, did Chloe get the wrong idea? You should go after her..."
Caleb slumped onto the chair, irritated.
"Let her be. Her temper is getting out of hand. She turns every little thing into a massive scene."
I was so disgusted that I checked into a hotel for an entire week.
During that time, Caleb bombarded me with missed calls, apologies, and expensive gifts, swearing he hadn't meant what he said that night.
I ignored every single one. He had crossed a major line this time. If I forgave him too easily, who knew what worse crap he’d pull after we got married?
Eventually, I stopped by our apartment to pick up a change of clothes.
That was when I noticed it. My exclusive $700,000 art toy was smeared with dried, milky stains, reeking of raw intimacy.That doll was a one-of-a-kind collector's piece, completely irreplaceable.
That was why I had bid $700,000 to win it at the charity auction.
Yet here it was, crumpled and soiled with dirty, questionable fluid, emitting a sickeningly familiar scent.
Seeing my prized possession desecrated like trash sent blood rushing to my head. But underneath the fury, shock set in.
Only Caleb and I had keys to this place. Even the cleaning staff would never dare touch it.
A sickening realization formed in my mind, though a part of me still refused to believe it.
I dialed Caleb’s number on the spot.
"Care to explain why my doll in the bedroom looks like this?"
"Looks like what?"
"Do I need to spell it out? It's covered in disgusting stains. Who did this?"
He went dead silent for a few seconds.
When he spoke again, his tone was rushed and flustered.
"We had painters touching up the walls last week. Maybe a worker accidentally spilled some adhesive on it."
"The renovations were finished months ago!"
Hearing my voice rise, he realized my rage was off the charts.
"It was an emergency repair. Stay there, I'm heading back right now to explain."
Fine. Let's see what pathetic story you come up with.
Twenty minutes later, Caleb showed up with a maintenance worker in tow.
Usually, whenever we had a fight, he would take hours to text back.
He had always put work above everything, yet today he had dropped a meeting just to rush home and give me an alibi.
The worker claimed there had been a pipe leak, pulling up an invoice on his phone as proof.
Looking at the transaction and Caleb's dead-serious expression, my suspicions began to waver.
Noticing me calm down, Caleb quickly reverted to his usual authoritative self.
"I need to get back to the office now. I was supposed to be running a meeting, and this threw off my whole schedule."
"That's fine. I'll ride back with you. We can grab dinner after you finish."
While waiting for him by the office coffee bar, a couple of curious colleagues asked when they’d be getting their wedding invites.
I smiled, telling them they were on the guest list. I didn't catch the venomous glare Brooke shot me from across the room.
"Ding."
My phone vibrated with a series of anonymous texts.
"Chloe, Caleb told me that doll is your absolute favorite. So I left a special little surprise on it. Did you find it?"
"By the way, Caleb took me on your bridal bed so many times that night..."
My vision blurred with fury. Even through the screen, I could picture Brooke’s smug, gloating smirk.
Just as I took a step toward her office to drag her out, a text from Caleb popped up:
"Brooke is brand new to the team, so I need to mentor her personally. Let's push back the wedding date. I know you'll understand."
"Her apartment is over two miles away, so I invited her to stay in our guest room. You're always so mature and practical, I'm sure you won't mind."
I marched straight over, kicked Brooke’s office door wide open, and texted Caleb:
"I'm in Brooke's office. Get down here right now.""I have tolerated your nonsense for long enough. What do those texts mean?"
Brooke put on a wide-eyed, innocent face. "Chloe, I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."
Still playing the clueless angel? Perfect.
"You really think I'm blind to your cheap little tricks? Did you think hiding behind an anonymous burner meant I wouldn't know it was you?"
"Even if I dump him, you'll never take my place. If Caleb truly wanted to be with you, would you have to resort to such pathetic, desperate stunts?"
Caleb and I came from the same high-society background. Brooke's mother might be friends with his mom, but her family was completely ordinary. The social gap between them was a mile wide.
My words hit her right where it hurt. Her delicate, fragile mask cracked for a split second, twisting with resentment.
The next second, she slipped back into her helpless act, speaking in a timid, trembling voice.
"Chloe, I don't know what I did wrong... Please, have some hot water and calm down."
She picked up a mug of boiling water, pretending to hand it to me, but angled it directly toward my chest.
I saw it coming and dodged to the side. Brooke lost her balance, spilling the boiling water over her own arm before crashing onto the floor. Her skin turned bright red.
The door swung open. It was Caleb.
The moment she heard the latch, Brooke let out a piercing shriek.
"Chloe, please don't be mad! If scalding me makes you feel better, if it keeps you from fighting with Caleb, I'll take all the blame!"
"Chloe! What is wrong with you?" Caleb’s face darkened, his voice razor-sharp. "Pushing Brooke and throwing boiling water on her? Since when did you become so vicious?"
"I didn't push her. And even if I did, so what? Her fake-sweet stench is suffocating."
"As for whether the two of you were rolling around in my bedroom, you both know the damn truth."
On the floor, Brooke wept like a battered victim, looking utterly devastated.
"Chloe, if you're still resentful about making me soup the other night and want to throw dirt on me and Caleb, just take it out on me!"
Caleb pulled Brooke into his arms, patting her back before glaring daggers at me.
"Chloe, stop this madness! What are you even suspecting? I showed you the repair invoice!"
"I already apologized for the soup incident. Why do you have to hold such a petty grudge? You used to be reasonable. What happened to you?"
"You're acting small-minded, paranoid, and hysterical over every little shadow. If I had known you were this kind of woman, I wouldn't have looked at you twice!"
"You just shoved Brooke and burned her. If you keep throwing tantrums and targeting her like this, I'm going to have to reconsider this entire marriage!"
Hearing that, I let out a dry, mocking laugh.
"You want to reconsider? Caleb, that's my line!"
"A man about to walk down the aisle who can't keep his hands off another woman? Who would put up with that? A cuckold?"
"She's putting on a show, and I refuse to believe you're too dumb to see it. Since you two are so deeply in love, she can take my place at the altar."
I turned on my heel.
Hearing me call off the engagement, panic flashed across his face. He scrambled forward and grabbed my wrist.
"Chloe, stop talking out of anger! There is nothing between Brooke and me!"
"She's fresh out of college. As an older brother figure, looking after her is the right thing to do! If she acted out of line, I apologize on her behalf. Don't take it out on her."
"Fine! I'll transfer her to another department tomorrow. Happy now?"
Brooke’s eyes rolled back in horror, and she collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud.
Caleb hesitated, looking between me and the floor for two seconds, before scooping Brooke into his arms and bolting for the hospital.
I was completely done with this circus.
I blocked Caleb across all platforms and listed our bridal penthouse on the market right then and there.
Fuming, I sped straight to the university lab, grabbed my handsome junior by the collar, and pulled him close.
"Asher, didn't you say you have a crush on me? There’s an opening for a husband right now. You in or out?"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
- Search this code in the NovelMaster app:
500104Open NovelMaster → Search code → Find the title