ed Caleb’s face. He seemed a little unconvinced by my easy apology, and his tone softened. “I’ll drive you home later.”
I could barely believe what I heard. After all, since our marriage, I had almost never ridden in his car, because he had promised Stella that his car was exclusively hers. Stella’s expression changed, but she quickly recovered, linking her arm through Caleb’s. “I told you to visit Sister Ava, but you insisted on accompanying me to that research team lecture.”
“I’m so sorry, Sister Ava. Caleb will drive you home later.” Caleb’s gaze flickered. He was about to agree, but then saw me pull my arm from Stella’s grasp and shake my head. “No, thank you. I can take a cab myself.” But Stella ignored my refusal, forcefully pulling me into the car. “Don’t be shy, Sister Ava. Come to the lecture with us. I remember you used to be a team leader for a research expedition.”
I was pushed into the back seat, and Stella naturally took the passenger seat. Seeing her settled, Caleb instinctively leaned over to fasten her seatbelt. In the past, seeing him so intimate with Stella would have caused me to make a scene, but now I was so calm, it seemed to stir a strange displeasure in Caleb.
I followed them into the auditorium. As we took our seats, I instinctively sat next to Caleb, but Stella bit her lip, hesitating to sit. “Sister Ava, I’m so sorry, I only mana- ged to get two seats together. The other one is in the back row.” She started to leave, but Caleb grabbed her arm. Caleb turned to me and ordered, “You go sit in the back.“I didn’t question, didn’t argue. I quietly got up and moved to the back row.
I sat there, watching them whisper intimately, his head close to hers. The auditorium’s air conditioning was blasting, and my heart chilled, inch by inch. Halfway through the lecture, I got up and went to the restroom. As I left the restroom, I saw a small good luck charm dangling from Stella’s finger. I had personally gone to the mountains to get that charm for my mother when she was sick, hoping it would keep her safe. But now, it hung precariously from Stella’s fingertip. She looked at me, a smirk playing on her lips.
¡Ava Hayes, Caleb specifically got this from your mom, he said it was to protect me. The day your mother died, he wasn’t there because he’d just gotten this charm and rushed to bring it to me. Good thing Caleb gave it to me before your mom died, otherwise, it would have been bad luck for a dead person to wear it, right?”
I snapped. I lunged, snatching the charm, and clamped my hand around her throat. As we struggled, a piercing alarm suddenly blared overhead, followed by a viole nt explosion. The crowd in the hall erupted in chaos, everyone scrambling, pushing desperately towards the exit. My body, fresh out of the hospital, was still weak. I was quickly knocked down by the surging crowd, forcing me to curl up against the wall.
Then, I saw Caleb moving against the tide of people, walking towards us. “Ava! Ava!” His voice was anxious, and a flicker of hope ignited within me. But he saw Stella first. He pulled Stella into his arms, shielding her completely. The crowd surged around us. He turned his head and glanced at me, instinctively reaching out his hand. Stella coughed softly, and he immediately withdrew his hand, striding away with her.
I watched him walk away, holding Stella, and remembered something from many years ago. He sat opposite me, his eyes bright as he watched me eat. Seeing me eat slowly, he’d anxiously asked if the food wasn’t to my liking. I quietly told him it was because of poverty, my teeth had always been bad. He had suddenly gotten teary–eyed and apologized. “I’m sorry, you’ve worked so hard all these years.” The two figures, past and present, merged into one. My nose stung. I silently bid farew- ell to the boy he once was.
Three hours later, the man who had finally managed to soothe a terrified Stella remembered me, the one he had abandoned. But he searched through all the rescued injured, and I was nowhere to be found. In a black SUV, clutching the good luck charm, I repeatedly hung up on Caleb’s calls. Before I turned in my phone, I received a
text from Caleb.
[Stella isn’t feeling well. Come to the hospital to stay with her and get yourself checked out too.]
I didn’t reply. I simply handed my phone to the person beside me. “Please dispose of this for me. I don’t need it anymore.”
Caleb, you and your meager love, I want neither.
