[The number you have dialed is not in service…]
Caleb’s hand, clutching the phone, began to tremble. Just then, a call came from the family estate. He answered, instinctively snapping, “Ava Hayes, what are you doing? Don’t you know Stella and I…” Before he could finish, the person on the other end cut him off. “You idiot! Ava has sent the divorce papers to the estate! I know everything you’ve done. I’m the one who’s failed Ava.”
“No matter where you are, come back and sign the papers immediately!”
Caleb froze. Divorce? Could it be that what Ava said that day was true? He ignored Stella’s cries and immediately flew back to the States that night.
The moment he stepped into the family estate, Mr. Stone, Caleb’s grandfather, swung his cane, striking Caleb. Caleb took the blow without flinching. Seeing him like this, Mr. Stone’s face turned cold, and he handed Caleb a stack of documents. It was Stella’s medical report. The report clearly stated that Stella’s health was compl- etely normal, with no major illnesses.
“Caleb, how could my family raise such a fool?! To be completely manipulated by a woman!”
“And for a woman like that, you took Ava’s bone marrow twice.”
“Didn’t you know Ava is resistant to anesthesia? If she hadn’t endured it, you would have personally killed your own wife!”
Mark looked at the documents in his hands, his vision blurring. Hearing Mr. Stone mention my resistance to anesthesia, he suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot. “No, it’s impossible.” Though he denied it verbally, he couldn’t help but remember me struggling to get up from the bed that day. Back then, he thought I was simply refusing to donate bone marrow to Stella, completely missing the fear in my eyes. A wave of intense panic surged through him. Mark suddenly lost all strength, coll- apsing to his knees before Mr. Stone.
Seeing him like this, Mr. Stone said no more, simply throwing the divorce papers, already signed by me, at him. The sharp edges of the paper cut his cheek, drawing faint lines of blood. But he seemed utterly oblivious, staring blankly at the divorce papers in his hand. After a long moment, he looked up at Mr. Stone, his eyes red, his voice hoarse. “Grandpa, this must be Ava trying to scare me. How could she bear to leave me?!”
Mr. Stone sighed, looking suddenly much older. “Caleb, a person’s heart can grow cold.”
But Caleb was beyond listening. His eyes bloodshot, he tore the divorce papers to shreds. “I don’t believe it. I merely took a little more care of Stella because she wasn’t well. There’s no way Aya would divorce me over that.”
Seeing him so stubbornly deluded, Mr. Stone’s face grew cold. “Caleb, what you’ve done is already inexcusable to Ava. If you dare to bother her again, don’t blame me for using family punishment!” Ignoring Mr. Stone’s warning, Caleb casually picked a car from the garage and drove back to the villa. But the villa was dark, no longer waiting for him, no longer held the figure that waited for him late into the night. He went to my bedroom again and realized that my most precious work diary was gone. It was only then that he understood: I had already decided to leave him. He had simply been foolishly convinced I was just throwing a tantrum.
