Chapter 1
The moment Caleb Stone instinctively mixed the noodles for me, I asked for a divorce. His hand, mid–stir, paused abruptly. “Why?” he demanded, his voice thick with disbelief. “I told you before, Stella and I have nothing going on!”
I looked at the perfectly mixed bowl of noodles, a faint, bitter smile touching my lips. “Caleb, we’ve been together for eight years. You’ve never once mixed my noodl-
es for me.”
Caleb’s hand, still clutching the chopsticks, froze. After a long silence, he spoke, his voice strained, trying to explain. “Ava, I just…”
“You just got used to doing these little things for her. You got used to me always accommodating her.” I curved my lips, my voice eerily calm. “But Caleb, I’m not used to it. I deserve a genuine, complete love.”
I was dragging my suitcase, just about to step past the villa’s grand entrance, when Caleb grabbed my arm. “Ava…” I turned to him. His lips trembled, words caught in
his throat.
“Stella isn’t feeling well. She wants your special soup.” Caleb suffered from stomach issues, and this soup was a recipe I’d gotten from a renowned holistic healer. To learn that recipe, I’d turned down an invitation to join a prestigious research expedition, spending a full month working as an assistant at the clinic. Eight years we’d been together, and Caleb had never even wiped a spilled drop of water from the table. Yet now, he was begging for this soup for Stella. Meeting my reddened
eyes, Caleb shifted his gaze, looking away.
“Make it one more time. I’ll let you go back to the research team.” He looked at me with an air of condescension, as if he’d forgotten why I’d left the team in the first place–Stella had wanted to join a polar expedition tourist group but couldn’t get a spot, so Caleb canceled my opportunity for a polar research trip. While they stood close, watching the aurora borealis in the snow, I received my dismissal notice from the research team.
“Fine.” I took a deep breath, turning and walking into the kitchen.
The soup was ready. I was just about to hand it to him when a gasp echoed from the master bedroom. It was supposed to be Caleb’s and my marital bedroom, but now he and Stella shared it. Caleb’s outstretched hand snapped back, and he rushed into the master bedroom. He accidentally knocked over the steaming bowl of soup, scalding liquid splashing all over me. My exposed skin instantly flushed crimson. I bit back a cry, dousing myself with cold water, but painful blisters still rose in angry patches.
I was just picking up my suitcase, wincing in pain, when Caleb emerged from the master bedroom, cradling Stella in his arms, his face contorted in anger. He carefu- lly settled Stella onto the sofa, then thoughtfully draped a blanket over her. Then, his face grim, he strode towards me. I instinctively reached for the door, wanting to escape, but he clamped down on my wrist. He squeezed hard on the scalded blisters, the searing pain almost making me black out.
“You know Stella is allergic to pollen! Why didn’t you clean the room after she opened the window?!”
“I didn’t…” Before I could finish, Caleb dragged me into the master bedroom. The movement burst the blisters on my wrist, yellowish pus mixing with blood seeping out, staining my white dress. Caleb shoved me to the floor. My knees hit the rough wooden floorboards, the coarse material scraping against my burns. I trembled uncontrollably from the pain. He saw the angry blisters on my hand, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but then he glanced at the red spots on Stella’s wrist and spo-
- ke.
“You’ll kneel here and clean this bedroom thoroughly. Don’t leave until there isn’t a single
of pollen.” W
Ever since Stella arrived, cleaning the master bedroom had become my duty. Even though we had a full–time housekeeper, Caleb assigned this task to me simply because Stella claimed, “no one else cleans properly.” The bedroom had hardwood floors, and I was expected to kneel and meticulously wipe every inch with a rag.
The dirty water in the bucket stung my skin, bringing waves of agonizing pain.
Once the entire room was spotless, I finally stood, looking at Caleb with a vacant expression. “Is that enough?”
Gazing at the increasingly grotesque burns on my hand, Caleb shifted his eyes. “Ava Hayes, it was clearly your negligence that caused Stella’s allergic reaction. Why
are you putting on this show?”
“We’re already divorced. You’re the one who asked for it!” I nodded, pulling my suitcase, intending to leave, when I bumped into our hurried family doctor. She saw me and gasped.
“Mrs. Stone, your burns are so severe, you need immediate medical attention! Let me treat you first!” Before she could even set down her medical bag. Caleb pulled
her towards Stella.
“She’s the patient.” The doctor looked incredulously at Stella, who only had a mild allergic reaction, then at my severely burned self. She could only lower her head and examine Stella. As everyone gathered around Stella, I quickly opened the door and slipped away.
I endured the searing pain, walking for what felt like an eternity before finally exiting the villa community. The ambulance I had called was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing the paramedics, the intense pain finally overwhelmed me, and I passed out.
When I woke again, the burns were neatly bandaged. Caleb was sitting on the sofa, engrossed in paperwork. A young nurse, changing my must be your husband. He’s been here watching over you for two days straight.”
bag, whispered, “That
After the nurse left. Caleb set down his papers and came to my bedside offering me a bowl of hot soup “Try this I specifically ordered it for you.
It was takeout
