My words landed like a bomb, plunging the room into stunned silence. After a long moment, Sophie finally gasped, her eyes wide
with disbelief. “You’re… married?”
“How is that possible? You always said you’d never marry anyone but Chloe!”
The other classmates, too, stared at me, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“Caleb got married? You believe that? I never heard a whisper about it!”
“I don’t believe it either. He was so utterly devoted to Chloe back then. How could he just… change his mind?”
“My guess is he’s still bitter about Chloe choosing Dylan over him at graduation. He’s probably just saying this to save face.”
“Exactly! Chloe’s officially taken over the Hamilton Group now. There are probably lines of men waiting to marry into that family!”
“He’ll probably cling to her the moment she walks in.”
“Right? And the only family in the city that can really rival the Hamiltons is the Beaumonts. But I heard Mr. Beaumont has been living abroad for years, and he’s married with kids now.”
I remained impassive, as if the buzzing whispers weren’t about me at all. Sophie’s gaze remained fixed on me, a mixture of questi- ons and unspoken thoughts in her eyes. I gave her a half–smile. “What? You think I’m making it up?”
She nodded, then shook her head, a complex expression on her face. Finally, she sighed deeply. “Look, what happened between you and Chloe, it’s not for us outsiders to meddle in.” She wrung her hands. “But you two shared something significant. I think, regardl- ess of whether you ever get back together, you owe it to yourselves to just sit down and talk.”
My expression remained neutral, but I understood perfectly. Sophie, like all the others, simply refused to believe that the man who had once been so hopelessly devoted to Chloe could ever genuinely move on. But the truth was, I was married. And I had no desire to waste my time convincing a room full of strangers. Sophie was still blocking the doorway. I could have forced my way past her, but it felt pointless. I had nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of. I simply settled back into my seat, pulling out my phone. It was my daughter Lily’s first day of kindergarten, and I was genuinely worried about how she was adapting.
Just then, the door to the private room swung open, and my gaze immediately met a pair of eyes that were both achingly familiar and strangely distant. When their owner spotted me, the shadowed depths of those eyes immediately brightened, almost shining. It had been exactly five years since Chloe and I had last seen each other.
Chloe walked towards me, a faint, bittersweet smile playing on her lips. “Caleb, it’s been a long time.”
I merely offered a slight, almost imperceptible curve of my lips, my voice deliberately cool. “Chloe. It certainly has.”
Chloe’s faint smile crumbled, replaced by an expression of raw bitterness and sorrow. “Caleb, are you still angry with me? You can hit me, curse me, do anything you want, but please don’t speak to me like that. It… it truly hurts.”
I stood up, meeting her gaze calmly, my stance firm. “You and I are strangers now, Chloe. Why would I be angry?” I had no desire to be the subject of their gossip, and frankly, checking on my little Lily at kindergarten sounded far more appealing. I tried to walk around Chloe, but she lunged, her hand clamping fiercely around my wrist. Before I could even react, she pulled a dazzling, pigeon- egg sized diamond ring from her pocket.
10:19
Chapter 2
“Caleb, I’ve waited five years for you. Now you’re finally back. This proposal has been delayed for five long years. Will you… will you
still be with me?”
I violently shook off her hand, my voice cutting and cold. “Ms. Hamilton, show some respect. You’ve got the wrong man. I’m not
Dylan.”
To my astonishment, Chloe’s eyes brightened even further. “Caleb, you’re still jealous of Dylan, aren’t you? I know the thesis incide- nt was unfair to you, but I was just trying to help you atone! Dylan said if I gave him your thesis, he wouldn’t go to the police! You were confused, you made a mistake, and I…”
I cut her off, my voice sharp. “First, I did nothing wrong, and I certainly don’t need you to ‘atone‘ for any fabricated sins. You should have let Dylan call the police. Because the police wouldn’t have wrongly accused an innocent man based on his flimsy story.” My gaze hardened. “Secondly, I’m married. My daughter is three years old. So please, Ms. Hamilton, stop saying such ridiculous things, lest you upset my wife.”
Chloe swayed, her face suddenly, ashen. She whispered, her voice barely audible. “Daughter? Wife? You’re… married? How can that be? Caleb, you promised me you’d never marry anyone but me! You’re just angry with me, aren’t you? This is just to spite me!” Her eyes, brimming with desperate hope, searched mine. But I merely met her gaze, my own expression calm, unwavering.
