Chapter 3
The moment I walked in, the noise in the restaurant suddenly died down.
Caleb glared at me, feeling like the mood was ruined by my presence.
Everyone else watched me like they were waiting for a scene, expecting me to blow up.
But instead of reacting, I stayed calm.
I handed him the document and said, “Could you lend me your car keys? I left something inside.”
Before Caleb could answer, Lucille pulled out the Porsche keys from her purse, stuck her tongue out at me, and said, “Sorry, Mrs. Johnston. I’m always running late because I love sleeping in. So Caleb lent me his car.”
“Mrs. Johnston? Don’t call her that, silly.”
Caleb gently wiped the wine from the corners of Lucille’s mouth, his gaze full of affection.
I repeated his words, “Mr. Johnston and I aren’t married. Ms. Cooper, please don’t misunderstand.”
After saying that, I grabbed the keys and started to leave, but Caleb suddenly stopped me with a puzzled look. “Whitney, you’ve always felt sick from the smell of alcohol since you got pregnant. Why is it different today?”
Before I could reply, Lucille went pale and clung to his arm.
“Caleb, is Whitney going to look for that pearl necklace in the car?
“Uh, but I lost that necklace. What should I do?”
The necklace she mentioned was a keepsake from my deceased grandmother.
Caleb reassured her gently, saying it was just a cheap piece of jewelry and not worth getting upset over.
I set the car keys down and looked at Lucille without any real emotion.
“He’s right. It’s just a cheap necklace I’ve had for nine years. If you like it, I’ll give it to you.”
I walked out of the restaurant and was about to catch a taxi when Caleb
ran after me.
He shoved a container of shrimp congee into my hands. As if giving me a favor, he said, “I’ll go with you to your checkup tomorrow.”
I lied. “You’ve got the date wrong. The appointment is the day after
tomorrow.”
Caleb wanted to refute but stopped when he saw Lucille standing at the door.
He quickly turned around, took her hand, and started warming it with his breath.
I watched them head back into the restaurant. Since I didn’t eat shrimp, I gave the shrimp congee to some stray cats before going home.
That night, Caleb didn’t come back, and I didn’t call him.
At 5:00 p.m., I had just put on my coat when Caleb unexpectedly returned
TREN
home and took me to the car.
Once at the Johnston’s residence, he introduced me to his parents.
“Dad, Mom, this is Whitney.”
After all these years, he finally brought me to meet them.
But my reaction seemed to disappoint him.
“It’s nice to meet you. I have something important to do. Please excuse me.”
J
As soon as I finished speaking, Caleb grabbed my wrist with a hidden force.
“Dad, Mom, she’s just joking. Go ahead and start dinner. I’ll show her around first.”
He dragged me to the bedroom on the top floor and started the so–called.
tour.
I kept checking my phone, which didn’t sit well with him.
“Whitney, you’ve always wanted to see the room I grew up in. But now that you’ve seen it, you’re quiet?”
“Hmm? It’s nice.”
My indifferent response made Caleb frown.
“You’ve been staring at your phone. Is there something interesting?”
“No.”
Even though I answered, he still looked uneasy. He grabbed my phone
and held it up to his face.
The screen kept showing ‘Unlock Failed‘.
Caleb asked me in surprise, “Why can’t I unlock it?”
I was about to reply when a sudden crisp sound came from outside the window behind me.
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