But what stunned her more was that scumbag Caleb actually had the nerve to humiliate Sydney like this.<\/p>\n
Tiffany muttered a curse under her breath, then said, \u201cScrew delivery. I\u2019ll bring the agreement myself. Then I\u2019ll head back to the office and work overtime.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no way she was letting some two-wheeled courier outrun her four wheels today.<\/p>\n
After hanging up, even Sydney was surprised by how easily the words had come out. Maybe it was because the resentment had been building for so long, clogging her chest, her thoughts, every part of her.<\/p>\n
Just like that night at the club, when Caleb had said it himself\u2014he had never touched her. No one would believe it, but after three years of marriage, she was still a virgin.<\/p>\n
At first, she had wondered if something might be wrong with him. But later, she caught him more than once in his study, clutching a photo album and pleasuring himself. The low, guttural moans he had made\u2014each one had felt like a slap to her face.<\/p>\n
Once, when he realized she\u2019d seen him, he pulled her into his arms and murmured into her neck, \u201cSyd, I\u2019m sorry. I just\u2026 I was afraid of hurting you. I couldn\u2019t bring myself to do it. So I used your photo instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
What a joke. And the saddest part? She had believed him and had actually blushed.<\/p>\n
But the night she flew back to Jouleston, groggy from fever meds, she used what little strength she had to pry open the locked cabinet in his study. Inside, she found the album. Every page was filled with Penelope\u2014radiant, vibrant, full of life. Every smile and glance was captured like a treasure.<\/p>\n
Sydney had never felt more like the punchline of a bad joke.<\/p>\n
In a daze, memories came drifting back. She remembered tagging along behind Caleb like a little shadow. But in truth, she hadn\u2019t been following him. She\u2019d been following her older brother, who was always by his side. She had seen Caleb so often that eventually, she started to think that marrying him wouldn\u2019t be so bad.<\/p>\n
Caleb had been patient, gentle, always bringing her little gifts when he visited her brother. Among all his friends, he had seemed the most refined and courteous. And yet this supposed gentleman would rather touch himself to his sister-in-law than lay a hand on his own wife.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
Sydney hadn\u2019t expected Tiffany to show up so fast. She had just finished getting ready and hadn\u2019t even made it downstairs when the doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Tiffany arrived with the kind of energy that said, \u201cIf the courthouse was open, I would\u2019ve dragged you both there on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney felt a little steadier with the agreement in hand. But then a sharp crack echoed through the house.<\/p>\n
Before she could react, Nancy rushed down the stairs, face tight with worry. \u201cMs. Wilson\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTimmy broke the family photo in your bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney assumed it was just the frame. But then Nancy handed her the pieces, and her face went pale. Her parents had died in an accident when she was five. That photo had been all she had left of them. Her only keepsake.<\/p>\n
She clutched the shattered remains and stormed upstairs. At the top of the stairs, Penelope stepped out of her room with her son in her arms.<\/p>\n
Sydney\u2019s voice turned icy. \u201cPenelope, that was my room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUncle Caleb said this is my home now,\u201d Timothy piped up, puffed with bravado. \u201cUncle Caleb also said he\u2019s going to take care of me and Mommy like a real dad!\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney glanced at Penelope, who showed no sign of correcting or scolding her son. She gave a cold laugh, crouched a little, and looked Timothy in the eye. \u201cDo you know what Santa Claus does to children like you on Christmas?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy lifted his chin proudly. \u201cHe gives me lots of candy!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWrong.\u201d She shook her head, smiling sweetly. \u201cHe cuts off the hands of children who break things, bakes them in the oven, and feeds them to monsters.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWAAAHHH!\u201d Timothy, still just a child, burst into tears and clung to Penelope like his life depended on it.<\/p>\n
Penelope glared at her. \u201cHe\u2019s just a kid. Did you really have to scare him like that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t even teach your own child how to behave. What else are you good for besides extreme sports?\u201d Sydney didn\u2019t wait for a reply. She turned and walked away.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
That night, a black Maybach rolled into the driveway.<\/p>\n
Sydney stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching as Caleb got out. Timothy ran to him immediately, dragging Penelope behind him. The three of them looked like a perfect little family.<\/p>\n
Eventually, someone knocked at the door.<\/p>\n
Caleb stepped inside. His crisp white shirt and purposeful stride clashed with the tension in his voice. \u201cYou scared Timmy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did,\u201d Sydney said, gesturing toward her nightstand. \u201cHe destroyed my family photo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb froze. For the first time, he realized he didn\u2019t know the whole story.<\/p>\n
He reached out to ruffle her hair, but she stepped back. Thinking she was still angry, he softened his tone. \u201cThat\u2019s my fault. Let me apologize on his behalf. Do you want anything? I\u2019ll make it up to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney smiled faintly. \u201cAnything at all?\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb nodded. \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI only want two things.\u201d She handed him the documents she had prepared.<\/p>\n
Caleb glanced at the property transfer contract and signed without hesitation. The second document he flipped straight to the last page and signed just as quickly. When it came to money, he was always generous.<\/p>\n
Afterward, he let out a slow breath and gently pulled her into his arms. \u201cSyd, how did your brother raise you to be so obedient and sensible?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney felt a wave of nausea. Just as she was about to shove him away, there was a knock on the half-open door.<\/p>\n
Caleb instinctively stepped back the moment he saw who it was.<\/p>\n
Sydney froze. And in that instant, everything clicked. He had gone three years without touching her just to stay loyal to the woman he truly loved. Now that they were under the same roof, he had to perform the part.<\/p>\n
Penelope looked mildly annoyed. \u201cCal, Timmy won\u2019t sleep unless you\u2019re with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d Caleb turned to Sydney. \u201cYou\u2019re not mad, are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at all,\u201d she said flatly.<\/p>\n
After he left, Sydney pulled out the second document. It was the divorce agreement.<\/p>\n
Yes, she was obedient. So obedient, she\u2019d prepared the divorce papers herself and handed them right to his face.<\/p>\n
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella\u2019s storytelling style is immersive and addictive\u2014perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.<\/p>\n
When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 2 But what stunned her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21985","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-when-love-is-gone-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21985","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21985"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21985\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21985"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21985"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21985"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}