What Caleb did not realize was that each time he \u201cproved his devotion\u201d to the woman he loved, he pushed Sydney one step closer to ruin. The Sterling family had no use for a weak woman who could not keep her husband\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
Jason sighed. \u201cYou could have lied, you know? Made up something harsher. Madam Sterling wouldn\u2019t have beaten you this badly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJason, Grandma raised me. I could lie to anyone but never to her,\u201d Sydney said. Her clean, pale face showed no trace of resentment.<\/p>\n
Jason sighed again, but this time his eyes showed genuine warmth as he looked at her bruised, red palms. \u201cDon\u2019t wait too long. Get to a hospital quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay.\u201d She nodded without another word.<\/p>\n
Jack had already left.<\/p>\n
Every step sent sharp waves of pain through Sydney\u2019s body.<\/p>\n
Since she was little, she suspected Eloise was the reincarnation of a cruel villain from some historical drama.<\/p>\n
Dorothy Vettera, the matriarch of the Hampton family, had merely ordered Penelope to kneel in the courtyard. Eloise, the Sterling family\u2019s matriarch, had made the maids take Sydney to kneel on a path filled with jagged stones.<\/p>\n
At first, the snow made it bearable. Yes, it was cold, but at least it did not hurt. Once the snow melted, only sharp rocks remained. By the time her whole body froze, the maids appeared with canes to whip her palms.<\/p>\n
That part truly hurt.<\/p>\n
The Sterling estate sat high in the scenic, serene mountains. Sydney had struggled to bribe a ride-share driver to come. Because it was snowing late at night, the driver refused to go beyond the hill\u2019s base.<\/p>\n
Each step downhill brought pure agony. Despite the winter chill, her back drenched in sweat from pain.<\/p>\n
Far ahead, a long black Bentley crawled along the icy road.<\/p>\n
The driver squinted. \u201cSir, that looks like Ms. Wilson.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the backseat, a man lounged with legs crossed. His face lay mostly in shadow, sharp and cold, radiating power. He did not even look up as he hummed. His expression was unreadable.<\/p>\n
Elliot Tierney, the assistant in front, could not hold back. \u201cSir, shouldn\u2019t we help her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to?\u201d His low, magnetic voice was quiet but laced with frost.<\/p>\n
Elliot fell silent.<\/p>\n
After a long pause, the man finally looked out through the windshield, narrowing his eyes at the frail figure staggering in the snow. \u201cFind out what Caleb was doing tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe already checked. Most likely enjoying a romantic night with Penelope.\u201d Elliot added quickly, \u201cMs. Wilson has probably been kneeling in the snow for hours. She\u2019s reaching her limit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just as he finished, the figure ahead collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you that\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
The car door slammed open. The man\u2019s face stayed stone-cold as he swept the unconscious woman into his arms, wrapping her in his cashmere coat.<\/p>\n
Elliot scrambled to open the rear door. \u201cSir, hospital or\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBack to the estate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want a doctor waiting,\u201d the man instructed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready arranged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sensing the mood, the driver quietly turned up the heat. Inside the car, warm light filled the space. The man\u2019s gaze swept over her bruised knees. His dark eyes flashed cold, but his voice remained even. \u201cThey didn\u2019t hold back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elliot muttered, \u201cMadam Sterling\u2019s punishments are always brutal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Victor Sterling returning soon?\u201d the man asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Elliot replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake arrangements,\u201d he ordered.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo what extent?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man glanced over lazily, a violent glint flickering behind his calm eyes. \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
Sydney woke weak all over but surprisingly without pain. Her palms and knees, which should have throbbed, looked frightening but hurt little. Even her tailbone, sore for days, felt better.<\/p>\n
Still, something was wrong. She was not supposed to be here.<\/p>\n
Frowning, she reached for the hotel phone, only to pause at a faint whiff of agarwood. The scent snapped her out of her daze. She scoffed silently, grabbed a familiar tube of custom-made ointment from the nightstand, and checked out without a word.<\/p>\n
\u2026<\/p>\n
Back home, the atmosphere felt unusually pleasant, as if all the recent awkwardness was her fault for existing.<\/p>\n
\u201cSyd, you\u2019re back,\u201d Penelope greeted with a cheery smile.<\/p>\n
Clearly, Caleb had made it up to her last night.<\/p>\n
Sydney ignored her.<\/p>\n
Penelope was not done. She walked over, flipped her hair behind her ear, and flashed a dazzling pair of rare pink diamond earrings.<\/p>\n
Sydney had loved that set for years. It had resurfaced at auction recently, and Caleb had promised to buy it for her. He said soft pink tones suited her best and that the earrings would look stunning.<\/p>\n
No doubt he said the same to Penelope.<\/p>\n
Catching the flicker of emotion on Sydney\u2019s face, Penelope tilted her chin smugly. \u201cGrandma said you have a good eye for jewelry. Take a look. These cost over a million dollars. Cal bought them for me. Think they\u2019re worth it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re decent,\u201d Sydney said with a faint smile, pushing down bitterness. \u201cOh, right. Cal and I are still legally married. So technically, half of that million is our joint marital property. The exact figure was 1.4 million.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pulled out her phone. \u201cPenelope, please wire 700,000 dollars to this account by midnight. Otherwise, I\u2019ll have to ask Grandma for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penelope\u2019s phone buzzed. A message appeared with a bank account number.<\/p>\n
Her face darkened. \u2018This bitch. Always threatening me with that old crone. 700,000 dollars? The Hampton family hasn\u2019t even formally split assets yet.\u2019<\/p>\n
After Lucas died, Penelope had inherited only 500,000 dollars.<\/p>\n
Sydney did not care whether Penelope had the money. After a shower, she started decluttering. She refused to drag things out. She even packed her wedding dress and told Nancy to throw it away.<\/p>\n
Just as she lugged the bundle downstairs, Caleb walked in. His eyes fell on the clumsily wrapped dress, and unease settled in his gut. \u201cWhy are you taking out the wedding dress?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sydney met his gaze, calm and steady. \u201cI\u2019m throwing it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Useless things deserve to be discarded,\u2019 she thought.<\/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 6 Chapter 6 What Caleb […]<\/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-21989","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\/21989","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=21989"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21989\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21989"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21989"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21989"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}