The man I’d loved for ten years was a father, and I was the very last to know. I stood outside the private room, watching him. He was doting on the infant in his arms, his face soft with a tenderness I’d never seen directed at me. He was giving instructions to his friends in the circle: “Briar and I having a baby, keep it quiet for now. Otherwise, Aurora will definitely come back and make a scene.” I’d loved him for a decade. Before I went abroad, I confessed my feelings to him. Back then, he’d told me, “When you come back, we’ll be together.” But the reality was so utterly ridiculous. This time, I didn’t make a scene, didn’t even demand answers. Because I had decided to finally let go of Caleb. … “Caleb, you’re throwing such a grand baby shower. Aren’t you worried the news will reach Aurora?” Caleb looked at the sleeping baby in the stroller, his gaze softer than I had ever seen it. “For my darling’s baby shower, of course, the grander, the better.” “Don’t worry, I’ve had people contain the news. She won’t find out.” “But even if she does, so what? It’ll just be a chance for me to set things straight with her. The only reason I’m hiding it from her now is because I don’t want her to ruin the baby shower I’ve so carefully planned.” “You know Aurora, she never knew how to behave, always making a scene. No grace, no class.” I stood by the door to the private room, listening to the conversation clearly through the crack, feeling a chill seep into my bones. Did Caleb hate me? But he had personally told me he liked me. If he hadn’t called me a few days ago, saying he missed me, I wouldn’t have taken special leave to come home. I’d intended to surprise Caleb. Instead, the surprise turned into a shock, and it allowed me to hear Caleb’s true feelings. No one noticed me outside the door, and the conversation inside continued. “Our Caleb must have been so troubled, being forcibly liked by his adoptive sister for so many years. It’s a good thing he’s finally free from her entanglement. Of course, he’d want to speed up his life now.” “But Caleb, are you keeping the news of your wedding with Briar next month under wraps too? Won’t that be unfair to her?” Caleb kissed the baby in the stroller. “We’ll see then. I’ll find a suitable time to make things clear with Aurora.” “No matter what, I can’t let Briar be wronged.” Just then, Briar Sterling emerged from the private room’s lounge area, holding a baby bottle. “Caleb, you don’t have to worry about me. Aurora is just young and naive. I believe when she grows up a little more, she’ll understand.” Someone immediately chimed in, flattering her: “Our Briar is so generous and understanding. No wonder Caleb is so devoted to you. If I married a woman like you, I’d pamper her every single day.” “Exactly. Even though Aurora and Briar are best friends, why didn’t Aurora learn anything from Briar? She’s in her twenties, yet she acts like a giant baby, so annoying.” Suddenly, the private room erupted in laughter. Outside, my heart constricted sharply, almost stopping. They were right. Briar and I had been best friends for over ten years. Before I went abroad, I’d even specifically asked her to keep a good eye on Caleb for me. Briar had readily agreed, swearing she’d protect my heart and keep my beloved safe. But little over a year had passed, and their daughter was already a month old. I never imagined the kind of trashy drama where your best friend steals your man would actually happen to me. Watching the happy family of three embracing inside the private room, I snapped back to reality. I pulled my hand back from the doorknob as if I’d been electrocuted. What good would it do if I pushed this door open? Now, I didn’t even have the right to question Caleb and Briar! After all, Caleb and I had never officially been together. Before I left, Caleb had only verbally promised me: “When you come back in two years, if you still like me, we’ll be together.” So, whether Caleb and Briar married or had a child, it was their choice. I pulled out my phone and opened SnapChat, my eyes immediately falling on Caleb’s profile picture at the top of my chat list. Ever since Caleb sent me that “I miss you” message last week, he hadn’t contacted me again. No matter what I sent him, he hadn’t replied with a single word. Before today, I’d just thought he was busy with work. Now it seemed, he wasn’t busy with work at all. He was busy planning his child’s baby shower. My thumb hovered over the screen for a long time before I finally tapped on Caleb’s profile picture. I sent him a message: [Caleb, what are you busy with? Why aren’t you replying to my messages?] Just as I sent it, Caleb’s phone chimed in the private room. He picked it up and glanced at it. He only frowned slightly, but didn’t reply. Instead, he simply switched his phone off. Briar, sitting beside him, saw the message and asked, seemingly nonchalant: “Caleb, was that Aurora’s message? Why didn’t you reply?” Caleb kissed Briar’s forehead, then took the baby from her arms, his voice icy cold: “Replying to her messages is just a waste of time.” “You know, I’ve always found her annoying. If it weren’t for her parents’ past kindness to my family, if it weren’t for my dad telling me to take good care of her, I wouldn’t even bother playing along with her.” “Briar, you’re the only one I love. Because of her, you’ve suffered so many grievances over the years.” “Don’t worry, once we’re married, I’ll make it up to you and Ella.” I didn’t stay to listen to the rest of the conversation. I simply turned and left the hotel. Sunlight fell on me, but my mind remained hazy. Suddenly, I thought I heard someone call my name from behind. I turned and saw Dylan, another one of Caleb’s friends. He was holding a huge pink doll, clearly a baby shower gift. His eyes were wide with surprise: “Aurora, when did you get back? Why are you at this hotel? Are you…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but I knew what he was going to ask. I pressed my lips together, unsure what to say. So, I chose to ignore his questions, hailed a taxi, and left. Sitting in the taxi, watching the scenery rush by, a cruel truth finally sank in for me— The man I’d loved for ten years had never truly loved me. Caleb had been deceiving me all along, and so had my best friend. I didn’t understand what I had done wrong, why everyone had to treat me this way. Tears streamed down my face, and even the taxi driver couldn’t help glancing in the rearview mirror several times. Just then, my phone rang. It was Caleb’s special ringtone. “Aurora, are you back?” His voice was as calm as ever, not a hint of anything unusual. If I hadn’t already stumbled upon everything, I probably would have continued to be fooled by him. I wiped away the lingering tears, quickly composed myself, and softly replied: “Yeah, school’s on break, so I came back.” “Then why didn’t you tell me beforehand? I would’ve picked you up.” “I was afraid you were busy with work, so I didn’t want to disturb you.” Caleb was silent for a moment, then asked again: “My friend just said he ran into you outside the city’s grand hotel. What were you doing there?” My fingers tightened involuntarily around my phone. For some reason, I still didn’t want to expose his lies, so I said: “Just meeting a friend.” I thought, if he could tell me the whole truth right now, I would forgive his deception and just be true siblings with him. But he still disappointed me. Hearing my answer, Caleb finally relaxed. “Okay, go home first. I’m tied up with something here. I’ll come home to you as soon as I’m done.” With that, he hung up. It wasn’t until evening that Caleb hurried home. He had changed out of the suit he’d worn to the baby shower, but I could still smell the strong scent of baby formula on him. Noticing me watching him, Caleb quickly chuckled: “Aurora, why are you staring at me? We haven’t seen each other for just over a year, are you missing me that much?” “How long is your vacation this time? When are you going back?” Hearing Caleb’s question, I clenched my fists. I had just returned, and Caleb was already eager for me to leave. Was he really that afraid I would ruin his and Briar’s happy family? **Chapter 3** I was about to speak, but my gaze suddenly fell on Caleb’s wrist. Even with the watch covering it, I still caught sight of a red rose tattoo, etched onto his wrist at some point. Briar’s nickname was Rose, and all her social media handles were “Rose” too. The words I’d meant to ask were swallowed back down. All my fantasies vanished because of that rose. It was Caleb who had initiated the promise before I went abroad. It was he who, disregarding gender boundaries, had kissed me first. It was he who, when drunk, had confessed his deep affection. And it was he who wouldn’t allow any other guys near me. Everything Caleb had shown led me not to intentionally control my emotions. But just as I was deeply entangled, he told me that everything had been my wishful thinking. I looked into Caleb’s eyes and said seriously: “Caleb, we grew up together. You must know how I feel about you.” Caleb looked indifferent: “Aurora, don’t worry, I’ll wait for you to come back.” Hearing that answer, I suddenly laughed. Even now, Caleb was still deceiving me. Sensing that my mood was off, Caleb’s eyes darkened slightly, and his voice unconsciously held a hint of nervousness: “Aurora, what’s wrong?” I lowered my eyes and gently shook my head. “Nothing, I’m just too happy.” Caleb finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, as long as you’re happy. I’m taking you out to dinner now, to welcome you back.” Caleb directly pulled me out the door. I habitually opened the passenger seat door, only to see a pack of diapers, a doll, and a woman’s purse on the seat. I knew that purse intimately; it was the birthday gift I’d given Briar last year. Caleb quickly explained: “My friend borrowed my car yesterday. These things must be his leftovers. How about you just make do and sit in the back seat today?” I didn’t say anything. I just closed the passenger door and obediently got into the back. After Caleb got in the car, he even carefully straightened the doll. After all, that was his daughter’s favorite toy. The car started, and I didn’t chatter with Caleb like I used to, constantly looking for topics. I just silently watched the scenery outside the window. I couldn’t understand how Caleb could say he loved me on one hand, and then marry someone else and have a child on the other. Caleb, however, uncharacteristically kept trying to talk to me. He asked me, like a caring older brother, how my life abroad was, if I was used to it, and if anyone had bullied me. Before, if Caleb had been so actively concerned, I would have been ecstatic. But now, I didn’t want to hear any of his empty words. I just wanted him to tell me the truth about everything, in his own words. I responded to Caleb’s questions in a desultory manner. Caleb suddenly seemed to remember something, taking a tin of mints from the glove compartment and handing it to me in the back seat. “Aurora, I remember you always get carsick, so you love mints. I specifically prepared these for you.” Looking at the mints in my hand, I froze. I didn’t get carsick.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “298501”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #惊悚Thriller
Leave a Reply