Chapter 3

I thought that the encounter with Caleb at the restaurant would be my last interaction with him before I left the country. However, the day I officially resigned from my position as Caleb's assistant, he video-called me at night. This had never happened before, so I had to force myself not to reject the call. Instead, I swiped to answer in voice-only mode. Caleb's voice immediately came through, sounding displeased. "Why did you switch the call to voice-only?" I replied with the first excuse that popped into my mind, "I didn't put on any makeup, so it isn't convenient to video-call." The instant those words left my lips, I regretted them. There was a saying that women only put makeup on for people they wanted to please. My random excuse made it sound like I wanted to please him. Unsurprisingly, Caleb laughed, suddenly appearing to be in a great mood. "We're practically an old married couple by now. There's nothing about you that I haven't seen." His teasing, almost flirtatious, words made me deeply uncomfortable. I asked coldly, "Did you need something?" Acutely detecting the standoffish tone of my voice, Caleb subconsciously straightened from his initially languid pose. "I heard from the HR department that you've resigned?" I merely hummed in affirmation, not planning to explain. Silence immediately fell between us. Subsequently, Caleb's tone turned playful, though to my ears, it sounded like he was straining to keep the conversation going. "I guess it's good that you've resigned. I mean, you were the CEO's wife, yet instead of enjoying your position and status, you insisted on becoming my assistant. Isn't that just putting yourself through unnecessary suffering? "Speaking of that, though. I have to say you truly didn't seem to take your job seriously. You hardly ever came in to work, yet I still had to pay you every month. Because of that, everyone in the company knows that you were hired through nepotism. They're even accusing me of showing favoritism." I interrupted him impatiently, "Don't you need to go spend time with Aria?" Caleb couldn't stop himself from retorting, "It's not like I'm in any sort of relationship with her. Why do I need to spend time with her?" However, the instant he finished speaking, he fell silent as he abruptly remembered that I was nothing but his ex-wife too. Guilt surged in him, and he said, "I know I'm doing you wrong when it comes to our divorce, but I'm just worried that others would gossip about Ria if we didn't…" I nodded. Aria didn't deserve to be the subject of nasty gossip, but I absolutely deserved to become the laughingstock of society. In a frosty tone, I said, "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up." "Wait!" He sounded anxious as he went on, "Our wedding anniversary is on the 12th. Zachary Young's concert happens to be on that day. I know you want to go, so I'll go with you. Let's attend the concert together, alright?" For a very brief moment, I had the urge to tell him the truth. However, before I could speak up, Aria's voice drifted over the line, sounding like it was coming from further away. "Caleb, I forgot to take my towel. Could you help me grab it?" Caleb didn't immediately answer; instead, he stared at my name on his phone screen. Clearly, he was feeling conflicted. Not a hint of emotion was on my face as I urged flatly, "Go on, then." Only then did he slowly stand up, though he still didn't put down his phone. "Melissa, wait for me a moment. I'll be right back." With that, he strode in the direction of the bathroom. To no surprise, I heard the sound of Caleb's and Aria's lips smacking together in a kiss before Caleb let out a grunt. Following that, the bathroom door was slammed shut with a loud bang. A mocking sneer twisted my face as I ended the call. At that moment, Talia excitedly invited me to go clubbing with her. Without a second thought, I set down my phone and got up to link arms with her. Indeed, there were still plenty of things in the world for me to enjoy, a fact that I used to be blind to. Now, however, why should I allow myself to wallow in hurt and sadness for a man who had become nothing but the past?