In the night, he stood tall and straight, lost in thought or perhaps in memories.
Callie quietly turned away. She didn't disturb him.
But Shane Robinson knew she was there the moment she arrived.
He had his pride, too.
Her attitude was crystal clear.
If he kept pestering her, wouldn't that make him look desperate?
There probably wasn't another girl in the world like her.
The girl who once saved him right here.
...
Callie Norris sat alone on a bench by the corridor.
Butler Imani noticed her sitting by herself and asked, "Where is Master Shane?"
Callie knew, but she replied, "I couldn't find him."
Butler Imani could tell that Callie hadn't even tried to look for him and sighed, "I'll go find him."
But then he remembered the old master's intention was to foster feelings between Shane and Callie.
The Old Master had sent Callie to find Shane so they could spend more time together, right?
He turned back.
"You should go!"
Callie looked up.
"But I..."
"You are his wife. It should be you," Butler Imani insisted.
Callie couldn't argue with that, so she stood up and went.
She walked to the backyard, stopping a good distance away from him.
In the end, she was the one who spoke first, "Grandpa asked me to find you. Let's go back together."
Her voice was calm and indifferent.
Shane heard her but didn't respond. He silently turned and started walking away.
Callie quietly followed him.
Butler Imani saw them off to the car.
Watching them leave, Butler Imani returned and said to Old Master Robinson, "Do you think the Young Master and Young Mistress had another fight?"
The tension between them was visible.
Old Master Robinson sensed it too. He took a sip of his tea and sighed, "Shane's temperament is just like that. If they didn't have conflicts, I'd find it strange..."
"Should we help them?" Butler Imani asked.
The Old Master pondered, "How could we help?"
He sighed again, "Let's just leave it be. Sometimes, it's best to let things run their course."
The last attempt at matchmaking hadn't gone well, and Callie had even gotten hurt.
So, Old Master Robinson decided not to rush things anymore.
Butler Imani nodded in agreement.
On the way back, Callie sat in the back seat as usual.
She kept her head turned, staring out the window.
Shane drove, eyes fixed straight ahead.
The two of them didn't exchange a single word the entire trip.
It was as if they were strangers.
No, even strangers might make small talks.
They completely ignored each other, deliberately assuming the other party is invisible and not saying a word.
When the car stopped, Callie got out first, not waiting for Shane and headed inside alone.
Mrs. Ford greeted her with a warm smile, "Have you had dinner?"
Callie nodded.
Shane walked in right after, carefully avoiding any physical contact with Callie as he passed by her.
It was obvious he was doing it on purpose.
Mrs. Ford lowered her eyes.
It felt like she was caught in the middle of a marital affair, and as a housekeeper, she didn't dare say much or speak out of turn.
Callie said, "Mrs. Ford, I have work tomorrow morning, so I'll head to bed early."
Mrs. Ford nodded but then hesitated, holding her back. "Why don't you try to clear things up?"
Callie thought about that night and still felt a shiver down her spine.
She gave a bitter smile. "Mrs. Ford, you're putting me in a tough spot." Mrs. Ford knew well enough. The red mark on Callie Norris's neck still had a faint trace.
"Get some rest."
Callie returned to her room. After taking a shower and getting ready for bed, her phone rang.
She picked it up and answered.
"Callie."
Gabriel's voice came through.
Callie responded with a simple "Hmm."
"I called you last time, and you didn't pick up. I've been waiting for you to call me back, but you never did. What have you been so busy with lately that you can't even return a call?"
Gabriel's voice had a hint of reproach. Callie had completely forgotten about it. That night, she really didn't want to answer the phone.
"Are you free? Can we meet up?" Gabriel asked.
Callie glanced at the time. She was already in her pajamas. "How about tomorrow morning?"
"Is this a bad time for you?" Gabriel asked.
Callie replied, "I'm about to go to bed."
"Alright then, how about we have breakfast together in the morning?"
Callie agreed.
In the morning, she got dressed and left the house.
Usually, Shane left earlier than she did.
But today, Callie left before Shane.
Shane was having breakfast in the dining room and hadn't seen Callie come down. He casually asked, "Is she still not up?"
Mrs. Ford replied, "The Young Mistress left without having breakfast. She said she had an appointment."
Shane's mind immediately went to the man Callie was seeing.
Could she be meeting that man? Is she being blatant about it now? His face darkened slowly.
He tried to force himself not to care, but he couldn't help it.
He closed his eyes to calm his emotions. He took out his phone and made a call. "Who is she meeting this morning?"
The person monitoring Callie replied, "Gabriel Byrne."
Shane said "Got it," and then hung up the phone.
He knew she wasn't meeting up with some guy she was close to.
Shane inexplicably felt a sense of relief. He put down his phone and could finally eat in peace.
In the tea restaurant.
Callie and Gabriel sat at a window-side table. The table was set with variety of delicate breakfast sampled.
Callie took a sip of freshly squeezed soy milk, and as she put down her cup, she asked, "Senior, did you need something? If you have something to say, please get to the point. I have to go to work."
"Work? What work?"
"The dance studio," Callie replied.
Gabriel paused for a moment. "Did you and Shane have a fight?"
Callie looked up at him. "Did he tell you that?"
"No, he didn't. But that night when I called you, he came to me for a drink. He's not a heavy drinker and rarely does so, but that night he was really upset. I could tell he was in a lot of pain."
Callie let out a cold laugh. "He's in pain? Is he upset because he didn't humiliate me enough?"
Gabriel was at a loss for words. "..."
"No, he was upset because you pushed him towards Belinda," he said.
Callie was stunned.
"What did you say?"
Gabriel repeated his words and then asked, "You didn't know?"
Callie remembered how angry Shane had been that night, treating her with both physical and verbal humiliation.
But she never knew why Shane was so angry. So, he found out that she had helped Belinda pursue him?
In that moment, she understood all of Shane's fury.
"I deserve it," she said, looking at Gabriel. "I wanted him to be with Belinda so that I could leave..."
"But he doesn't like Belinda. Of course, he was furious when you did that." Gabriel knew Shane well. It's a mercy he didn't kill you."
Callie Norris gave a bitter smile. "If he had killed me, I would have deserved it. I know what I did was wrong. I know that no matter the reason, once I married him, I should have done everything a wife is supposed to do. But... I've already made a mistake, and I can't fix it. I can only keep making mistakes."
"Tell me the truth, do you regret it?" Gabriel asked. Seeing the confusion on her face, he clarified, "I mean, do you regret being with that man?"
Callie Norris fell into a long silence.
She finally spoke, her words ambiguous, "Regret it? Yes and no."
"In the current situation, I do have some regrets." If it weren't for that moment of impulse and unwillingness, if she hadn't given herself away, she wouldn't be desperately trying to escape now because of the baby in her belly.
Without that night, she would have been one step closer to her dream.
She could have started her internship at the Second Military District General Hospital, and eventually become a full-fledged doctor, a chief physician. Her dream would have come true.
Without that night, she wouldn't have felt a shred of guilt towards Shane.
As a wife, she had indeed been unfaithful.
"If you didn't have the baby, maybe you could have..."
"I don't regret it, because of this baby. At first, I wanted to get rid of him, but as he grew inside me, I could feel his heartbeat. Gradually, I became more and more attached to him, more and more in love with him. Now, I even feel like he's an angel sent to me by Heaven."
Gabriel shook his head. "You humans are such emotional creatures. A child without a father... I don't understand why you insist on having him. Honestly, it's not too late to terminate the pregnancy..."
"Senior, if you keep saying that, I'll get really mad."
Callie clutched her stomach, as if afraid her child might over hear.
Gabriel sighed, "Alright, I won't say anything more. But can you please come up with a better plan? Stop getting Shane so worked up."
Callie scratched her head, "Isn't there something going on between Belinda and Shane? I thought..."
"It's getting late, and I have a shift to cover. If anything comes up, call me," Gabriel said.
Callie nodded, then seemed to remember something. She asked, "How did Shane find out I was helping Belinda investigate him?"
"I have no idea," Gabriel replied.
Callie murmured in acknowledgment.
After parting ways with Gabriel, she headed to the dance studio.
Principal Lopez had mentioned there were no classes today and invited her to go shopping.
Callie wanted to decline, but Principal Lopez was so enthusiastic and brought up how she had helped her husband secure the investment.
Callie Norris didn't resist too much and allowed Principal Lopez to half-drag her to the mall.
It had been a long time since she last visited a mall.
When she saw a baby store, she couldn't help but want to go in and take a look. Thinking this, her body followed suit.
Baby items were truly exquisite and adorable—tiny strollers, little clothes, small bottles, and toys that could melt anyone's heart.
"These must be what expectant mothers love, right?" Principal Lopez remarked, looking at the tiny baby clothes in Callie's hands.
It was only then that Callie realized she was looking at baby items. She quickly smiled and said, "I have a friend who's pregnant. I wanted to buy a gift for her baby."
"Oh, I see. In that case, you should choose carefully."
With that said, Callie felt obliged to make a purchase.
So, she bought a baby gift set, which included various baby items. Everything was exquisite, and the packaging was beautiful.
"Your friend will definitely like it," Principal Lopez said.
Callie smiled.
But in her heart, she wondered if it would be suitable for her own baby.
After all, she didn't know if it was a boy or a girl.
The pink outfit was clearly meant for a girl.
The pink outfit was clearly meant for a girl.
Principal Lopez bought the clothes and then dragged her into a jewelry store.
She intended to buy them for Callie.
It was her way of thanking Callie for helping her out last time.
But Callie couldn't accept them.
She had already received her salary.
There was no way she could take anything extra.
They had some food outside before heading back.
Principal Lopez offered to drive her home, but Callie didn't want to trouble her and said she would take a cab instead.
She wasn't working today, and it felt a bit early to go home.
So she decided to take a walk by herself.
There wasn't much to do at home anyway.
She wandered alone along the roadside.
Cars zoomed by on the streets, but inside, she felt a bit lost.
"Callie Norris."
Suddenly, a familiar woman's voice called out. Callie looked in the direction of the voice and saw a red car parked by the roadside. Inside was Belinda Ayers, smiling. "Are you okay?"
Callie had a bad feeling.
She stared at Belinda.
"Was it you who told Shane that I was helping you chase after him?"
Belinda thought to herself, if she couldn't have Shane, then Callie shouldn't have him either.
If she couldn't be happy, she wouldn't let Callie and Shane be happy either!
"It was me who said it," she laughed. "Wasn't I just stating the truth?"
Callie Norris didn't respond with unstable emotions or anger.
She remained incredibly calm.
Because from the very beginning, she knew exactly what kind of person Belinda was.
If it weren't for the fact that she was pregnant and had to leave Shane, she would never have collaborated with Belinda.
"Someone like you will never succeed."
With that, Callie Norris started to walk away.
Belinda had expected Callie to be furious, but she was so calm.
It felt like punching a air—no pain, no impact.
She couldn't stand Callie's proud demeanor.
She pushed open the car door and got out.
Hearing the car door close, Callie turned around and saw Belinda walking towards her.
She took a few steps back.
"Callie, you are so annoying! You always act so superior. What exactly do you have to be so proud of?" Belinda snarled, her teeth clenched. She looked like she wanted to tear Callie's face apart.
Callie didn't want to get entangled with her. "It's not that I'm proud, it's just that you're feeling ignored and looking for attention. Your jealousy makes you really unlikable. Do you know why? Because no matter how pretty a woman like you is on the outside, you're rotten on the inside."
"You..." Belinda was so furious.
Maybe it was because Callie had hit a nerve, exposing her true nature.
She was trembling with rage.
Callie continued, "You should focus on improving yourself and becoming a better person. Only then will people like you."
With that, she turned and walked away briskly.
She had no intention of getting into an endless argument with Belinda.
But Belinda couldn't swallow her anger. She rushed forward and grabbed Callie's hair from behind. "You're not going anywhere."
"Ahh!"
Callie's body was yanked backward, forcing her to stumble.
The items in her hand fell to the ground.
Belinda Ayers had attacked her from behind, making it difficult for Callie to fight back.
For a moment, she was at a disadvantage. "Belinda Ayers, let go of me!"
"I won't."
As she spoke, Belinda tried to scratch Callie Norris's face. Callie skillfully dodged, but Belinda's nails still managed to graze her neck.
"Callie Norris, you finally fell into my hands, didn't you?"
Belinda Ayers was delighted to have the upper hand for once.
"Let her go!"
Shane had received a message from his man saying that Callie was being attacked.
He happened to be nearby and rushed over.
What he saw was Callie being grabbed by the hair by Belinda, looking utterly defenseless.
Belinda turned around and froze upon seeing Shane. "Shane..."
Belinda quickly let go of her grip and turned the tables, "Callie got furious because I told you she helped me. She hit me and insulted me. I had no choice but to defend myself."
She positioned herself as the victim.
"Is that so?"
Shane had already heard from his man that it was Belinda who had lashed out in anger. She could lie without even blushing.
His gaze was icy as he stared at Belinda.
Belinda, unsure why he kept looking at her, feigned weakness, "You have to stand up for me!" Her shamelessness and ability to twist the truth were truly astonishing.
Shane Robinson had seen it all now.
If Shane hadn't arranged for someone to monitor Callie and see everything clearly, he might have believed Belinda's story.
"If she insulted and hit you, tell me, what exactly did she say?"
"She called me... she called me shameless, said I was trying to seduce you, blamed me for telling you the truth. She even scratched my neck with her nails. If you don't believe me, look."
She deliberately tugged at her collar, giving Shane a provocative look.
Shane turned away immediately. Just the sight of her made him feel dirty.
"Perfect timing. I've had someone protecting Callie, and they saw everything that just happened. Want me to call them out to confront you?"
Shane, always the master of deceit, called it protection when it was clearly surveillance. He could lie without even blinking!
Belinda was instantly petrified!
Someone had seen it? A confrontation would prove she was lying! She couldn't let that happen.
"No need for that. It's not a big deal. I won't hold it against her."
Belinda was panicking inside. But she had to keep a calm facade.
"Well, I have something to do, so I'll be going now." Belinda was terrified that if she stayed any longer, Shane would have someone confront her.
A confrontation would reveal that everything she just said was a complete fabrication.
Belinda quickly drove away.
Shane turned to leave as well.
"Shane....."
Callie suddenly called out to him.
Shane's steps came to a halt.
Callie looked at his back. "I'm sorry." Shane had expected not her to apologize. But now, why was she apologizing? He found himself at a loss for words.
"Sorry? Sorry for what?" He slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on her. "I wasn't faithful to our marriage, so I need to apologize to you."
Shane was taken aback. But what did it matter to him? A woman whose heart belonged to another man.
"Isn't this the same sharp-tongued woman I know? How come you can't even defend yourself against Belinda?" he sneered coldly. "If you can't, go learn some self-defense. Stop letting people push you around and making me look bad."
With that, he turned and got into his car, driving away.
Callie stood there, stunned.
She watched the car drive off, her hands slowly curling into fists at her sides.
Shane's sudden appearance had caught her off guard. Along with it came a strange feeling. It made her feel even more guilty.
She shook her head vigorously, trying to push the thoughts away.
Feeling guilty for him meant she had feelings for him, and that she regretted her one night of recklessness.
No...She shouldn't be doing this. She couldn't do this. She was pregnant.
How could she have feelings for Shane?
Gabriel had said that Shane was not the kind of man who would become a stepfather.
Besides, with his personality, he would never allow the baby to be born.
So, she had to guard her heart!
She tied her hair up. Picked up her things from the floor and took a cab back home.
...
Callie Norris arrived at her home, paid the cab fare, and was about to walk inside when she saw Rafael pacing back and forth at the entrance.
She froze in her tracks! Why was Rafael here? What did he want? Someone like him wouldn't come without a reason, right?
"Callie." Rafael saw her and walked towards her, calling her name warmly.
Callie, with a blank expression, asked, "What's up?"
"Is your mother out of the hospital? Where is she staying? I haven't been able to find her."
Callie Norris couldn't believe that Rafael was here because of Caitlin.
"Do you need something from my mom?" she asked coldly.
"It's nothing major," Rafael stammered. "Last time, she was talking about divorcing me. I just wanted to know if she's still mad at me."
"She was really upset, so she went on a trip to clear her mind," Callie Norris said.
"What?"
Rafael was genuinely surprised. "Well, that's good. She's been sick for so long, and now that she's better, it's good for her to get out and have some fun."
"..."
Then Callie fell silent.
Rafael didn't know what to say either.
The father and daughter found themselves in an awkward silence.
Callie spoke first, "Dad, if you don't need anything else, I'll head inside."
Rafael clearly had something on his mind but struggled to find the words. "Um, um..." "Dad, just say it."
"It's about Myron. You know, he got locked up because of that car accident. I went to see him today and he was covered in bruises. Someone beat him up. I was thinking, no matter what, he's still your brother. Can you ask Shane to make sure no one hurts him again? He did wrong by hitting someone's car and run away, and he's facing the consequences. But he shouldn't have to suffer more than that, okay?"
Callie had thought Rafael's visit was genuinely about Caitlin.
It turned out Caitlin was just a way to start the conversation. The real reason was Myron. Her father, after all, still cherished his son.
As for her, she was merely a tool to be used. A wave of inexplicable sadness welled up in her heart.
She held back the bitterness and said, "I understand. I'll talk to Shane, but this is the last time. Don't come to me again."
With that, she lifted her head, straightened her back, and walked into the house.
Callie agreed, and Rafael was delighted. "Thank you, Callie."
Callie Norris felt nothing but irony and sorrow.
Her father only sought her out when he needed something.
He had never come to her just for her sake.
Mrs. Ford noticed Callie Norris's low spirits and asked, "Is work not going well?"
Callie Norris shook her head. "No, it's not that."
Mrs. Ford smiled. "Then you must be tired. Go rest for a bit. I'll make you something delicious food. I heard that tonight, the riverbank is lit up with beautiful lanterns. After dinner, we can go see them."
Callie Norris looked at Mrs. Ford and suddenly stepped forward to hug her.
Her father didn't care for her as much as this person she hadn't known for long.
"Mrs. Ford, thank you."
"Oh my, you're making me blush with that hug."
Mrs. Ford smiled warmly.
Callie Norris felt a wave of weakness wash over her, and she knew her emotions were on full display. She shouldn't have let her softer side show so easily.
In the future, she needed to be a pillar of strength for her child and Caitlin. She has to be strong.
Turning her head to wipe away her vulnerable tears, she suddenly saw Shane standing at the doorway!