Chapter 26
Just as Nancy reached to open the box, Caleb’s phone rang.
“Let me go!” Penelope’s panicked voice broke through the speaker, her sobs frantic. “Caleb! Help me!”
Caleb’s expression darkened instantly. Without a word, he took off running.
Nancy froze. “Mr. Hampton, if you don’t check, I’ll have to ship the packages immediately.”
“Then ship them!” He didn’t even look back.
…
Urgency propelled Caleb as he raced toward the hotel, ignoring the front desk’s attempts to stop him. When he reached the door, he raised his leg and kicked it open with a violent
crash. Inside, more than one man waited.
Thankfully, Penelope’s clothes remained intact. As soon as she saw Caleb, she collapsed to
the floor in tears.
His face hardened into a terrifying mask of cold rage. His bloodshot eyes blazed with fury. He grabbed the nearest chair and hurled it at the three men inside.
When the chair shattered, he began using his fists. His every punch was hard and vicious.
When Sydney received the call from the police, she felt a surreal sense of absurdity.
Caleb, the calm, refined gentleman, had gotten into a fight? One against three? And he
hadn’t held back.
At the police station, she spotted him bruised and cut, and paused for a moment. “What happened?”
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“Syd, please don’t be mad.” Penelope approached with red–rimmed eyes. “It was all my
fault. I drank too much. If Caleb hadn’t rushed over-”
Sydney didn’t wait for her to finish. She already understood. This was a classic melodrama: a man flying into a rage to defend the woman he loved. Only this time, the male lead happened to be her husband–at least on paper.
Caleb looked at Sydney, somewhat apologetic. “Sorry to trouble you.”
“No trouble at all.”
Sydney followed the police officer briskly to sign papers and complete the formalities— paying compensation, covering fines, offering a formal apology to the victims‘ families. She handled it all efficiently.
The officers watched her, amazed by how calm she remained, considering she was the legal
wife.
Sydney sensed their confusion and clarified, “We’re already divorced. Just haven’t processed the certificate yet.”
The officer nodded, impressed. “A divorced wife handling this so smoothly? That’s rare.”
Sydney said nothing.
‘It’s fine,‘ she thought. ‘I’m getting paid for this. I’m just doing my part in exchange for the
money.‘
Tiffany had driven her and waited outside.
After finishing the procedures, Sydney didn’t glance back at Caleb. She walked out of the
station alone.
Unlike the bright morning, the weather had turned gloomy. Though it was only just past three, the sky was already dim. Light rain began to fall, and the cold wind and moisture seeped through her clothes, chilling her to the bone.
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Caleb caught up with her. “Don’t tell Grandma or the others about today.”
“Okay.” Sydney nodded and said flatly,. “I understand.”
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With the Hampton family’s connections, this incident would be smoothed over easily. The only reason Caleb hadn’t used those resources was to keep the family in the dark. Once they knew, they would trace the source, and that meant that nothing could save Penelope. He wanted to protect her, and Sydney understood perfectly.
Caleb studied her and smiled faintly. “Are you mad?”
“No,” she said simply.
“Really?”
“Really.”
He searched her face for a reaction. “Come on, let me drive you two home.”
‘You two? He said Penelope would move out. Another broken promise,‘ she thought.
Sydney felt a sudden surge of luck. From the moment she uncovered the truth about Caleb and Penelope, she hadn’t trusted a single word he said. Trust was a luxury she had given once, and she would never do so again.
