Upon hearing this, Mercer stepped forward and grabbed Calla's chin. "I thought you'd be happy to see me.""I'm not unhappy," Calla replied as she lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze. They were about to divorce, and he was set to marry another woman. How could she be happy?"You can't fool me. You're not happy," Mercer insisted stubbornly.Growing impatient, Calla jostled his hand away from her chin. A trace of disgust was evident in her eyes. How could she not be repulsed? His heart and soul belonged to another woman. Why did he have to touch her like this?Her expression angered Mercer, and his voice rose sharply. "I flew over ten hours overnight to rush back, just because I was worried about you. Why do you have to treat me like this?"Mercer's deep eyes gazed at Calla with a hint of hurt. She looked up, oblivious to his emotions, and instead, her voice grew agitated. "You've been enduring hours of arduous flights and a week of rushing around to finish your work. It'
Looking at her phone, Calla saw it was Harlan calling. She quickly answered."Calla, our accounting department has openings for transfer students this year. Your sister has been performing well in her current department. I've already spoken to the head of department. She should have no problem transferring. "I have the application form with me. Where are you right now? I'll bring it over to you," Harlan said on the other end.Calla was overjoyed to hear this. Zoey might be able to enroll in the accounting program at Southera University."No need. I'll come to get it myself. Don't let me interrupt your classes," Calla quickly replied."Okay, I'll wait for you in my office," Harlan said before hanging up.Calla hurried upstairs to change. Harlan usually had class at 9:00 am, and it was 8:00 am now. It would take her about half an hour to get to Southera University, ensuring she arrived without interfering with his class.Ten minutes later, Calla had gotten dressed, grabbed her ba
Hearing this, Calla was shocked. "Have you been following me? Or did you send someone to tail me?" she questioned angrily."Does it matter?" Mercer responded with a cold look."So what if I went to Southera University? Don't I have the freedom to do as I wish?" Calla tried to shake his hand off, but his grip was like an iron vice. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free."Why did you go to Southera University? Did you go to see Harlan? Tell me!" Mercer's veins bulge on his forehead. His voice grew louder with each question.Hadn't he already made his choice? She was a stand-in for the woman he truly loved. Why should he care if she sought out another man? This must be the inferiority complex of wealthy men like him. Even if they didn't like someone, they wouldn't allow anyone else to touch what they considered theirs."Can't I have a male friend? At least Harlan and I have clean consciences—unlike you and Sophie, sneaking around!" Calla retorted.At these words, M
"I said Harlan is better than you. He is a hundred times, a thousand times better than you. Is that enough?" Anger had stripped Calla of her rationality at this point. She was shouting at Mercer at the top of her lungs.Calla's words made Mercer's veins bulge, and his eyes grew cold. She watched as he breathed heavily. She felt some satisfaction from having dealt him a harsh blow. Yet fear dominated her emotions as his icy countenance terrified her.Mercer tightened his grip on Calla's shoulders, and her face contorted in pain. But she stubbornly only frowned, refusing to cry out or show any sign of weakness."Do you realize you're pregnant? You're carrying my child, and yet you go out to mess around with other men. Are you even fit to be a wife or a mother? Don't you know you're a married woman?" Mercer roared at her.Calla was shaken so violently that she felt dizzy. Her shoulder blades felt like they were about to be crushed under his grip. She instinctively used both hands
Life had to go on regardless. Zoey had changed majors, and her aspirations were clear. She aimed to become a certified public accountant and even asked for a few basic accounting books for herself.Calla struggled to get up, but still grabbed her bag to head out. In truth, she was intentionally defying Mercer's authority. He didn't want her to leave the residence, so she was determined to go out—acting out of spite.Seeing Calla putting on her shoes in the foyer, Jasmine hurried over to stop her. "Mrs. Garland, you can't go out. Mr. Garland gave specific instructions not to let you.""He has no right to restrict my freedom." Calla ignored Jasmine and continued putting on her shoes.Out of desperation, Jasmine stood in the doorway, spreading her arms to block Calla's path. "Mrs. Garland, what if Mr. Garland blames me? I can't bear the consequences.""If he gets wind of this, tell him to come to me. I'll handle it," Calla said. She pushed past Jasmine and left without looking back.
"It seems your ex-girlfriend didn't tell you she came to see me," Calla said coldly."Sophie came to see you?" Mercer looked surprised as he reached out and grabbed Calla's wrist."Don't touch me!" Calla tried to shake his hand off.Mercer held her hand firmly but without the bone-crushing force he used yesterday.The next moment, Mercer suddenly grinned."What's so funny?" Calla thought he was extremely unpredictable. Moments ago, he had been yelling loudly enough to bring the roof down. Now, he was laughing."You're jealous!" Mercer said. His eyes fixed on Calla."You... What nonsense are you talking about? Who's jealous?" His words made Calla flustered. She hurriedly denied it but didn't dare look into his eyes—because he was right. Her reactions these past few days had been driven by jealousy. But besides a marriage that was only in name, what right did she have to be jealous? He didn't love her.Calla's reaction pleased Mercer a little. He reached out to grab her chi
"Yes. Can I help you?" Calla nodded, not recognizing the girl.The girl pulled out an ID card from her bag, glanced at it, then looked up to compare the picture with Calla's face before smiling. "You stayed at our hotel a week ago. You were in a rush and left your ID at the front desk."Realization suddenly hit Calla as she looked at the ID the girl handed over.Calla had cried her heart out when Sophie visited her that day. Alicia called her right then. Instead of meeting outside, they found a hotel near the cafe where they could stay for the afternoon.As Calla hadn't needed her ID in the past few days, she didn't even realize she had left it at the hotel."Thank you. By the way, how did you know I live here?" Calla accepted the ID and asked curiously.The girl put on a small smile. "The hotel is nearby. I saw you enter this neighborhood when I passed by last time, so I asked the security guard at the entrance. He told me your unit number.""I see," Calla said gratefully. Losi
Mercer seemed to recall something the next moment. He let go of Calla's hand, stormed over to the couch, and grabbed Calla's bag before fishing out her phone."What are you doing with my phone?" Calla asked, unsure of Mercer's intentions. She moved to snatch it back.Mercer raised his arm, making it impossible for Calla to reach the phone. After a brief struggle, she realized she couldn't get it back no matter what. Knowing there were no secrets on her phone, she crossed her arms over her chest and sat on the couch, deciding not to fight.However, her initial attempt to take the phone made Mercer even more suspicious. He opened the phone, first checking the messages and then the call log.When he saw the call log, Mercer's expression grew darker. He held the phone to Calla's face, demanding, "What's this?"Calla glanced dismissively at the call log. It showed Harlan's name. There were five or six calls between them over the past few days.Knowing Mercer was jumping to conclusio