Chapter 4The Ninety-Ninth Abandonment

In my haze, the phone rang.

I picked it up. It was Bella’s chirpy voice:

"Caleb, what brand is your mattress? It’s so comfy."

Heh.

So Bella was in our marital home.

Sleeping in the wedding bed I hadn't even slept in yet.

My stomach churned violently.

"Your sister-in-law bought the mattress. I don't know."

"Don't lie on it. Chloe hasn't even slept there yet. She’ll be angry if she finds out."

"Caleb, have you slept with her yet?"

Caleb was silent for a long time before answering honestly:

"No."

"Heehee, I knew it. You don't love that clingy bitch at all."

"If you really loved her, how could you hold back for so long?"

I vaguely remembered the many times Caleb and I got carried away.

But every time, right at the last step, Caleb would push me away, panting, stroking my hair, saying he wanted to save the most precious memory for our wedding night.

I thought he cherished me.

Turns out, he was keeping himself pure for Bella.

Disgusted, I was about to hang up.

The next second, the sound of kissing and soft panting came through.

Bella’s voice, thick with lust, came in broken gasps:

"Caleb... please... please don't push me away... If you push me away again, my depression will flare up... I’ll jump..."

Caleb’s usually cool voice was husky:

"Bella, I’m getting married. I can only be your brother. Do you understand?"

"Brother, stop lying to yourself. This house is decorated entirely to my taste."

We fought so many times about the renovation.

Our tastes were polar opposites. We fought until we almost broke up.

Finally, exhausted, I gave in. I let Caleb decorate it his way.

I didn't realize "his way" was actually Bella’s way.

"Do you dare touch my heart and swear you’ve never had feelings for me? If you dare to swear, I promise I’ll never pester you again."

Bella took a deep breath, waiting confidently for his answer.

And on the other end of the line, I waited too.

I wanted to know. In five years together, did Caleb treat me as a placeholder for Bella the whole time?

I waited through a long, heavy silence.

The last shred of hope in my heart quietly extinguished.

So, all those moments I thought were beautiful... I was just delusional.

Finally, Bella’s explicit seduction broke the silence.

"Let me be your first woman, okay? I really want to see what you look like when you lose control..."

Caleb sounded like he was rejecting her, but barely:

"Stop it! This is my wedding house!"

Bella giggled. "Doesn't that make it more exciting?"

Listening to their ambiguity.

My brain was a mess. I started spiraling, imagining what he and Bella did during all those late nights he abandoned me.

Uncontrollably, I dry heaved.

I swear I heard Bella chuckle triumphantly.

As if showing off that she had beaten me again.

The next moment, Caleb’s panicked voice came through:

"Chloe? Listen to me, it’s not what you think!"

I let out a desperate, cold laugh.

"Then what is it?!"

"It’s a long story. Wait there, I’m coming to explain..."

"Get lost! You make me sick!"

Before he could speak, I used my last bit of strength to hang up and block him.

My limbs were turning cold.

My eyelids felt heavy.

I sank into a chaotic darkness.

I thought I saw my mom, younger, wearing that yellowed apron, speaking in her gentle dialect, standing at the alleyway entrance waving to me while I played in the mud:

"My sweet girl, come home and wash your hands for dinner."

...

In the final moment before losing consciousness completely.

I heard frantic knocking on the door.

"Chloe! Open the door! I can really explain!"

It was Caleb.

Too bad. Too late.

I’m dying.

Driven to severe depression by him and Bella, killing myself right in front of this esteemed psychiatrist.

When he thinks of me in the future, will he regret it? Will he feel guilty?