Chapter 288

Susan looked into the distance, and after four years, she found the words utterly ironic. Yet, she remained composed, her emotions subdued. "I don't want your compensation, nor have I ever sought it. I only ask one thing. Oliver's surgery needs to be carried out soon, but we haven't found a bone marrow match yet."

"I'll arrange the surgery immediately. Oliver is my son too, and it's my responsibility, not compensation. Susan, I want to make up for the past few years of neglect. I didn't take care of you both."

"Do you really want to make up for it?"

"Yes."

"After the surgery, don't come looking for us again."

Caleb felt his heart break, expecting her resistance. She was still pushing him away. "I can't do that."

Susan's voice was tinged with bitterness. "Then what will you do? Divorce? You don't want that. Your daughter is innocent, and I can't bear to see her hurt, but I won't let Oliver be hurt either. I'd rather raise him as a single parent than have him labeled as a wealthy man's illegitimate child, facing judgment his whole life. Caleb, that's not what you want, is it?"

"Moreover, your deception has created a barrier in my heart. I can't be with you anymore."

"Susan..."

"Let's not talk about this for now. I'm not in the mood. I just hope Oliver's surgery can be arranged as soon as possible."

"Okay, don't worry. I'll have the doctors prepare for the surgery immediately."

Hearing his words, Susan felt some of the pressure lift from her shoulders. The burden she could bear was not as heavy as she thought, and she had never considered relying on him, but at this moment, she felt a sense of relief for his help. "Thank you."

She could barely hold on alone.

Caleb wanted to hold her hand to comfort her, but he knew there was nothing he could do, despite being so close.

He didn't want to push her too hard and murmured, "We'll talk about the other things after the surgery."

At night, when Caleb returned home, his phone had been vibrating constantly. It had been ringing off the hook all day. He had over forty missed calls, which was terrifying.

Grace saw him and immediately hung up the phone, catching up to him and questioning, "Where did you go early in the morning? Candy woke up and couldn't find you. Do you know she cried? Why didn't you answer my calls? Was it intentional?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now," Caleb said, not looking at her as he headed upstairs.

"What do you mean you don't want to talk to me? Do you want a divorce?"

"Maybe."

Grace was only angry when she said that, but when he responded like that, she paled in fear. "What do you mean maybe? Do you really want a divorce? Caleb, explain yourself."

"Were you with Susan all day?"

"Is this blatant infidelity? Did she seduce you?"

"Talk to me! Caleb, answer me!"

"You make me sick to my stomach."

Seeing her frantic state, Caleb had to exert a great deal of effort to keep himself from strangling her.

"I make you sick? You're the one who betrayed our marriage, you're the one who let me down, you let our daughter down."

"If you hadn't gone behind my back to find Susan, we wouldn't be in this mess," Caleb growled, his anger burning in his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to crush her.

If she weren't his daughter's mother, Caleb would have killed her.

"Grace, you kept it from me for four years. How dare you!"

"We had already broken up, and you went to find her. It was you who caused our separation."

Grace had nothing left to lose. "We didn't break up because I didn't accept it. Caleb, we've been together for several years, and we were already at the point of getting married. You can't just kick me away. If you want to find a woman who can be easily discarded, you shouldn't have messed with me. I'm not that easy to bully."

"She backed off because she knew she was wrong. She was the third party and she had no place to stand. She was afraid of being scolded. However, I didn't expect that she would be even more shameless than before and keep pestering you."

"Susan has never pestered me, it was me who pestered her. I loved her, and I still love her now."

"You..."

Hearing her husband's confession of his love for another person, how did Grace feel? It was like being pierced by a thousand arrows.

She was already utterly disappointed in Caleb, but he continued to rub salt in her wounds, making her feel even more hurt.

She hated him!

It had nothing to do with love, she just didn't want to let him off, she wanted to drag him down!

"Grace, if it weren't for Candy, I would kill you." Caleb's words were filled with deep hatred for Grace.

Grace laughed at his words, her eyes filled with tears, but she was ice-cold. "I want to kill you too."

"Caleb, listen to me. I won't divorce you. Even if it means sacrificing our daughter, I will drag you down. You made a mistake, and you won't get away with it. You pushed me into hell, and for the rest of my life, I will make sure you suffer."

Three days before Christmas.

The Christmas tree in the Brightness Design Company was lit up, and the office was beautifully decorated, but the atmosphere was not so harmonious.

After Layla secured the project from the Sheeran Group, the company was automatically divided into two factions.

One faction supported Fanny, while the other saw Layla's momentum and tried to please her.

Layla was the least fond of forming cliques but inexplicably became the leader of a faction, and she felt helpless, having to endure Fanny's growing hostility every day.

"Layla, are you going to spend Christmas with your boyfriend?"

"Layla seems to be single. It's such a pity that someone as beautiful as Layla doesn't have a boyfriend."

"Layla, I know a good man. Would you like to meet him?"

A group of people surrounded Layla's cubicle, and she lowered her head to draw, but the constant chatter was affecting her work efficiency.

"I don't have time right now," they said a bunch of things, and she finally replied.

"That's right. Layla is in a period of career advancement. How does she have time for love."

"It's a good thing to be career-oriented."

"Only when Layla is hard-working, Brightness Design Company can be prosperous, and we can all benefit."

"Yeah, Layla, you have to work hard."

A cold laugh came from Fanny's side. "A bunch of ass-kissers."

"Who are you calling an ass-kisser?"

"Yeah, it's obvious that someone can't stand Layla's success."

"We're all in the same office, is it necessary to be unhappy?"

"Exactly. Seniority doesn't mean everything. Ability is the key. Some people shouldn't bully newcomers just because they've been in the company longer."

"Layla, can you handle the project from the Sheeran Group? Do you need to find a partner? I can help you."

"I can do it too. I can be your assistant."

"Layla, why don't we just form a team? More people means higher efficiency."

"That's a good idea, I'm in."

"Layla, count me in."