Chapter 8
As I looked at Caleb’s crushed expression, all I felt was a growing sense of annoyance. I knew then that I no longer had any feelings for him.
Caleb, still in disbelief, kept shouting, “I don’t believe it! We’ve known each other for 12 years, dated for eight, and you’re telling me you don’t love me anymore?
“Maeve, is it because I shaved your hair before? Are you still angry about that? Please forgive me. I was completely tricked by Julia. She’s a shameless liar! She wasn’t sick! She just wanted to get rid of you so she could have me. I’ve seen the truth now!”
I tried to leave, but Caleb kept blocking my path.
I was beyond frustrated and shoved him aside with all my strength. He lost his balance and fell to the ground.
“Maeve, how could you push me?”
I snapped back, “So what? How many times have you pushed me around?”
Gritting my teeth, I ripped off my hat to reveal a head of stubbly hair.
“Look at what you did, Caleb! You and your friends were the ones who ruined my hair! You knew how much I loved my hair, and still, you did it! Back when I had my hair cut by my
family and was bullied, you were the one protecting me. But now, you’ve become the one hurting me!
“I stopped loving you when you lied to me, hurt me, and thought I was guilty. If you
continue to bother me, I will call the police. I’m not joking, you know that. Remember, you
paid me 500 thousand dollars to settle things between me and Julia.”
With that, Caleb left, dejected. However, I didn’t expect him to be so vile. He immediately turned his attention to my family.
While I was busy at work, a colleague mentioned that my family had arrived,
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Chapter 8
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When I walked into my office, I saw my parents and brother, whom I hadn’t seen in years.
The couple in front of me looked ancient, yet their sharp and spiteful nature was impossible to hide.
And sitting in the only chair was my brother, Henry Griffith, now weighing over 200 pounds. He nearly broke the office chair.
I looked at the three of them with disgust and stayed silent.
The woman’s murky eyes suddenly brightened, and her rough hands clutched me tightly.
“My dear, I’ve finally found you. We’ve missed you so much. We’ve been searching for you, wondering how you’ve been.”
I pulled my hand away coldly. “You know now, don’t you? I haven’t been doing well. You
can leave now.”
The man spoke up. “We’ve just met, and you want us to leave already? Is that how you treat your parents? Arrange a hotel for us now. We’ve gone to great lengths to find you. We haven’t even had a decent meal!”
“Who told you to come here?” I immediately became wary. I caught the subtle change in their expressions as they fell silent.
I sneered. “Don’t want to talk? Then get out. What hotel? What fancy meals? What makes you think you deserve any of that after what you did to me?”
As soon as I said that, Henry stood up. “Who else could it be? It’s my brother–in–law, of
course. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known you were here. I don’t care. I want food.
I want to stay in a hotel. I want a fancy meal! And I want an iPhone!”
When I heard those words, I felt utterly disgusted.
Caleb just kept lowering my opinion of him.
As I watched the three of them causing a scene in front of me, I slowly started to calm
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down.
I told myself not to be afraid. After all, I wasn’t who I used to be.
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I softened my tone and said, “You’ve come to the wrong person. Do you think I’m wealthy now? Go talk to the man who asked you to come here. Instead of throwing a fit here, ask him for something practical. After all, he runs a company. He has money!
“Did he send you here without giving you anything? I’ve been with him for eight years. You deserve to ask him for anything.
“Besides, I’ve been fighting with him recently. He cheated on me. If I forgive him so easily, won’t that just keep me under his control?”
I casually said a few things, and the three of them quickly left, as though they had found a
new source of income.
That evening, Caleb called me, sounding happy. “Maeve, if you need money, just say so. Why bother sending your parents? I’ve already transferred one million dollars to them as a wedding gift. When are you coming back? Let’s organize our wedding.”
“I never said I’d marry you,” I said coldly.
Caleb panicked. “What? Then, why did you send your parents to ask me for money? Maeve, money doesn’t come easily. I hope you know what I mean.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you’re trying to buy me?”
“You know what I mean,” he repeated his words.
I was so angry that I couldn’t help but laugh. “Go ask the people who took your money for it. What makes you think you can harass me? I’m a living person, not a pet to be bought and
sold!”
I hung up on the call and immediately went to the police station with the recording.
Since it involved a one million dollar dispute, the police acted quickly. They confirmed that
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Chapter 8
Caleb and I had been broken up for about six months.
During that time, Caleb had repeatedly harassed me, even going so far as to contact my abusive parents and have them show up to threaten and intimidate me.
The police concluded that this was a premeditated coercion to force a marriage.
Consequently, Caleb was taken away for counseling in front of the entire company.
By the time the police found my family, they had already blown half of the million dollars on food, luxury items, and other splurges. They refused to return the remaining amount.
The police had no choice but to arrest them.
With everything settled, I quit my job and changed my name. I used my savings and Caleb’s compensation to purchase a house in a seaside town, and I started a life of freedom.
