Chapter 2

Mia POV

Afraid I would change my mind, she demanded I come sign the divorce papers the next day.

"You don't need to worry about Caleb. Don't tell him about this. Just wait a month until the divorce is finalized, and then leave immediately."

"And of course, you won't get a penny."

I had no objection.

No sooner had I hung up than a Maybach screeched to a halt on the roadside.

Caleb got out of the car and strode quickly to my side, not caring about the dirt on me as he hugged me tightly.

"Mia, I was so worried about you!"

He held me as if he wanted to absorb me into his body, his voice trembling with obvious urgency.

In the past, every time I was rescued, I only felt safe in his arms.

But now, as I smelled Willow's perfume on him, I only felt revulsion and a chill throughout my body.

"Worried about me?" My voice was cold. "Were you really worried?"

When he laughed about having me kidnapped for a few more days, was he worried about me, or was he savoring Willow's kiss?

Caleb keenly sensed I was different from usual, assuming it was just because I was traumatized.

When he saw the scratches on my hand, his expression changed.

"How did you hurt your hand? Did you get injured while escaping? Does it hurt?"

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I failed to protect you again. Don't be afraid, we're going home."

Without waiting for my answer, Caleb picked me up and placed me in the car.

Less than an hour later, the mansion was spotless, with no trace of another woman.

After applying medicine to my wounds, Caleb was about to hold me and sing my favorite songs repeatedly, as he had the ninety-nine times before.

But I refused his touch.

"I want to be alone today."

Caleb paused but didn't seem to suspect anything.

The next morning, after signing the divorce papers, I went to the orphanage to sort things out before my departure.

After Caleb brought me back to the Hayes family, I gradually used my savings to build an orphanage.

Even when my condition wasn't suitable for work after being kidnapped, I continued to serve as director, personally managing its affairs.

But now that I was leaving, I needed to arrange for the children's future.

The vice-director was the best candidate.

We grew up in the same orphanage, and I trusted her character and ability.

Things were a bit sudden, but Chloe eventually solemnly promised not to let me down.

"Mia, you're leaving? Where are you going?"

I shook my head. "I don't know, I just want to live in a different city."

"Are you going with Caleb? I still remember when he was ten, someone wanted to adopt him, but he clung to you and refused to leave, saying he couldn't be separated from you."

I paused, not answering.

But Caleb had changed.

Once a person changes, all their past promises mean nothing.

Now, I just wanted to be as far away from him as possible.

Chloe was about to say something else when a girl suddenly rushed into the office, smiling and bowing to me.

"I haven't had a chance to thank you personally. I got an internship at Hayes Corporation. If Mr. Hayes hadn't given me an interview opportunity because of you, my qualifications would have surely been screened out at the resume stage."

I was a bit taken aback. "An interview?"

Chloe explained, "You didn't know? Caleb has actually been helping you all along."

"Not just with the internship. Last month, when you were hospitalized, a girl who had been abandoned was taken back by her parents. If Caleb hadn't intervened, that girl would have been sold to Southeast Asia. Several children in the orphanage who needed surgery, he connected us with hospital specialists and paid for their treatments."

"Yes, yes!" Lily, the girl next to us, chimed in. "Mr. Hayes cares so much about you! He's been secretly donating to the orphanage and said you weren't well and he didn't want you to worry too much about the place."

"He said he would prepare everything for you."

I was stunned for a long while.

In the five years since returning to the Hayes family, Caleb had not truly gained his parents' approval or real power within the company.

Therefore, I wouldn't trouble him with my own affairs.

Even during the early days of establishing the orphanage, when funds were scarce, I never asked for his money.

It turned out Caleb had done so much behind my back.

But then I thought, what else had he hidden from me?