Chapter 4

Caroline's POV

I had just finished changing clothes and opened the bedroom door to find Adrian standing there. His eyes were bloodshot—he looked like he hadn't slept all night.

"Come with me." He grabbed my wrist, his grip tight.

I didn't resist. These three years had taught me to stay calm in any situation. He pulled me downstairs where the driver was already waiting outside.

We didn't speak during the entire ride. I watched the familiar streetscape through the window, wondering what would happen today. Had I performed too perfectly at last night's family dinner? Or had he finally realized I'd changed?

The Cole & Associates building was still imposing. As we walked into the lobby during morning rush hour, employees were arriving for work. Adrian pulled me straight to the elevator while everyone's eyes followed us.

I knew what they were thinking. The ex-wife who divorced three years ago was suddenly back—what did this mean?

In the elevator, Adrian finally spoke: "There are some things to handle today."

"Alright." I replied simply.

The elevator doors opened and we walked into the office area. Adrian stopped at the reception desk, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Effective immediately, Harper Watson is no longer my secretary. Her position is terminated."

I felt the air around us freeze instantly. Harper stood up from behind her desk, her face pale.

"Adrian, you can't do this—"

"I can." His voice was cold. "Additionally, Caroline will be more involved in company affairs. Any questions about this decision can be directed to me."

I stood beside him, maintaining my smile. I'd practiced this smile many times—gentle yet authoritative.

Harper looked at me with anger and disbelief in her eyes. She was probably wondering what method I'd used to make Adrian suddenly so obsessed with me.

But I said nothing.

Adrian led me toward his office. Behind us came the hurried sounds of Harper packing her things.

Inside the office, Adrian closed and locked the door. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was Manhattan's skyline, the sunlight bright, but I felt no warmth.

"Now can you tell me what's wrong with you?" He turned to look at me. "You're no longer like Caroline Spencer. You're like a..."

"Robot?" I finished for him. "Isn't this the perfect wife you wanted?"

He suddenly walked toward me quickly. I instinctively stepped back until my back hit the door.

"You said you needed a wife who understood moderation, who knew when to speak and when to stay silent."

"I never said that—"

"You did." I looked into his eyes, seeing emotions I couldn't understand. "The night I refused to accompany you home for the family gathering."

His hand pressed against the door beside me, his whole body looming over me. "Caroline..."

I wanted to dodge, but his other hand cupped my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"I don't want to hear explanations." My voice was calm, but my heartbeat began to accelerate.

The next second, he kissed me.

This wasn't a gentle kiss, but one filled with three years of accumulated anger and unwillingness. His hand circled my waist, pulling me forcefully against him as if trying to merge me into his body.

My body remembered his kiss, remembered the temperature of his hands. But my reason told me to push him away.

I reached up to push his chest, but he didn't budge. His kiss became more urgent, moving from my lips to my ear, then to my neck.

"Adrian, stop." My voice trembled slightly.

He didn't stop. His hands began unbuttoning my coat, his movements somewhat rough.

"This is an office," I reminded him.

"I don't care." His voice was hoarse. "Caroline, I need to know you're still mine."

"You can't do this." I tried to maintain reason, but my body was betraying me.

"Why not?" He whispered against my ear. "You're my wife."

"Ex-wife," I corrected him.

"Not anymore." His kiss fell on my collarbone. "You came back, so you're mine."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Cole, the board meeting starts in ten minutes." It was his assistant's voice.

Adrian stopped but didn't let go of me. We were both breathing heavily, the air thick with dangerous tension.

"Got it," he called toward the door, his voice sounding normal.

Then he looked at me with an emotion I didn't want to interpret.

"This isn't over, Caroline."

I straightened my clothes that he'd disheveled, my heartbeat not yet fully settled. "This is an office, Adrian. Mind your boundaries next time."

He laughed—that smile reminded me of the man who had captivated me three years ago.

"Boundaries?" He repeated the word. "There have never been boundaries between us."

I walked to the window, pretending to calmly look outside. But I knew he was still watching me, that gaze making me uncomfortable.

"You said you needed a wife who understood moderation, who knew when to speak and when to stay silent." I repeated the words that had been interrupted earlier.

He fell silent.

I remembered the first winter after our divorce. The Spencer family cut off all my financial support, and I worked at a small restaurant in Brooklyn. The restaurant owner was a middle-aged man whose hands always "accidentally" touched my waist when he passed by.

One day, a customer recognized me.

"Aren't you Mrs. Cole? Why are you serving tables here?"

Everyone in the restaurant looked at me. In that moment, I wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

But I didn't. I smiled and said, "Yes, I work here."

The customer laughed loudly: "From socialite wife to waitress—that's quite a fall."

What I thought then was: at least I was alive, at least I had work.

At 3 PM, I arrived punctually at Starbucks. Harper was already sitting by the window, having changed clothes and applied elaborate makeup, looking like she was attending an important business meeting.

"You came." She looked up at me with emotions I couldn't read.

I sat down without ordering coffee. "What do you want to say?"

"I think you should understand the current situation." She placed her hands on the table, her slender fingers tapping the surface. "Do you think you've won just because you came back?"

I didn't answer.

"These three years, I've been by Adrian's side. I know what time he wakes up, what kind of coffee he likes, when he's in a bad mood. I know all his habits and secrets."

She paused, looking at me: "And you're just an ex-wife who suddenly appeared."

"I'm the mother of his child," I said calmly.

"So what? He still thinks about me. Why do you think he publicly fired me? But actually, he didn't—I was just transferred to another company."

I looked at her, somewhat admiring her confidence.

"Harper, I've been gone for three years, and you still couldn't get him to marry you. I gave you a full three years."

Her expression changed.

I knew she'd been using Adrian's sense of responsibility toward his adopted sister to gradually get closer to him.

But what I wanted was someone who truly loved me. When I was with Adrian before, he always made me play the role of good mother, good wife. But what I wanted was his unconditional love, not those superficial things.

I felt he didn't truly love me—we'd just signed a marriage contract, and we maintained proper behavior during that time to uphold the agreement.

"What do you mean? You... you knew all this and still came back?" Her voice trembled slightly.

For the first time, I showed my true expression in front of her. It was a kind of exhaustion, a summary of the past three years.

"For three years, I've had enough of struggling to survive alone. Now I'm clear about what I really want."

Sunlight slanted through the window, illuminating the table between us. I watched those light and shadows and continued:

"I no longer hope for a love that requires me to take the initiative. What I want is mutual attraction and genuine expression."

Harper stared at me as if seeing me for the first time.

"I only understood after the divorce that a person shouldn't depend on men. One must achieve their own value and true independence. And..." I looked at her, "women should help each other, not focus on competing for the same man."

She was silent for a long time.

"I didn't expect you to be so... rational."

Just then, I saw two familiar figures outside the window. It was Adrian and Theo.

They stopped outside the café, Adrian's expression complex. Theo looked confused, probably having heard something he shouldn't have.

I didn't get up to explain anything. What needed to be said had been said, and what they needed to hear, they'd heard.

These were my thoughts.

Through the glass, I saw a breeze blow by, cherry blossom petals scattered in the air. I checked the time.

Tomorrow was the day our six-year contract would expire.