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Chapter 102

At that moment, the phone on the desk suddenly chimed.

Calla turned, reached for her phone, and saw that it was a WhatsApp message from Mercer. His profile picture was of a landscape painting. Yet, it still made Calla’s heart skip a beat.

“Where did you go today? I called Jasmine, and she said you weren’t home. I’ve been very busy these past few days, so I haven’t been in touch. Are you okay?”

Reading his text, Calla’s lips twitched slightly before she replied, “I met Alicia this afternoon. I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

She was going to put down the phone and ignore him, but seconds later, it buzzed again.

Calla picked it up again to see another message from Mercer. “Don’t overwork yourself. Take care of your health. I have something to tell you when I get back.”

Calla paused for a moment, stunned by the last sentence.

Something to tell her? What could it be?

Was he going to tell her that he and Sophie had rekindled their old flames?

Did he want a divorce? Was he offering her a generous settlement, doubling the amount in their prenup?

Calla had thought he wouldn’t bring it up until she had given birth in five months. It seemed she had overestimated her place in his heart. Of course, he loved Sophie so much and hadn’t let go of her for so many years. How could he bear to see her suffer now?

Though she had decided to give up on this marriage first, hearing Mercer say it out loud was another matter. Her heart ached at the thought.

Closing her eyes, Calla took a deep breath and quickly typed a response. “Okay. Coincidentally, I also have something to tell you.”

Rather than letting him broach the subject first, she might as well propose it before him to save herself some dignity.

“What is it?” Mercer asked, seemingly impatient.

“We’ll talk when you get back,” Calla replied.

“Alright.” To her surprise, Mercer even added a smiley face.

This was the first time he had sent her an emoji. Calla stared at that smiley face for a long time before replying again.

“I’m a bit tired today. I’m going to rest for a while.”

Her meaning was clear. She didn’t want to continue the chat.

Shortly after, Calla’s phone buzzed again. She knew it had to be Mercer acknowledging her message, so she didn’t even look at her phone.

Bending down to pick up the jarring photo, she placed it back inside the poetry book. She then returned.

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the book to its original spot.

For the next few days, she never set foot in the study again.

+25 BONUS

The next day, Zoey suddenly called Calla.

“Cal, I got an excellence award this semester.” Zoey’s voice brimmed with excitement.

Upon hearing this, Calla was delighted. “Really? That’s great!”

“There’s also a thousand–dollar scholarship,” Zoey yelled gleefully.

“My sister is the best!” Calla felt overjoyed, never expecting Zoey to do so well.

“Cal, I’ve made up my mind. I want to change my major to accounting,” Zoey said.

Calla thought for a moment and nodded. “That’s a good idea. I know you’ve never been satisfied with your current major. It’s hard to excel in a field you’re not interested in. Accounting has great job prospects.

Zoey chattered on. “By the way, didn’t Mom introduce you to that professor who teaches at Southera University? I heard he’s in the accounting department too.

“Can you ask him if it’s difficult to transfer into the accounting program this year? Rumor has it you need connections to get in. It’s a popular major now. Maybe that professor can help me out!”

425 BONUS

Chapter 103