Exit the Substitute: Walking Out of Her World

Robert was Celine's senior in college. On top of that, he used to be my superior. However, after I married Celine, I stepped back from my career and no longer kept in contact with him.

Like me, he was also infatuated with Lara Lawson. However, he was the man that Lara was in love with.

I told myself that Robert might be unaware of Celine's feelings. But despite that, I couldn't stop my hands from trembling.

"Stay at home and get some rest, Will. I'm going to go look for your mom."

Once I had recomposed myself, I started up my car and had no idea where to go. Afterward, I somehow ended up at Robert's home.

To my surprise, I actually saw Celine outside of his home. I began to follow her discreetly.

Once I remembered that she didn't return home last night, my heart sank. My wife, whom I hadn't seen since the day before, had spent her Valentine's Day with another man.

Celine was holding a bouquet of flowers. When I saw how ecstatic she looked, I clenched my fists and felt extremely dejected. We had been married for seven years, yet she had never once bought me flowers. Now, she was buying them for another man…

She suddenly stopped as if something had just occurred to her. When she turned around and saw me, she jumped in surprise.

Looking slightly anxious, she asked in an accusatory voice, "What are you doing here?"

I didn't respond, but the look on my face told her everything she needed to know.

A flicker of guilt flashed across her face. She instinctively reached for my hand. But before she could say anything, someone appeared behind her.

"James? What are you doing here?" Robert's voice rang out.

He made his way over to us and stood next to Celine. The pair looked like a great match.

I stared at them with a complicated expression. I wanted to respond, but I ultimately chose to stay quiet.

When I didn't reply, Robert laughed and took the bouquet of flowers from Celine. "I hope you don't get the wrong idea. I actually asked Celine to get me these flowers. She didn't buy them for me as a gift."

He sounded apologetic, but I could tell that he was actively trying to hide something from me. I frowned. But before I could say something else, I was interrupted once again.

"What are you doing here?" This marked the third time I had been asked that question since I had stepped out of my car.

When I heard my mother-in-law's voice, I turned around in disbelief. Subsequently, I found that she was now walking up from behind me.

"My back was acting up again last night, so I asked my daughter to come over and take care of me. Do you have any problems with that?" asked my mother-in-law, Elizabeth.

Upon hearing this, I had no choice but to suppress my frustration and force a smile onto my face as I answered, "Not at all."

"Robert and I are neighbors. I happened to run into him on my way out. So, I asked Celine to help me deliver something to him. Do you have any issues with that?"

"Not at all…"

I couldn't quite put a finger on it, but the entire exchange felt odd. As far as I could recall, Elizabeth lived in this neighborhood. However, it didn't seem like she stayed in this exact building.

Then again, I seldom visited her after Celine and I got married. So, I could've been mistaken. More importantly, I needed to resolve the current situation between Celine and me.

I didn't want to air out our dirty laundry in public. Hence, I looked toward my wife and said, "Let's go home, Celine."

To my dismay, Elizabeth stepped in.

"You should head back first, James. I need to speak with Celine alone," she claimed.

My instincts told me to say no. However, when I met Elizabeth's firm gaze, I still turned around and left.

After ten minutes of waiting, Celine hurriedly made her way to the parking garage.

"I genuinely couldn't make it yesterday, James. My mother's back injury acted up again," she explained, "But you don't have to worry about it. She's okay now. She—"

Celine abruptly stopped talking. When she saw the look on my face, she fell silent.

"You know that's not what I'm upset about."