Seven Years of Love, Traded for One Night

Just yesterday, the doctor said my mother’s condition was improving, that she should walk more, and that she could be discharged soon. How could she suddenly be dying?

The voice on the other end of the phone grew distant, barely audible, but I caught the part where my mother had been calling out “Dawson” before her death.

A rush of fury surged through me, and I glared at Dawson. His lips curled into a smug smirk like he was enjoying my pain.

I couldn’t hold back my rage any longer. I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

His head snapped to the side with the force of the blow, and, by some twisted fate, he crashed into the corner of the table. Blood poured from the cut on his head, and in an instant, he collapsed, unconscious.

Blair stared at me, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Caleb, are you out of your mind? You get one phone call, and you start attacking Dawson out of nowhere?”

I grabbed her collar, my mind completely unraveling. “What did you do at the hospital? What did you say to my mother?!”

Blair shoved me away, clearly terrified I’d hurt Dawson.

My already injured lower back took another blow. The pain was sharp and immediate, and I couldn't stay upright. Sweat broke out on my forehead as I fought to stay standing.

Blair’s gaze was icy, her voice cutting through the air: “Dawson’s a model. If you ruin his face, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Her eyes were full of disgust, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t afraid to anger her. “Ruthless? What are you even talking about?”

Her expression darkened. “Your mom’s still in the hospital. If you don’t want her medical fees cut off, you’d better behave.”

My face drained of color, and my heart shattered.

But she didn’t care at all. She called for the housekeeper to help carry the unconscious Dawson away, but she was impatient in her tone.

I shouted after her retreating form, voice raw with pain. “Cut them off then! My mom’s already dead! What difference does it make if you stop the payments?!”

Her body stiffened, and she slowly turned to face me, her words sharp. “You really are shameless, saying anything just to keep me.”

After being rushed to the hospital, I felt as if the world had gone silent.

“You were this close to damaging your spinal nerves. A little more to the side, and you’d be paralyzed. If I hadn’t gotten to you in time, you’d be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life!”

My good brother jabbed his finger at my forehead, frustration evident in his tone.

I offered him a bitter smile, my voice barely a whisper. “My mom…”

His expression softened with sorrow. “Auntie’s affairs have been taken care of. You only need to attend the cremation and burial.”

Just as I nodded, Blair called.

I motioned for my friend to hang up, but he answered too quickly.

Blair’s voice came through the line, a barrage of anger. “Where have you been? Dawson now has a scar on his forehead and can’t compete in the supermodel contest. Are you happy now?”

“I just left the hospital; Mom’s perfectly fine! She’s fully recovered and discharged. Can you stop with these stunts?”

“There’s no need for you to return to the company. Just give up your position and current projects to Dawson as compensation.”

My hand trembled as I took the phone, my voice sharp as I said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. My father died in the hospital because you didn’t transfer the money in time. Even my mother was driven to death by you and Dawson. And now you want me to hand over my job and projects to him? Don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

Blair sneered. “Gone too far?”

“Dawson has told you time and again that there’s nothing between us, but you kept suspecting him. Weren’t you the one going too far then?”

“You pushed him, caused his injury, and ruined his dream. Didn’t you go too far?”

“If I had known you’d turn out like this, I wish we’d never started!”

With that, she hung up. When I tried calling back, the line was busy.

My position, my projects, everything at the company, I had earned through my own blood, sweat, and tears. What right did she have to hand them over to Dawson without even asking?

All the remnants of feeling I once had for her vanished in an instant.

After taking a moment to collect myself, I sent a message to my advisor. [I'm willing to participate in the project. In return, I expect you to cancel the collaboration with the Emerson family.]

The reply came immediately. [No problem.]

Did she want peace and quiet?

Then I’d make sure she got plenty of it.

There was no need for the divorce agreement anymore. I would have a lawyer file for divorce directly.

Every penny she spent on Dawson, I would make her pay back.

Everything in her company and everything in her name, I’d claim my rightful half.

After my brother and I handled my mother’s funeral, I buried her next to my father.

I left a sum of money for my brother, then turned and boarded my flight abroad.

I deleted every trace of Blair and Dawson from my life.

But before I did, I made sure to copy all the evidence of Blair and Dawson’s overly intimate interactions.

From that moment on, Blair and I would have nothing to do with each other.

As soon as I landed, a call from a domestic number appeared.

I knew exactly who it was, and without hesitation, I hung up.

The caller kept ringing, even after I blocked her. She quickly switched to another number and tried again.

I didn’t get angry. Instead, I laughed, taking a deep breath before answering.

Her voice came through, low and furious. "Where are you?"