To Love You, Never Again

Callie found a note left by Reid on the nightstand.

“Breakfast is on the table. Don’t forget to eat. I’ll have the driver pick you later and bring you to the office. I have a big surprise planned for you today.”

Callie made her way to the living room, where, as expected, a breakfast spread was waiting for her. This time, it was particularly lavish and it was clear that Reid had woken up early to prepare it.

Reid was a great cook, something he’d learned just for her. He had promised that for the next several decades, he would make sure she always had home-cooked meals. But Callie had no appetite. She had long since noticed Geneva’s social media posts.

Geneva had posted a picture of an identical breakfast a month ago. After Reid’s late nights, he had been staying with Geneva, preparing these same breakfasts for her every morning—always varied, never repeating, a mix of both Western and Asian.

It had been so long since Callie had seen such a rich Western breakfast. Most of the time, Reid would prepare porridge in a rice cooker to appease her.

Without thinking twice, Callie dumped the entire breakfast into the trash. Just as she was turning to leave, her phone buzzed with a message from Tommy.

[Tommy: Want to grab breakfast?]

[Callie: Be there soon!]

Another message from Tommy buzzed her phone, the location of a private high-end restaurant not far from her place.

Callie threw on her clothes, put light make up and left quickly. When she arrived, Tommy had already called over the waiter, giving instructions for the food to be served. All of dishes were already served on the table.

“There’s only both of us. Why you order so much?” Callie blinked in surprise. 

Tommy set a plate in front of her, then poured her a glass of water. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I ordered everything on the menu. And don’t worry about not finish it of. I'll take the leftover to go,” he explained lightly.

Callie nodded. She knew Tommy didn’t waste time on anything that wasn’t important, so this meal had to be about more than just food.

“Mr. Caldwell, if you have any additional requests to put on our agreement, feel free to say.”

Tommy’s face remained neutral as he reached out to wipe the food crumbs from Callie’s lips before speaking in a calm voice. “We’ll be married soon, so it’s normal for me to take you out for a meal. I’ve already met with your family and discussed the wedding. They say you like traditional style, so we’ll go with that theme. The venue and invitations are already taken care of. I’ve also arranged for a cultural heritage craftsman to custom-make your wedding gown. When you have time, I’ll take you to try it on.”

Callie didn’t know what to say. After finishing the breakfast, she simply nodded and said, “Okay.”

There was nothing for her to worry about at the moment.

Before she left, out-of-nowhere Tommy handed her a bouquet. Just happen to her favorite pink rose. 

“Happy Birthday,” he said calmly.

Callie thanked Tommy as she held the pink roses in her hands.

At that moment, Geneva’s message popped up on her phone—a picture of another bouquet of pink roses. She had deliberately photographed the message card, which read: “To my sweet baby, love me every day. You deserve everything others have.” The card was signed, TO: Geneva’s.

Just as Callie was processing the message, Reid’s own text arrived. Attached was a photo of a bouquet identical to the one Geneva had posted, except this one had a different message card. It simply said: “Happy Birthday.” The card was signed, TO: Callie.

Callie let out a cold laugh as she glanced at the bouquet of pink roses in her arms. She turned to Tommy and asked, “Have you given this to anyone else before giving it to me?”

“No,” Tommy answered briefly, his face serious.

Callie hugged the bouquet tightly, a small smirk curling on her lips as she walked into her office. As soon as she entered, a burst of confetti exploded around her.