Mercer's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he noticed everything happening from the corner of his eye.The car continued to drive out to the suburbs and suddenly took the winding road up Butterfly Hill, a well-known location outside Riverford.Seeing the car heading up the mountain, Calla exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you taking me to Butterfly Hill?"Mercer, resting with his eyes closed, ignored Calla's question.Calla had no choice but to address Simon, who was driving. "Mr. Beck, stop the car. I want to get out!"With a conflicted expression, Simon replied, "Mrs. Garland, I can't stop the car without Mr. Garland's orders."Calla's face turned pale with anger at those words. However, she knew there was nothing she could do. She decided to remain silent and see what Mercer was up to.After more than half an hour on the road, the car—nearing the summit—suddenly turned into what appeared to be a neighborhood of villas.Located at the peak of Butterfly Hill, the area was dense with
As Mercer said, Jasmine arrived at the mountain villa with Calla's personal belongings that evening.Jasmine cooked egg pasta for Calla's dinner. However, Calla was too angry to have any appetite.Dawn arrived after a restless night.Calla stood by the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor, overlooking the entire courtyard. As the weather in the mountains was much colder than in the city, she had a robe draped over her shoulders. The rays from the morning sun in the mountains were particularly beautiful and serene, but she was in no mood to appreciate it.The Othopian-styled villa had luxurious decor and furniture. Even the crystal glasses for drinking water were imported. The floors were covered with wool rugs. Although it was midsummer in Riverford, it was damp and cold on the mountaintop. At night, Calla had to cover herself with thick blankets to stay warm.Mercer had certainly found an exquisite cage to lock her in.Besides loneliness and solitude, Calla also felt
Raising her eyes to look at the pitch-black sky outside, Calla wondered how she was going to get through this long night on an empty stomach. If she had known this protest would be so difficult, she would have hidden some food in the house in advance, so she could sneak a bit at night and not feel so miserable.Calla touched her belly and quietly comforted the baby inside her. "My child, you must hold on! It's all your foolish mother's fault for not having a proper strategy."Seeing Calla continue her resistance, Jasmine finally had no choice but to leave the room with the food. Calla could only look out into the endless night and sigh.When Calla's stomach was growling with hunger at around 8:30 pm, there was suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps outside, and then the door was kicked open.Startled, Calla looked up, only to see Mercer glumly storming in.Mercer's first sentence upon getting to the bedside was, "Are you using my child as an excuse for you to act out?"Calla had
Calla was stunned when she heard those words.Mercer had come fully prepared! Once again, she had underestimated him. She was left speechless this time."B-But you should still let me contact them… I'm sure they'll get suspicious if I disappear for too long."Under Mercer's intense gaze, Calla, for some reason, found herself changing her demands from leaving to just being allowed to contact her mother and sister.Mercer lowered his head and glanced at his watch. "Alright. But it's late now. You can call your family and Alicia tomorrow morning. However, Jasmine must be present. Calla, don't try anything, or their lives will be a living hell."Calla knew he meant what he said. He could easily have someone intimidate her mother and sister, and they wouldn't be able to handle it. As for Alicia, she would live a hard life if she were to be fired.Calla realized that even if she told them about her situation, they couldn't help her and would only end up getting involved in her trouble
Mercer’s face darkened as he cast a glance at her before turning and leaving in a huff.Jasmine quickly ran out to see him off.After they left, Calla continued chewing her food while slapping a soft pillow, cursing, "Mercer, you bastard… Bastard!"After seeing Mercer off, Jasmine came back into the room and hesitantly asked, "Mrs. Garland, d-do you really have to do this? Mr. Garland is—""Don’t mention him to me again." Calla interrupted.Jasmine shook her head and left the room.From that day on, Calla began to try living peacefully here. Every morning, she would have Jasmine accompany her for walks in the nearby woods or by the creek, enjoying the fresh mountain air. At noon, she would lie on a lounge chair on the terrace, basking in the sun. In the evenings, she would sit by the bay window to watch the stars.In her free time, Calla would take out her books to study for the Certified Public Accountant exam. Her great ambition to become a public accountant had been put on
Mercer's lips curled slightly when he heard that Calla had gained weight. He seemed satisfied with the result. "Thank you for your hard work. Jasmine, see them out," he said.After the doctors and nurses packed up their equipment, they left with Jasmine.Mercer approached the bed, glanced at Calla, and then at her prominent belly. He reached out to touch it, but Calla swatted his hand away irritably."Don't touch me," she hissed."Do you think I'm interested in touching you? I just want to feel my child," Mercer retorted immediately.Calla's face flushed at his words. She then suppressed her anger and calmly said, "Mercer, since the person you love has returned, why don't you just divorce me? Even if we divorce, I can still safely give birth to your child. You can't marry the one you love without divorcing me. Do you really want to see her in pain?"Calla didn't understand why Mercer was doing this. Was it simply because she had angered him and he wanted to protect his pride as a
Calla Sherman was awakened by the sound of running water. She opened her tired eyes and was shocked by what she saw. She was in a luxurious room. The bright morning sun shone on the sheets. The clothes of a man and a woman were scattered on the carpet, and the scent of the aftermath of a night of passion permeated the room.She looked at her naked body under the blanket and felt the discomfort coming from her nether region. She tugged at her hair as bits and pieces of the memories from last night came back to her.Her boyfriend of three years said she was not gentle, considerate, or feminine. So, he went overseas with a wealthy heiress to further his studies. She put on a brave front, but she was devastated. So, she got very drunk last night. Then, in the heat of the moment, she grabbed a man from the bar and had a one-night stand with him.She sat on the bed with her legs trembling. She had always taken good care of herself. Why would she do something that she would normall
Calla ran away into the distance. She only stopped and sighed in relief when she was sure that the man wasn't on her heels. She picked up her phone to look at the time but was dumbfounded when she saw the date. It was Monday!Her breakup put her in a slump and made her forget all about work! She immediately hailed a cab and rushed to the office. Despite her rush, she was still five minutes late. Oh well, her 500-dollar attendance bonus had gone up in smoke. She felt an urge to curse when she thought about the man's sour expression. He caused her a total loss of 650 dollars. It was enough money for a month's worth of lunches. Then, she thought about how handsome and muscular he was. She decided to think of it as yet another payment made to the gigolo.She could only console herself with the thought that 650 dollars wouldn't normally get her a man as incredible as he was.When she entered the office, she noticed that the atmosphere wasn't right. Everyone was hanging their head