The sudden bombshell stunned Calla for several seconds before she recovered. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Mercer's ex-girlfriend? Why was she contacting Calla? What did she want?Calla had probably been silent for too long. Sophie spoke up again, "Are you listening?"Her voice dragged Calla back to reality, and she quickly said, "I'm sorry, Mercer has never mentioned you before. I think you should also know that Mercer and I are married. You should call me Mrs. Garland, not Ms. Sherman."The person on the other end did not argue with her. Instead, she said, "Mrs. Garland, I just want to have a chat with you. Do you perhaps have time this afternoon?"There was an imploring note in her voice, and she didn't sound like an angry, accusing mistress at all. She had a melodious voice, and Calla could not find it in her to reject the request.That said, Calla knew better than to be so trusting of her. No matter how gentle the other party was, she couldn't possibly have good int
It seemed that Sophie had once been very important to Mercer. Did he perhaps still love her?Calla suddenly felt strangely fearful. Her chest felt stuffy and tight, and she was extremely upset. Why was she feeling this way? What was wrong with her?Before she could think about it any further, she changed into the clothes she had worn to visit Garland Mansion in Sedonia, and notified Jasmine before going out.When she arrived at the entrance to the café, she took a deep breath before walking in.There weren't many people here for coffee at this hour. The moment Calla looked up, she spotted a young woman at a seat by the windows. When she saw the woman's face, she suddenly felt nervous.Sophie was very beautiful, and seeing her would make anyone light up. She had a perfectly oval face, finely shaped brows, a straight nose, and a rosebud mouth. She was very fair and clearly a typical beauty. Calla stumbled and almost slipped. Luckily, the woman hadn't seen her yet and hadn't caug
Sophie did not have any of the aggression that third parties in a relationship usually had. Perhaps Calla was the one who had intruded and come between them.Even her voice was ever so gentle and beautiful. Calla couldn't help understanding why Mercer found it hard to forget her."Ms. Jonas, was it? If you have anything to say, go ahead. I've got things to do later." Calla did not want to make any small talk with her. She only wanted to know why Sophie had sought her out. Sophie looked down at the coffee cup in her hands, looking as if it was hard for her to begin.Calla frowned, and Sophie looked up at her with bright, shining eyes. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Garland. I know that I shouldn't have contacted you, but Mercer and I are truly in love. I can't live without him, and he can't live without me, either. Can you please give us your blessing?" Sophie looked imploringly at Calla.Calla suddenly felt as if Sophie was the victim, and she was the intruding third party.Although Calla
Calla felt a myriad of emotions rush through her. No wonder Mercer had said that he was going to Morvenia on a business trip. Atlas didn't have any business there at all; he had gone there for Sophie, the woman in front of Calla right now. Calla felt her gut twist. She had believed Mercer wholeheartedly."Since the two of you are so in love, why didn't you stay together?" Calla knew that it was dumb of her, but she still decided to ask. Sophie turned to look out of the huge glass windows, as if she was reminiscing about the past. "My family and Mercer's family were friends, and we grew up together. We were classmates in high school and at college, so naturally, we got together. Both of our families were very happy about it. After all, our standings are evenly matched."The thinly veiled jab about her family made Calla uncomfortable. She knew that she and Mercer were not of the same status at all, and they had never crossed paths before now. That said, Calla hadn't expected So
Once she walked out of the café, Calla felt tears roll down her cheeks, even though she had always been strong.This time, she looked up at the sky, but it was no use. Tears continued pouring uncontrollably down her cheeks.Sophie looked meek and soft on the outside, but she was actually very aggressive. Calla had been destined to lose from the start.She walked aimlessly under the scorching sun, and before long, she was drenched in sweat. However, she did not feel anything. The only thing that she felt was the dull pain in her chest.It was only at that moment that she realized she had fallen in love with Mercer long ago. Although she still didn't want to admit it, the pain in her heart made it impossible for her to lie to herself any longer.This time, she felt worse than she had a few months ago when Tim had cheated on her and run off with a wealthy heiress. She and Tim had been dating for years!This relationship with Mercer had been doomed from the start. She was just a to
Calla smiled bitterly. "Maybe I’m the third party between them."Always thinking of Calla's well-being, Alicia tried, "Hey, if he doesn't love you, there's no need for you to dwell on it. But if you’re going to divorce, make sure to fight for your legal rights and your child's."Get more money from him. Otherwise, your life will be hard to live with the child." Calla remained silent, only feeling heartbroken at the moment. Alicia stayed with her until nightfall. By the time Calla returned to Emerald Bay, the lights were already lit.Seeing Calla return, Jasmine hurried over. "Mrs. Garland, you’re back. Where have you been all day? I called you so many times, but you never answered. I was worried sick!""Oh, I went out shopping with a friend. My phone ran out of battery." Calla brushed it off."By the way, Mr. Garland called from overseas this afternoon," Jasmine mentioned.As Calla started to climb the stairs, she paused mid-way but didn’t turn around. She asked, "What did he s
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
Hearing that, Calla felt a little troubled and said, "Harlan and I haven't been in contact for a long time."Previously, Mercer had grabbed her phone and told Harlan that she had married. He then deleted Harlan's number from her phone. After that, she hadn't seen Harlan again, and he hadn't reached out to her either. Calla still felt a little guilty for not explaining the situation to him. She considered them ordinary friends, so an explanation seemed unnecessary. She kept putting it off until now.Now that Zoey wanted to apply for Harlan’s program, it seemed even more inappropriate to suddenly contact him. Calla was put in a difficult position.Seeing Calla's hesitation, Zoey immediately said, "Cal, this concerns my future! Please swallow your pride and ask him for me!"Calla knew they had to handle the college application correctly. Otherwise, all their efforts would be wasted. It could affect Zoey's entire future. Despite feeling awkward about asking Harlan for a favor, she