Mercer seemed to recall something the next moment. He let go of Calla's hand, stormed over to the couch, and grabbed Calla's bag before fishing out her phone."What are you doing with my phone?" Calla asked, unsure of Mercer's intentions. She moved to snatch it back.Mercer raised his arm, making it impossible for Calla to reach the phone. After a brief struggle, she realized she couldn't get it back no matter what. Knowing there were no secrets on her phone, she crossed her arms over her chest and sat on the couch, deciding not to fight.However, her initial attempt to take the phone made Mercer even more suspicious. He opened the phone, first checking the messages and then the call log.When he saw the call log, Mercer's expression grew darker. He held the phone to Calla's face, demanding, "What's this?"Calla glanced dismissively at the call log. It showed Harlan's name. There were five or six calls between them over the past few days.Knowing Mercer was jumping to conclusio

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

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 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