Chapter 22
1/1
Autumn deliberately walked toward a quieter area.
Then she overheard people talking. “I heard the CEO of Caldwell Group got married, but no one’s ever seen Mrs. Caldwell. A lot of people thought Damien wasn’t married at all. Guess that rumor just got crushed.”
“Crushed? You mean Mr. Caldwell showed up with Mrs. Caldwell?”
“Exactly. I saw them with my own eyes. They’re a perfect match–smart and good–looking. I heard Mrs. Caldwell was his high school classmate. From campus sweethearts to marriage. Not an easy journey.
“And she’s not just a pretty face. She has a PhD in artificial intelligence and just came back to the country.
“No wonder Damie always showed up alone at events. Turns out Mrs. Caldwell wasn’t around.”
“Of course. You should’ve seen how attentive he was to her. You could barely miss the affection. He looked like he wanted to show the whole world she was his. Men are like that, no matter their status–they love to show off the woman they adore. And with someone as brilliant as Mrs. Caldwell, it’s even
harder to resist.”
Autumn’s steps faltered.
She had always assumed Rachel’s husband was an exception. After all, not every man in the world treated his wife with such love.
Damien was cold by nature. Even if he did love someone, he couldn’t possibly reach the level of tenderness Rachel’s husband did.
But now, Autumn lowered her eyes.
She realized she had only been fooling herself. When someone truly loved something, it would show. Always.
After a brief pause, she gathered her thoughts and kept walking.
A tech company nearby was demonstrating the capabilities of a robot. It could move in all directions, perform backflips, and its movements were incredibly lifelike.
A staff member gave it a kick, and the robot stumbled forward a few steps before regaining balance. Then, visitors were invited to try it themselves.
Someone kicked a bit too hard. The robot lost balance and staggered to the left.
Autumn was just walking by, unaware of what was happening—until the robot slammed into her.
Weighing over 100 pounds, the impact hit her arm like a steel battering ram. She was knocked to the ground, the robot tumbling down on top of her.
100 pounds of hard metal crashing onto her–Autumn clenched her teeth, bracing herself against the ground, twisting awkwardly to roll out of the way just in time.
The bad news was that her left palm scraped against the floor and was now torn open and bleeding.
The whole thing happened in the blink of an eye. The crowd only started reacting once it was over.
“Oh my god, someone just got knocked over by the robot!”
“Hurry, help her up! Is she hurt?”
Autumn felt a hand grab her arm. Still shaken, she didn’t resist and let the person help her up–only to find herself face–to–face with someone familiar.
“Autumn, are you alright?”
It was Barry. He didn’t look surprised, so he must have spotted her earlier and come over to help.
Autumn helped her arm back. “Thanks. I’m fine.”
Barry said, “Damien’s right over there. Are you here to see him?”
“No.”
Just as she spoke, she saw Damien only a few feet away. Their eyes met. His gaze was unusually cold. The next moment, he looked away indifferently. Standing beside him was Emilia. She glanced at Autumn with curiosity.
Autumn’s body stiffened for a split second.
She noticed the bandage on Emilia’s index finger. Other than that, there wasn’t a single injury on her. She looked perfectly fine. Not sick at all.
So, last night, at two in the morning, Damien had rushed off because of a minor cut on Emilia’s finger?
When Autumn had been in the hospital, undergoing a uterine procedure, Damien hadn’t cared. That had been Damien’s own child.
And yet he hadn’t even come to see her. In the end, he wouldn’t even answer her calls. His only concern was celebrating Emilia’s return. The thought sent a sharp pain through her chest. Her face remained blank.
