But it seemed he didn't get what I had said as he scoffed. “Do you even know what the black market is like? Once something’s sold there, you think you can just buy it back? Your mother’s body has probably been chopped into pieces by now. There’s no getting her back. So, just take the money and stop causing trouble.”
She wasn’t my biological mother, but she was still a human being. She’d been killed without reason, branded a scammer, and now her body had been sold off by her own son.
The thought of her fate made my chest ache.
“Caleb,” I said quietly, “since you know exactly how bodies are treated on the black market, how could you still do that to Mom? Doesn’t it bother you at all?”
He gave a mocking smile. “Why would it? She’s your mom, not mine. And besides, the dead don’t feel pain. Selling her body for cash at least gave her some worth. She should’ve watched where she was going. Getting killed was bad enough, but she also traumatized Brielle for days.”
I stared at him, speechless. For a moment, I couldn’t even imagine how he’d react if he found out that the woman sold to the black market was actually his own mother.
When I didn’t reply, he added casually, “Honestly, I always thought your mom looked like the short-lived type. Even if she hadn’t been hit, she wouldn’t have lasted long. So, just take the money and be grateful.”
Aria's POV
“Take the money now, and tomorrow, buy something nice to apologize to Brielle at the office. End of conversation,” Caleb flatly said.
After that, he dropped the money on the table and walked away without looking back.
As I watched him leave, I suddenly realized something. The man who once fought for justice, the man I admired for his integrity, had completely rotted from the inside out.
And this marriage had also reached its end.
The next day, I drafted the divorce papers and went to his law firm.
The moment I stepped into his office, I froze.
There he was, the same man who couldn’t stand a speck of dust, kneeling on one knee, gently massaging Brielle’s foot. His eyes were filled with a tenderness I’d never seen before.
When Brielle noticed me, she immediately put on her innocent act.
“Aria, don’t get the wrong idea,” she stammered, pulling her foot back. “I… I twisted my ankle, and Caleb was just helping me. That’s all.”
She then tugged at his sleeve, pretending to panic. “Caleb, say something! I don’t want to lose my job over this!”