Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable

Chapter 2 "What?" Tiffany's mind blanked for a second. She hadn't expected someone as reserved as Sydney to blurt out something like that. But what stunned her more was that scumbag Caleb actually had the nerve to humiliate Sydney like this. Tiffany muttered a curse under her breath, then said, "Screw delivery. I'll bring the agreement myself. Then I'll head back to the office and work overtime." There was no way she was letting some two-wheeled courier outrun her four wheels today. After hanging up, even Sydney was surprised by how easily the words had come out.

Maybe it was because the resentment had been building for so long, clogging her chest, her thoughts, every part of her. Just like that night at the club, when Caleb had said it himself-he had never touched her. No one would believe it, but after three years of marriage, she was still a virgin. At first, she had wondered if something might be wrong with him. But later, she caught him more than once in his study, clutching a photo album and pleasuring himself. The low, guttural moans he had made-each one had felt like a slap to her face.

Once, when he realized she'd seen him, he pulled her into his arms and murmured into her neck, "Syd, I'm sorry. I just... I was afraid of hurting you. I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I used your photo instead." What a joke. And the saddest part? She had believed him and had actually blushed. But the night she flew back to Jouleston, groggy from fever meds, she used what little strength she had to pry open the locked cabinet in his study. Inside, she found the album. Every page was filled with Penelope-radiant, vibrant, full of life. Every smile and glance was captured like a treasure.

Sydney had never felt more like the punchline of a bad joke. In a daze, memories came drifting back. She remembered tagging along behind Caleb like a little shadow. But in truth, she hadn't been following him. She'd been following her older brother, who was always by his side. She had seen Caleb so often that eventually, she started to think that marrying him wouldn't be so bad. Caleb had been patient, gentle, always bringing her little gifts when he visited her brother. Among all his friends, he had seemed the most refined and courteous.

hadn't even made it downstairs when the doorbell rang. Tiffany arrived with the kind of energy that said, "If the courthouse was open, I would've dragged you both there

she was five. That photo had been all she had left of them. Her only keepsake. She clutched the shattered remains and stormed upstairs. At the top of the stairs, Penelope stepped out of her room with her

laugh, crouched a little, and looked Timothy in the eye. "Do you know what Santa Claus does to children like you on Christmas?" The boy lifted his

child, burst into tears and clung to Penelope like his life depended on it. Penelope glared at her. "He's just a kid. Did you really have to scare him like that?" "You can't even teach your own child how to behave. What else are you good for besides extreme sports?" Sydney didn't wait for a reply. She turned