The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sometime at night, the bedroom door clicked shut.

Sean turned to Leila immediately. "Why did you try to pass off takeout as dinner?"

Leila paused mid-search for her pajamas. Her hand drifted past a nightgown before selecting a matching set of top and pants. "Takeout?"

"You didn’t cook," Sean said flatly. "You’ve cooked for me for four years. I can tell the difference between your food and takeout."

So Sean did notice that she’d been cooking for him for four years. She let out a cold laugh inwardly.

"How impressive," she said evenly. "You could work as a food critic."

It sounded like pure sarcasm to Sean. "Do you really have to talk to me like that? Leila, you weren’t like this before."

"I’ve always been like this."

Leila met his furious gaze, genuinely confused by his anger. She had already agreed to him and his true love living under the same roof. What more did he expect?

"But not after we were together—not after we got married." His mind drifted to fragments he could never forget. Her faint smile made her look like a blooming flower in the rain when he handed her an umbrella.

When he accompanied her to her mentor’s funeral, she left a touch of warmth on his shoulders as she leaned into him. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

When he visited the orphanage with her, she smiled brightly as she passed him water. And during the four years of their marriage, she would always turn around to greet him while cooking in the kitchen, as soon as she heard his footsteps approaching the doorway. Her voice was always soft. "Oh, you’re home! Finally!"

If dinner was ready, she would walk over and hug him, and her eyes would light up every time he tasted her food—she was always eager to see his reaction.

No matter how distant she was from others, she had always been warm toward him. She even showed equal gentleness to his parents!

So what happened to her these days? She looked at him like a stranger. But they were still husband and wife!

"Leila, if this is your way of protesting me asking you to quit your job and prepare for a child, it won’t change anything. I can hire help—a maid to take care of you. My parents have wanted a grandchild for years." His gaze dropped to her belly as he spoke.

Leila stiffened. "Sean, don’t you dare do anything to me."

"We’re legally married." He had her in his arms and kissed her neck as he spoke. "Let’s have a child. You can stay home. I’ll take care of everything."

"No." She pushed at his chest. "I’m not ready."

"You don’t need to be."

"I haven’t even showered."

"You can shower after."

The struggle escalated until—

KNOCK, KNOCK.

"Sean? Leila? Are you asleep?" Sarah’s voice came from outside.

Leila felt as if a savior had fallen from heaven. She said, "Ms. Lynch is asking for you. It must be urgent. Maybe she’s not feeling well."

Sean paused and frowned. He saw that Leila was frightened.

Another knock came. He turned to the door and opened it. "What is it, Sarah?" He said with slight impatience.

Sarah froze at the sight. His shirt was slightly crumpled, and Leila was clutching her clothes together behind him. Her eyes instantly reddened, though she forced a fragile smile. "Sean... Am I interrupting?"

Sean’s irritation vanished in an instant at the sight of her tears. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. "No. What happened? Is your arm hurting again?"

"Yes." Her voice broke as tears fell. "I know I shouldn’t be like this. I’m sorry... I just can’t help it. I left, and you got married. I should be happy for you, but I’m not. Seeing you with her just... I can’t help it."

Sean frowned and guided her farther down the hall, away from the master bedroom.

"Don’t think about the past. I never blamed you."

Sarah suddenly stepped forward and hugged him. Sean stiffened, his eyes still fixed on the closed bedroom door.

"Please, let’s stay like this for just one moment... as friends." She said through tears and looked up at him. Sean sighed and allowed it.

"My arm hurts. Just hold me." He lifted a hand and patted her back lightly.

The door of the master bedroom stayed shut. Leila didn’t need to see it to know what was happening. A familiar ache spread through her chest.

But more important than the pain was something else—she needed to avoid staying close to Sean. Sarah had interrupted them twice. But what if she couldn’t show up in time on the third time?

Her thoughts drifted to Rhea.

...

When Sean returned, Leila was already asleep. He called her name twice but got no response. So he lay down beside her and pulled her into his arms.

It had been more than half a month since he had held her like this. She felt soft, distant—like a cat that turned cold shoulders to others but never stopped being loving. He tightened his hold slightly.

Leila barely slept that night. She drifted in and out of a light, restless doze, startled by every shift behind her.

The next morning, she woke early and received a message from Renee while brushing her teeth. It read: [Leila, you need to check in during the notice period. Otherwise, it’ll get messy on my end.]

This was exactly what she needed. She grabbed her canvas tote and left.

"Morning, Leila." Sarah was leaning casually against the doorframe, yawning like she was the owner of the place.

Leila bent down to change her shoes.

"Leaving so early for work?" Sarah asked, stepping closer. "People would kill for a spot at The Cole Group. Even an administrative role isn’t easy to get. Are you really going to resign?"

She had almost stormed in yesterday when she overheard Sean telling Leila to quit. He said he’d only have children with her. What made him change that? But she had held back.

Sean liked gentle women—not the ones who made a fuss. So she had chosen another route by speaking with Leila instead.

"Maybe Sean just thinks your job isn’t important because of your position. I can help you. My grandfather has a working relationship with the Cole family. I’ve met President Cole before too. I can speak to him for you, so you can get a promotion—maybe a raise. Then your income will matter more at home, and Sean won’t make you quit."

Leila straightened and asked, "Are you serious about that, Ms. Lynch?"

"Of course." Sarah smiled, pleased. She knew that Leila didn’t love Sean that deeply—this idea would work on her instantly.

Leila nodded. "Then I’ll be waiting for your good news at The Cole Group."

Then she left. Sarah closed the door behind her, yawned again, and headed back to the master bedroom.

She knocked and said, "Sean... I’m hungryyy."

Sean opened his eyes, and Leila wasn’t there. For a moment, he had an odd feeling that Leila was making breakfast for him in the kitchen, so he got up with a peaceful heart.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Leila’s breakfast is amazing."

Sarah blinked. "But I saw her leave for work. She didn’t cook anything."

Sean checked the clock. It was only 7:30 a.m. Why did she leave so early for work? Sean instantly felt uncomfortable.

Sarah pressed her lips and said, "Maybe she thinks her job is more important."

"More important than her husband?" Sean snapped.

Sarah said nothing, but the words left a sour feeling in her heart as he referred to himself as Leila’s husband.