The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

"How do you know I wasn’t at home last night?" Leila asked, her gaze cold.

Sean’s heart skipped. He studied her face, trying to gauge whether she was lying.

If she had been home, she would have seen him and Sarah together. And if she’d seen what they did, Leila wouldn’t be standing here so calmly. She’d be crying. She’d be confronting him. Leila loved him—he’d always known that.

"You weren’t home last night," Sean said with certainty.

Leila understood exactly why he was so sure. Because if she had been there, he would have walked in on him with Sarah.

"I went home this morning," she said. "You weren’t there when I got back."

"This morning?" Sean let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

’Good. She didn’t see anything,’ he thought.

If Leila had seen it, she would demand a divorce. She’d always had that kind of pride. And if she left him, her life would only get harder.

Slowly, he loosened his grip. Leila rubbed her shoulder lightly, and Sean asked with feigned concern, "Did I hurt you?"

"A little," Leila said. He didn’t apologize. Instead, he asked, "Where were you last night? Who were you with?" At least his tone was gentler now.

Leila found him exhausting. He changed his attitude on a whim. People always said women were fickle—but men were far worse.

"A friend," Leila said, thinking of Cherry’s smiling face.

"Man or woman?" he pressed.

"A woman."

"Since when did you have friends?" Sean had no idea what was going on in Leila’s life. He felt like he was losing control over her, and that made him uncomfortable. "You mean those two secretaries from Nathaniel Cole’s company? You should stay away from people like that. They’re not worth befriending."

He didn’t like secretaries—it wasn’t a profession with a good reputation.

Leila frowned. "Who I befriend is my choice. I don’t need your permission."

"I’m your husband!" he snapped.

"You didn’t seem to think so last night," Leila shot back.

"I—" Sean fell silent as Leila turned to leave.

They’d only taken a few steps when a young woman hurried toward them. It was Cherry.

Leila froze at the sight of her. Cherry skidded to a stop in front of her, slightly out of breath. She held out a hair tie. "Hey, Pretty Leila! You left this at my place last night, so I brought it back. I noticed it matched your tie-dye bag, so I figured it must be something sentimental. It’s a bit cheap-looking, but I thought you’d be upset if you lost it."

Leila hadn’t even noticed she’d left her hair tie behind at Cherry’s place. She was used to being frugal and holding onto things, which was why she still used that tie-dye bag. But a hair tie was such a small thing—she hadn’t thought much of it. Yet here was Cherry, returning it to her at this particular moment. Something felt off.

"So you stayed at her place last night?" Sean asked sharply.

The Cole siblings didn’t look much alike. Cherry took after their mother, while Nathaniel took after their father. And Cherry rarely appeared in public. Sean had barely met Nathaniel, let alone his sister, who was kept out of the spotlight by the family.

Cherry glanced at him, not recognizing who he was. "Pretty Leila, who’s this?"

Before Leila could answer, Sean said immediately, "I’m her husband."

Cherry staggered slightly. "You’re married?"

Then what about Nath? Who was going to deal with that menace now?!

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Leila didn’t confirm it right away. She only gave a faint, noncommittal hum.

"What?" Cherry sized Sean up and down. He was no match for Nath! What a shame that Pretty Leila was married to such a man.

Sean sensed her disdain and felt challenged. He pulled out a business card and said, "Thank you for taking care of my wife last night."

This was how he pretended to be polished and gentle in front of others, Leila thought.

"No thanks," Cherry declined with a smile.

Sean frowned and glanced at Leila, his expression clearly asking, ’So this is the friend you’ve been hanging out with?’

Leila didn’t care whether Sean approved of Cherry. She liked her, and that was enough. She took back the hair tie, slipped it into her pocket, then pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to Cherry.

"Thanks, Pretty Leila," Cherry said cheerfully. She dabbed at her sweat with the tissue and looped her arm through Leila’s. "Come on, help me pick out some clothes." She’d rushed over after her brother’s call and hadn’t even had a chance to change out of her pajamas.

"Okay," Leila nodded.

Sean, however, had a thought—people who could afford to shop at this mall were hardly ordinary. So he asked, "May I have your name, please?"

"Just call me Nina," Cherry said smoothly. Then she leaned in and whispered to Leila, "It’s my mother’s maiden name."

It was the first time Leila had felt that kind of effortless trust from a friend, and it made her smile. That smile was like a shaft of sunlight breaking through rain-soaked lily petals—brief but radiant. Sean found himself momentarily stunned.

"Bye," Leila said as she pulled Cherry away.

He didn’t stop her, but he called after her, "It’s Cecilia’s birthday tomorrow. Don’t forget to get her a gift and be home early."

"Heard you," Leila replied without turning back.

Cherry asked, "Who’s Cecilia?"

"His sister."

"So you’re buying a gift for his sister—that makes sense. But why do you have to be home early?"

"To cook," Leila said simply. It had been like this for four years. The Sinclair family always hosted gatherings at home, and they always needed Leila and the maid to handle the cooking together.

Cherry’s jaw dropped. "Is that guy really your husband? What kind of husband is that? You know, in my house, the second my mom picks up a hairdryer, my dad comes running like a storm to help her. As for cooking? Forget it—we have a chef at home. But my father actually learned a few tricks from our chef just because my mom sometimes gets midnight cravings, and—"

She stopped abruptly as she noticed Leila’s expression shift slightly. "Sorry. I’m talking too much."

"No, no, it’s fine," Leila said with a small smile. "It’s just... that’s my problem to deal with."

Cherry’s eyes brightened. "Pretty Leila..."

’What a pity. Why is she already married to someone else?’ Cherry couldn’t help thinking.

"Yeah?" Leila asked.

"What were you thinking, getting married so early? The best hasn’t even come along yet."

With Cherry beside her, Leila found herself more relaxed than she’d expected. She asked, "What do you mean by ’the best’?"

"My brother," Cherry said. "He’s annoying, sure, but he’s actually a great guy."

Leila shot her a look. "Does your brother know you’re trying to set him up with a married woman?"

Cherry shrugged. "So what if you’re married? We live in the modern world!"

Leila didn’t take it seriously. She figured they were just innocent words from a young girl. They kept walking, chatting as they went.

Behind them, two figures peeked out from around the corner—Gwen and Caine.

Gwen said, "Wait—no Zachary?"

Caine said, "What’s Miss Cole doing here?"

"Did you hear that?" Caine added. "President Sinclair is Leila’s husband."

Gwen stammered. "I... I did. But wasn’t he just shopping with another woman? I could even smell the same perfume on both of them!"