The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Zachary saw his president’s face visibly darken after hearing Leila Jennings say the gift was for someone else.

"President Sinclair lavishes three million a month on another woman, while his own wife is still using an old phone with a cracked screen." The man’s cold voice was filled with mockery, especially when he spat out the final two words: "Mrs. Sinclair."

It sounded just like a curse.

Leila Jennings turned and left.

Nathaniel Cole watched her figure disappear through the office door. His fingers tightened slightly as he muttered, ’Spineless.’

Zachary sighed inwardly.

No wonder the Cole family was worried President Cole would end up alone. They had started pushing him to marry early, hoping to capitalize on his youth and good looks.

They’d been at it for three years, and still, there hadn’t been a single scandal.

Wealthy heiresses were scared off by President Cole’s sharp tongue, and while some debutantes and socialites forced themselves to make a move, they couldn’t handle him in the end.

In fact, President Cole was actually holding back with Jennings. He at least took the initiative to show concern—whether it was using the Cole family’s hotel, backing her up, or sending gifts, none of it was typical of his usual behavior.

That was why he was so shocked to see President Cole trying to steal another man’s wife.

...

When Leila Jennings returned to the apartment complex where she and Sean Sinclair had lived for four years, she happened upon Sarah Lynch moving. Each piece of furniture and every single piece of clothing, bag, and shoe the movers carried out would have been enough to completely fill her and Sean’s home.

It was an endless procession.

Sarah Lynch reminded the movers, "Be careful. Everything’s very expensive."

She turned her head, and their eyes met.

"Leila Jennings, you’re back." Sarah Lynch walked up with a smile, her red lips curled in a smug arc. "I kept telling Sean not to buy me so many things. Now I’ve been moving for a whole day and I’m still not finished. It’s killing me."

"If you’re so tired, just throw it all away." Leila Jennings was taller than Sarah Lynch, but Sarah was wearing ten-centimeter heels, allowing her to look down on Leila.

"Haven’t you heard of the expression ’a sweet burden’?"

When Sarah Lynch didn’t see the angry reaction she’d hoped for from Leila, she grew even more disgruntled. "Sean cares more about me than he does about you. Aren’t you the least bit angry?"

Mistresses have always loved to provoke the legal wife by flaunting how well the man treats them. They see the wife’s anger as a trophy, as if it’s the only way they can feel truly superior.

So, Leila replied, "What would you know? This is the confidence that comes with being the wife. Something the other woman lacks."

Sarah Lynch’s face paled with anger.

"You’re wrong, Leila. The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel." She leaned in close to Leila’s ear. "Do you know why I’m moving? Sean bought me a luxury high-rise apartment, while you get to stay cooped up in this tiny place."

"I know," Leila retorted. "Does Sean know you’re bragging about this to his legal wife? You know how much he cares about his reputation."

’All these years, Sean never took me to public events because he thought I was an embarrassment.’

’Cheating on his wife is even more disgraceful.’

Of course, Sarah Lynch knew this. Her chest heaved with anger again as she spat out a threat: "Sean is going to divorce you."

"How wonderful." This time, it wasn’t a curse.

Leila Jennings walked past Sarah Lynch, unlocked the door with her fingerprint, and stepped inside. The place looked like it had been ransacked. Clothes were draped over the sofa, and socks were scattered everywhere.

Since he was a child, Sean Sinclair had always been a top student. His parents had pinned all their hopes on him, and as long as he focused on his studies, they took care of everything else for him.

But it wasn’t that Sean was completely incapable of looking after himself—otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen for him in the first place. It was simply because she was always there to clean up after him that he stopped bothering, continuing to play the role of the high and mighty emperor.

Leila Jennings scanned the room, fighting her neat-freak instincts. She cleared just enough space on the sofa to sit down, but the moment she did, she noticed the cluttered coffee table and the stains on its surface.

She kept holding it in.

’If I can’t hold it in, I’ll be the one who has to do the work.’

She got up and went into the walk-in closet to pack a few of her things. She didn’t dare take too much, afraid Sean would become suspicious.

Sean had already signed her up for parenting classes. It was a clear attempt to trap her with a child, while Sarah Lynch moved into a luxury high-rise, creating distance so they could carry on their affair more easily.

Sean planned to have his cake and eat it too.

She would move her things out little by little, building her own nest elsewhere.

Just as she finished packing, she heard the front door open.

Sean was back.

He noticed her shoes by the entrance and, knowing Leila had obediently returned, called into the apartment, "Honey?"

Leila pretended not to hear him.

A moment later, Sean appeared at the walk-in closet, leaning against the doorframe. "I was calling for you. Why didn’t you answer?"

"Were you?" Leila said, casually picking up one of his suit jackets. "I was just organizing the clothes."

"Hang up the suit I brought back from the office, too. If it has any wrinkles, iron them out. I need to wear it in a couple of days," Sean ordered her around as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The course cards hadn’t arrived yet, so Leila had no choice but to slowly hang up the suit.

From the other room, Sean’s voice came again, ordering her around. "Honey, the sheets and duvet cover need to be changed, too. They’re..."

His voice trailed off.

’He must have lifted the covers and seen the evidence,’ Leila guessed.

She walked over. "What’s wrong?"

Sean jumped, quickly balling up the sheet. He turned to Leila with a smile. "It’s nothing. I just figured since I’m here, I might as well change it."

"Okay." Leila nodded, watching him toss the sheet into the washing machine, pour in detergent, and start the cycle. He didn’t even wait to strip the duvet cover and wash them together.

With his back to Leila, Sean let out a secret sigh of relief. But when he turned and saw her watching him, his heart leaped back into his throat.

"What is it?" Sean asked, his gaze gentle.

Leila seized the opportunity. "Why don’t we clean up the house together? I’ve only been gone a few days, I can’t imagine how you made such a mess."

"The flowerpot on the windowsill is even knocked over." She glanced toward it.

Sean followed her gaze. An image flashed in his mind of that night—Sarah Lynch leaning against the windowsill, her hand accidentally knocking over the pot.

His temples throbbed. "I’ll clean the living room and the bedroom," he said. "You can handle the rest."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work," Leila said pointedly. "Those two places are the messiest, after all."

Sean’s breath hitched. "Well, those are the main areas we use, and you’ve been gone for a few days. See? This house just can’t function without you."

Leila just smiled faintly without a word and went back to the walk-in closet.

Sean cleaned the living room meticulously. He found a tube of lipstick between the sofa cushions—something Leila didn’t even own.

Then, under the bed, he found a pair of black lace panties, and his face went pale with fright.

He couldn’t throw either item in the trash; Leila would see them when she took out the garbage. His only option was to stuff them into his pocket.

DING DONG, DING DONG...

The doorbell rang. Leila went to answer it and received four different boxes. She opened them to find the course cards and printed class materials.

Sean walked over. "What do you think of the classes?"

"They’re great." Right in front of him, Leila put the cards and materials into her bag. Then, she casually sent a sticker to Cherry Cole on her phone, making sure to turn the volume all the way up.

Less than ten seconds later, her phone rang.

But the caller ID wasn’t Cherry Cole.