The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Halfway through their meal, Leila Jennings received a voice call from Claire Rhodes, who simultaneously sent her a text message.

[Your husband just showed up out of nowhere!]

Leila Jennings immediately put down her chopsticks. Apologizing to Nathaniel Cole, she stood up and walked to the window to answer the call.

"Hello? What do I do? Your husband just showed up, and the receptionist called me Mrs. Sinclair. I almost ran right into him." The voice on the phone was quiet and cautious. "I ducked into the restroom as fast as I could, but he’s waiting for me right outside! What should I do? Hasn’t he messaged you?"

Leila Jennings scrolled to her chat with Sean Sinclair. He had indeed sent a message asking if her stomach was bothering her.

"Did the receptionist say why he was there?"

"She said something about a surprise. I think I saw a bouquet of flowers. He’s here to pick you up after class for lunch."

’He couldn’t find me, so he decided to stake out the center.’

Leila said, "Don’t make a sound. I’ll stall him. I’m on my way."

After hanging up, she immediately replied to Sean’s message.

[My stomach is killing me. I think I’m getting my period.]

[Why did you suddenly show up to get me?]

[The receptionist said you had a surprise for me. I just caught a glimpse—is it a bouquet of flowers?]

Sean Sinclair: [Leila, I really want to apologize. Please don’t ignore my messages.]

In reality, aside from the barrage of messages that first night, Sean hadn’t texted much. He was too busy.

With the bid submission deadline drawing near, every company that had received an invitation was racing against the clock.

Don’t let Nathaniel Cole’s calm and composed demeanor this morning fool you. Last night, everyone in the group chat "That Bastard Cole is Spouting BS Again" was complaining about how President Cole had made them all work overtime. If it weren’t for the overtime pay and reimbursement for late-night snacks, they would’ve burst into tears.

Caine and the others hadn’t said their goodnights until one in the morning.

Leila Jennings glanced at the man still leisurely eating his lunch and walked over to him.

"President Cole, I’m so sorry, but something urgent has come up and I have to leave. I’ll make it up to you next time."

With that, she turned to leave.

"Wait." Nathaniel Cole stopped her. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked, a hint of anger in his voice, "What’s so urgent that you can’t even finish a meal?"

"Either explain yourself, or sit down and eat. It’s bad form for a host to abandon their guest."

Leila knew he was right.

Nathaniel Cole could see her distress and urgency. "The short version."

"Sean Sinclair signed me up for a parenting class, but I hired someone to go in my place. He doesn’t know, and now he’s shown up there. The person I hired is hiding in the restroom," Leila explained quickly. "I have to get over there right now."

Nathaniel Cole’s deep eyes remained fixed on her. Leila could tell the man was displeased.

’Inviting someone to a meal only to run off halfway through—of course he wouldn’t be happy.’ Leila spoke again, "I have to go. I can’t let Sean find out I hired a substitute for the class."

"Still worried about what he thinks of you." The man’s voice deepened, his gaze darkening with it.

"No." Leila shook her head. "Until the divorce is finalized, I can’t afford to anger Sean. If this drags on and we end up in court, it won’t do me any good."

The income from her project was only going to increase. If she couldn’t get a judgment that forced Sean to leave the marriage with nothing, half of her patent royalties could go to him. ’Let Sean use my money to keep supporting the Sinclair family and Sarah Lynch?’

’The thought was horrifying.’

She had to prevent that from happening. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"I’m sorry, President Cole." Leila gave a slight bow.

Nathaniel Cole stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I’ll take you."

"President Cole," Leila said, looking at him, "I can’t risk angering Sean any further. He’s already hostile toward you."

Nathaniel Cole let out an exasperated laugh and sat back down.

"Thank you, President Cole."

As Leila rushed to the center, she texted Sean to stall for time.

[My period really did start. I don’t have anything with me, and I’ve stained my pants.]

[Could you do me a huge favor and go to a nearby supermarket to buy me this specific brand of pads?]

[/Image]

Sean didn’t reply right away. She had no idea if he believed her, or if he would actually go buy them for her.

A minute later.

Sean replied: [I’ll ask the receptionist.]

Leila’s heart leaped into her throat.

’I forgot.’ Sean was the "perfect gentleman" everyone praised, and he was excellent at dealing with people.

He could ask a woman if she had a spare pad with complete composure.

Leila kept typing.

[I’m really used to this brand. If it’s possible, I’d rather stick with this one.]

She sent the picture again.

Sean: [You rarely ask me for anything.]

Leila wasn’t sure how to take that.

A knot of anxiety tightened in her stomach.

Sean: [I’m actually happy you’re willing to talk to me about something so private.]

Leila let out half a breath of relief and told the driver to speed up.

Leila: [Did you find out?]

Sean: [They don’t have that brand. There’s a supermarket nearby, I’ll go buy it for you.]

Leila: [Thank you.]

After getting out of the car, Leila put on a face mask. She didn’t run into Sean and went straight to the women’s restroom.

She raised her hand and knocked on the stall door where Claire Rhodes was hiding.

"It’s me."

Recognizing her voice, Claire Rhodes unlocked the door from the inside. Her frayed nerves finally began to settle.

"You’re here! Can I leave now?"

"Change clothes." Leila couldn’t be sure if Sean had caught a glimpse of Claire.

"Okay." Claire started taking off her clothes. As they swapped, she asked, "Why can’t you just let your husband know? His surprise attack nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I don’t want to take the parenting class."

"Then why not just tell him that? Is he forcing you?"

"Yeah." Leila put on Claire’s hat. Seeing how curious she was, she added, "He cheated. I don’t want to have his child."

Claire’s eyes widened. "Fucking scumbag!"

They finished swapping clothes.

Claire deliberately tied up her hair, showing her whole face so she wouldn’t be mistaken for Leila.

"What about this afternoon’s class? If you two go out to eat now, you might not make it back in time, right?"

"I won’t be with him for long. Just wait for my message," Leila said with a small smile. "Go find a place to have lunch."

"Okay, I’m off." Claire was about to walk straight out of the restroom when Leila called out to her again.

"What is it?"

"Aren’t you going to wash your hands after using the restroom?" Leila gestured with her eyes toward the sinks.

Comprehension dawned on Claire.

She went to the sink, turned on the tap, and washed her hands thoroughly. Then she pulled out a paper towel and started drying her hands as she walked out.

A tall, handsome man in a white shirt and black vest was walking toward her. A faint smile played on his lips, and he held a bouquet of roses. He was so handsome it could make a heart skip a beat.

And yet, this gentle, handsome man was rotten to the core.

The smile vanished from Claire’s lips.

As she passed him, she deliberately flicked the water droplets from her hand in his direction. Even though none of them hit him, it still felt a little satisfying.

’Fucking cheating scumbag!’

"Excuse me, miss..." Sean suddenly stopped and called out to her.

Claire’s back went rigid.

Hearing his voice from inside the restroom, Leila instantly held her breath.