The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

"If I drop the lawsuit, what’s wrong with an eye for an eye?" Leila Jennings calmly retorted. "Besides, I’m just making her wait. I have class on the weekends—unless you think I should just skip it."

Sean Sinclair: "You should go to class. When you quit your job and come back, we’ll start trying for a baby."

"Mm," Leila Jennings replied flatly and walked straight out, leaving the bouquet of roses on the chair.

Sean Sinclair grabbed the flowers and followed her, personally escorting her to her class. He then shoved the bouquet into her arms and hugged her in front of everyone.

"Is that Mrs. Sinclair? Mr. Sinclair even brought her here himself. They must be so in love."

"Mr. Sinclair is such a good husband, willing to spend money on his wife and even buying her flowers. My husband could never learn to be so romantic. I had to beg him for ages just to sign me up for this class."

Hearing these comments, the corners of Sean Sinclair’s lips curved up slightly. He thoroughly enjoyed the envious gazes from others.

He pulled Leila Jennings a little tighter.

Leila Jennings’s body was as stiff as a statue. "Class is starting," she urged.

"Okay." A hint of reluctance entered Sean Sinclair’s eyes as he looked at her.

Under Sean Sinclair’s watchful gaze, Leila Jennings had no choice but to enter the classroom and find a seat in the corner. This was what she and Claire Rhodes had agreed upon—to keep a low profile.

She had just sat down when a message from Sean Sinclair appeared on her phone. Even though she had his notifications silenced, the message still popped up at the top.

Sean Sinclair: [I just heard someone say you’ve been wearing a mask the whole time and not really interacting with the others?]

Leila Jennings: [Afraid I’d embarrass you.]

Leila Jennings: [Doesn’t your family think I’m not fit to be seen in public?]

Sean Sinclair read every word Leila Jennings typed, a heavy feeling settling in his chest.

He replied: [No one will say that in the future. Once you have a child, Mom and Dad will be overjoyed.]

Leila Jennings: [Class is starting.]

She put her phone away and listened attentively for half the class before excusing herself to the restroom, where she swapped clothes with Claire Rhodes.

Claire Rhodes whispered, "I know it’s exciting to meet up like spies, but we can’t keep this up forever, can we?"

"We won’t have to," Leila Jennings said, calculating the time. "You won’t have to be so careful by next weekend’s class."

"Why not?"

’Because the divorce will be finalized by then.’

"Okay, I won’t ask. I’m going back to class, I missed the first half." Claire Rhodes rubbed her belly with a gentle expression. She was already pregnant.

Leila Jennings noticed and said, "Congratulations. I recorded the first half, you can listen to it later."

"Great!" Claire Rhodes put on her mask, let her hair down to cover most of her face, and returned to the classroom.

After all the delays, it was already four in the afternoon by the time Leila Jennings returned to No. 9 Norsen.

Nathaniel Cole was no longer there.

Leila Jennings walked toward the dining room. Just as she would at the Sinclair residence, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to clear the dishes. But when she looked up, the dining table was spotless, the tablecloth perfectly neat.

Leila Jennings couldn’t believe her eyes. She even wondered if a starving burglar had broken in.

It was an overcast day. The window was slightly ajar, and an autumn breeze gently lifted a corner of the tablecloth, blowing a note from the table.

Leila Jennings stepped forward and picked it up.

Three words were written on it in a flamboyant script.

[Kitchen.

Nathaniel Cole.]

Holding the palm-sized note, Leila Jennings walked to the kitchen and pulled open the door.

The kitchen was also spotless. There wasn’t even a speck of residue in the sink, but a pair of blue and pink plastic gloves was sitting beside it.

She tilted her head.

A new white dishwasher stood in the kitchen.

Leila Jennings stared in a daze. She pulled it open to find the dishes already washed, sanitized, and still warm.

On top of the dishwasher was another note, this one with three words.

[Fridge.

Nathaniel Cole.]

Leila Jennings looked back at the clean dining room, then around the tidy kitchen, blinking in a daze.

She opened the fridge. Inside were several plates covered in plastic wrap—the leftovers from lunch.

There was another note on top.

[You probably don’t like to waste food. Finish it yourself.

Nathaniel Cole.]

Leila Jennings couldn’t help but let the corners of her lips curve into a small smile.

It was true; she didn’t like to waste things.

For any child who grew up in an orphanage, wasting food was a shameful act, because they had often gone hungry.

The Sinclair family had scolded her for it, saying that even after marrying Sean Sinclair, she couldn’t shake off her "country bumpkin" habits. It only made them look down on her even more.

Leila Jennings took out the leftovers, reheated them, and sat in the dining room, eating slowly.

It had been a long time since she had felt this happy eating alone. She finished every last bite and then made a point of posting on her social media, blocking the Sinclair family from seeing it.

The caption read: "Operation Clean Plate."

When she got up to wash the dishes, she made a point of using the new dishwasher.

[President Cole, the dishwasher works great. Thank you.]

Nathaniel Cole: [Mm. It’s a product from the Cole Group.]

Leila Jennings thought she could detect a hint of pride in his words.

[You’re amazing, President Cole.]

A small smile touched Nathaniel Cole’s lips.

But the words he typed were cold: [Stop sucking up.]

...

Two days later, Sean Sinclair returned home.

Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair were discussing the divorce certificate when they heard a noise at the lock and immediately fell silent.

Seeing it was their son, they were startled for a moment before breathing a sigh of relief. Good thing their hearing was sharp.

"You’re back," Mrs. Sinclair said, walking over. "Sarah told me you’ve been very busy these past few days and haven’t been replying to messages much."

Sean Sinclair took off his coat and hung it up. Seeing his parents looking radiant, he asked, "What’s the happy occasion?"

’Of course, it’s because we’re about to get rid of that useless daughter-in-law, Leila Jennings, the one with no decent job who can’t even produce a child.’

"It’s a surprise. We’ll tell you in a few days when it’s confirmed," Mrs. Sinclair said. Looking at his slightly weary eyes, she added with concern, "Look at you, you’ve been so busy lately you haven’t been sleeping well."

"It’s not just work." Part of it was because Leila Jennings’s words kept replaying in his mind.

’I don’t want to doubt Sarah. It would be better to ask Cecilia first.’

"Where’s Cecilia?" The expression on Sean Sinclair’s face soured at the mention of his sister.

Mrs. Sinclair’s smile stiffened slightly. ’He’s still holding a grudge over that.’

"There’s no reason for siblings to hold grudges overnight. Don’t pull such a long face. You’ll scare her when she gets back."

"Where did she go?"

"Sarah invited her to go shopping. Isn’t the bidding for that one project coming up soon? Of course Sarah needs to get a nice outfit so she can make a stunning appearance." Mrs. Sinclair grew more excited as she spoke. "When your company wins the bid, you’ll represent your company, and she’ll represent the project for the contract signing ceremony. The media will hail you as the perfect couple!"

Mrs. Sinclair was especially relieved that her son’s divorce from Leila Jennings would be finalized before the bidding.

Sean Sinclair was only focused on the fact that Cecilia had gone shopping. He reprimanded in a low voice, "She does something wrong and she’s still in the mood to go shopping? She should be thinking about how to apologize to her sister-in-law."

With that, he dialed his sister’s number. "You’re about done shopping, right? Come home. I need to talk to you about something."

Mr. Sinclair put down the magazine in his hands, tilting his head to look up at his son. "You’re going to make Cecilia apologize to Leila Jennings?"

"Leila Jennings will only drop the lawsuit if she apologizes." Seeing the displeased expressions on his parents’ faces, Sean Sinclair said helplessly, "Dad, Mom, Cecilia did something wrong, so she should apologize. And it’s Leila Jennings we’re talking about—her own sister-in-law."

"I have something more important to ask her."