Chapter 4

Cayson watched Adrienne closely, then sneaked a glance at Corey.

Corey rushed forward, almost throwing himself at them. "Dad, relax. Mom's been good this week. She stayed home and took care of her injury."

Cayson finally breathed easy.

Adrienne listened to the cryptic exchange between father and son, and it all clicked for her.

She clenched her palm tight, then relaxed her grip. Whatever feelings she still had for Corey faded away completely.

Corey couldn't wait any longer. He blurted out, "Dad, come on, spill the beans. What happened with you and..."

Cayson quickly cleared his throat, cutting Corey off, and gave Adrienne a smile.

He said gently, "Honey, I'm going to help Corey with his homework. If you're tired, just go to bed without me."

With that, Cayson scooped Corey up and hurried upstairs.

Adrienne's gaze was distant.

"Cayson," she called out. "Do you remember that the day after tomorrow is Corey's fourth birthday?"

Cayson replied, "Of course I remember. Don't worry, honey, everything's already set up."

Adrienne watched as they disappeared upstairs, swallowing the words she'd been about to say.

That day, they'd have to say goodbye.

The day before Corey's birthday, Cayson took Adrienne to try on evening gowns.

As soon as they walked in, Adrienne froze.

Cayson stopped in his tracks too. "What are you doing here?" he blurted out, still stunned.

Sophia, dressed in a store uniform, stood at the entrance with a smile, greeting them.

Adrienne's voice was icy. "Didn't you say you fired her?" she asked.

Cayson frowned, and when he noticed Sophia's eyes suddenly welling up with tears, he let out a sigh. "I did let her go, but I can't just completely ruin her life, right?

"Honey, she doesn't work for my company anymore. What else can I do?

"Besides, I honestly had no idea she started working here."

But this store had always belonged to Cayson.

If Sophia could work here, it meant everyone working for Cayson knew who she was.

Adrienne clenched her fist, her voice barely above a whisper. "Oh," she replied softly.

She didn't have the strength to argue with Cayson anymore, so she simply motioned for another staff member to come over.

"Where's the evening gown I ordered last time?" Adrienne asked.

Cayson caught the icy look on Adrienne's face, and a sudden sense of dread crept up on him.

Before he could even figure out what he was feeling, Sophia's startled cry snapped him back to reality.

The evening gown Adrienne had ordered a month ago now had a huge rip along the left side of the skirt, with pearls scattered everywhere.

Sophia went ghostly pale as she locked eyes with Adrienne. But there wasn't a trace of panic in her eyes.

He said, "Sorry, Mrs. Bush, I really didn't do it on purpose."

Cayson instinctively moved to stand in front of Sophia, shielding her. He swallowed hard, feeling awkward. "Honey, it's just an evening gown. Let's pick out another one.

"Don't let someone careless mess up your mood."

Adrienne's face was unreadable; the pain and turmoil she'd felt before had faded away.

She glanced at Sophia, and out of the corner of her eye, caught Sophia deliberately reaching out to hook her fingers around Cayson's hand, which he had hidden behind his back.

Cayson's throat tightened. He was obviously affected.

But that dress had been personally designed by Cayson for her. He once said he only designed clothes for the woman he loved.

Cayson spent three months having a renowned international tailor make it just for her.

Adrienne closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself. "Bring me the newest gown," she said flatly.

Inside the fitting room, Adrienne had just put on the evening gown when she heard the lock turn with a loud click.

The sound was especially harsh, echoing in the small space.

A wave of dread rose up in Adrienne's chest. She pushed at the door, but it didn't move an inch.

Then she knocked again, but no one answered from outside.

But when she'd first stepped in, Cayson had been right there, waiting by the door.

Adrienne had severe claustrophobia.

Back in middle school, she was a late bloomer and pretty short, so some girls bullied her just for fun.

One time, they locked her in the school bathroom. It was winter, and as night fell, the temperature dropped sharply.

Just before they left, those girls dumped a bucket of cold water all over her.

Adrienne curled up in the corner, shivering so hard she could barely move, her body going numb from the cold.

She screamed until her throat was raw, but no one answered her.

Her voice just kept bouncing off the walls of that tiny bathroom, echoing again and again.

Her parents were caught up in their messy divorce, too busy to care. Maybe they noticed she didn't come home, but they didn't bother to check. Nobody wanted to deal with a kid dragging them down anymore.

After midnight, just as Adrienne was about to pass out, a boy's voice kept calling her name from outside, not stopping for a second.

It was Cayson who found her, carried her on his back, and rushed her to the hospital.

He took off his own jacket and gave it to Adrienne, twisting from the cold, but stubbornly kept holding her hand the whole time.

"Don't be scared. Tomorrow, I'll get back at them," Cayson said, determined.

Cayson wasn't just talking. He always followed through.

After that, no one ever dared to pick on Adrienne again.

But the shadow from that day was too much; her claustrophobia never eased up, even after all these years.

Cayson always stuck with her, never letting her stay trapped in a small space for too long.

At that moment, Adrienne's lips were completely drained of color, cracked and ghostly pale.

Her fingers trembled uncontrollably, her fingertips just resting weakly on the doorknob.

"Let me out," Adrienne whispered, her voice barely audible.

Adrienne's vision kept fading in and out, and her mind was slipping further and further away.

One of the staff outside heard Adrienne's voice getting weaker and felt bad for her.

"Mrs. Bush really sounds like something's wrong... Should we just open the door?" the staff said, worry in her voice.

Another staff grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Are you nuts? Mr. Bush is getting really close with that woman right now.

"If you let her out, you'll mess things up for him. Do you still want this job?"

Adrienne collapsed onto the floor, her mouth opening and closing, too weak to even cry out for help. She was gasping desperately for air like a fish out of water.

Lying there, her senses seemed to magnify everything. She thought she heard movement coming from the next room.

Cayson's voice, hoarse and angry, snapped from the other side.