CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: HIS GUILTY COMPENSATION

Around 10:30 that night, Caleb Sinclair made his usual video call. By then, Sienna Monroe’s tears had already soaked the duvet cover. She didn’t answer, and after the ringtone stopped, she slowly sat up and went to the bathroom to wash.

The next day, she didn’t wait for a call from the lady of the house, but when she returned in the evening, she found that Caleb Sinclair, who had said he would be on "a business trip" for three to five days, had suddenly appeared at home.

A large bouquet of roses was placed on the coffee table in the living room.

She was quite surprised.

Seeing her expression change from surprise to delight, Caleb’s emotions relaxed, and he smiled warmly, "Do you like it?"

"I like it." Sienna nodded, gently caressing a petal, trying hard to let joy fill her eyes, and asked in surprise, "How did you come back today? Weren’t you supposed to be away for a few more days?"

"Things got finished sooner, so I came back. I wanted to surprise you, so I didn’t tell you."

The so-called finished business was taking good care of Vivian Nash.

Sienna felt a heavy weight in her heart.

She never realized that smiling could be such a difficult task.

Caleb Sinclair used to come back early from business trips and give her various surprises.

He was a romantic and gentle, considerate person. Over the years, he had always been so perfect.

Sienna couldn’t find a single flaw in him.

But it was this kind of person, without sharp edges, who could perfectly conceal the darkness and filth in his heart.

"You look alright today. Is there any discomfort?" Caleb took her hand, his eyes filled with ultimate tenderness and deep affection.

She was reminded of the last video sent to her by the private detective last night—fireworks blooming in the night sky, and he looked at Vivian Nash with the same eyes.

When Vivian coyly leaned into his arms, he raised his hand to caress the back of her head and affectionately kissed the top of her hair.

Those frames kept replaying in her mind.

It was disgusting.

Her throat tightened, and her voice carried a bitter taste, "No, I’m fine."

As she spoke, she gently pulled her hand back, "I’ll take a photo and post it on Moments."

She took a few photos of the bouquet, picked one, and applied a filter.

Caption: Tenderness is the rose, love made tangible.

Before posting, she held her phone up to him, eagerly asking, "How is it? This caption."

Caleb’s smile deepened in his eyes, "You like it so much?"

"Yes, I do." After posting the photo, Sienna put her phone away, "I’ll find a vase to arrange the flowers."

"Okay, you go ahead, I’ll cook for you. What would you like to eat?"

"Aren’t you tired just coming back? Let Auntie Miller do it, you should rest."

Caleb gently tapped her nose with his finger, affectionately saying, "Cooking for you is never tiring, it’s my happiness, my exclusive happiness."

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, "After you’ve arranged the flowers, you can go upstairs and change your clothes."

For a moment, Sienna felt dazed, watching his back as he walked to the kitchen, it all felt somewhat unreal.

Clearly so close, yet untouchable.

After a while, she finally looked away, turned around, and found two porcelain vases. She trimmed the roses and placed them in the vases.

Ding!

Just as she finished arranging the last rose, the message ringtone sounded.

She paused, took out her phone to look at the message: [The gray coat Caleb Sinclair wore yesterday has aquarium tickets he and Vivian Nash bought together in the pocket. There’s also a couple of dolphin keychains he got with Vivian from Glenmore City Aquarium in his suitcase. You can also check the back-and-forth ticket orders on his phone, and WeChat spending records.]

Sienna pursed her lips, went upstairs, and found his black suitcase in the closet.

She had bought this suitcase for him the year before last.

The password was their wedding anniversary, the one she set.

Opening the suitcase, his clothes and toiletries were neatly organized inside.

Not a bit of disorder.

In the past, whenever the two of them went out, Caleb always packed for both of them. He didn’t even need to ask because he knew what she would need, even coordinating all her outfits.

Sienna took out the coat and, sure enough, found two aquarium tickets in the right pocket.

The time and price were printed on them.

She easily found the dolphin keychain mentioned in the message from the suitcase.

The small blue dolphin was very cute and delicate.

The price tag hadn’t even been removed.

Price 399.

Sienna pulled her lips into a mocking smile, suppressing the sadness seeping out of her heart, took photos of the tickets and the keychain, then put the items back in place and closed the suitcase.

In the evening, Caleb cooked five dishes, all of which were her favorites and his best dishes.

"I was afraid you’d be hungry, couldn’t make soup in time today. Tomorrow I’ll make you yam and pork rib barley soup."

"It’s alright. My stomach’s not that big, I can’t eat that much."

Sienna’s appetite remained small; she only ate half a bowl of rice before putting down her chopsticks.

"Finished already?" Caleb frowned, "Why did you eat so little?"

"What do you mean? I clearly ate a lot of dishes."

Caleb Sinclair helplessly smiled, "Alright, alright, I’ve eaten a lot. Tomorrow I’ll eat more, okay?"

When Sienna Monroe came out after her shower, he was packing his suitcase.

"Need help?"

Caleb looked back at her, smiled, shook the suit jacket in his hand, and placed it in the closet, "No need, I’ve already got it sorted."

Sienna nodded, glancing at the empty suitcase on the floor.

"Come on, let me help you dry your hair."

"The suitcase..."

"It’s fine, I’ll pack it after I finish drying your hair."

Sienna said nothing more, sitting quietly at the vanity, watching in the mirror as Caleb plugged in the hairdryer, his fingers gently lifting her dripping wet hair.

The sound of the wind pounding in her ears like a drum.

Stirring her thoughts into even more chaos, never grasping the main point.

The man in the mirror, his movements gentle, his expression warm, everything seemed so natural.

After a while, the wind stopped, and her hair was dry.

Caleb gently stroked her fair, smooth cheek with his fingers, "All done. I’ll go take a shower now."

Sienna came back to reality, raising her eyes with a faint smile, "Mm, go ahead."

After finishing her skincare routine, she lifted the covers and sat on the bed, looking at the social media post she made over two hours ago.

It had already garnered over forty likes.

And more than ten comments.

Among them were mutual friends within their circle and friends she knew, all uniformly expressing envy towards her, praising Caleb’s romantic gestures.

Vivian Nash hadn’t liked the post, but commented: "The flowers look okay, but they’re not big enough. Tell Caleb Sinclair to buy bigger ones next time. Does he even have any sincerity?"

She wasn’t someone who liked posting on social media or showing off romances.

Whenever she posted something from Caleb, whether it was gifts or meals he prepared, Vivian never liked them, only commented.

Always some critical remarks and dissatisfaction towards Caleb.

Looking at these comments now, there are actually clues to be found.

Did she really have no intent to sow discord?

But now it’s no longer important.

Vivian’s biggest attempt to sow discord was getting Caleb to betray her.

Scrolling down further, she spotted a familiar yet surprising avatar among the fifth like.

Sebastian Prescott!

He actually liked the post.

Sienna was quite surprised.

Caleb came out from the wardrobe with pajamas in hand, casually asking, "What are you looking at?"

"Looking at the post I just made."

"How is it?"

"So many likes and comments, I can hardly keep up."

Caleb chuckled, heading straight to the bathroom.

Hearing the sound of running water, Sienna quickly picked up his phone and unlocked it.

Caleb’s business trip tickets were usually booked by his assistant; he only used the ticketing app on WeChat when traveling with her.

They had booked a first-class ticket for 7 PM the night before, returning after 8 last night.

Their schedule seems excessively precise.

Sienna chuckled softly, though there was a chill in her gaze; she documented evidence with photos before opening the WeChat billing records.

The expenses from the day before spanned hotel payments and yesterday’s bill, totaling 79 transactions.

Small amounts were as low as five or six dollars, larger ones in the thousands.

The total sum exceeded sixty thousand.

Payments like those made at the aquarium had fixed names.

She documented everything by taking photos.

After placing the phone back, she suddenly remembered Vivian’s Instagram account; with her personality, she might update her status to boast.

Logging into her alternative account, she found Vivian’s new post published just after midnight today.

The photos were taken at the aquarium, pure, beautiful, gentle with a hint of brightness.

Two photos were of her and Caleb, but neither was a frontal shot of Caleb; one showed his back, appearing as Vivian’s selfie.

The other was a side shot, the camera pulled away, Vivian wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him.

The photos looked like a film production.

There remained a turmoil that Sienna couldn’t settle in her eyes; she stared at them for a long time before exiting the alternative account, draped the covers over herself, and lay down sideways, closing her eyes.

Thinking back carefully, it seemed like whenever he returned from a business trip, he’d bring her gifts.

Those gifts might carry his guilt; his self-deception, believing that offering them makes him feel better.