CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: CALEB SINCLAIR’S BREAKUP SETTLEMENT

Sienna Monroe took two steps forward, blocking Vivian Nash’s view, and complained in a low voice, "Why are you just getting here?"

In the evening, Caleb Sinclair knew she’d be working overtime, so he sent the driver away and said he’d pick her up.

She had told him to be there around seven-thirty.

She originally thought he could catch the dramatic scene just now, to see Vivian Nash’s hypocrisy and superb acting skills.

"There was a serious traffic jam during the evening rush on Halcyon Road, delayed me by twenty minutes." Caleb Sinclair frowned, explaining while gently holding her arm to examine a bruise, "What happened?"

Sienna Monroe smiled and said, "It’s no big deal. Just now during the patrol, a girl behind me tripped and accidentally bumped into me."

Under his glasses, Caleb’s eyes were dark and deep, and his expression immediately became tense, "Then are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Is your stomach hurting?"

"Not hurting, I didn’t fall on my stomach, I used my arm to support myself."

Caleb was still not reassured, "No way, let’s go to the hospital for a check-up."

He said, pulling her to leave.

Sienna Monroe’s heart tightened, her first instinct was that she couldn’t go to the hospital.

Otherwise, the fake pregnancy would easily be exposed.

"I’m really fine, would I joke about the baby with you? Don’t be so nervous." She pressed his arm and softly said, "Just need to apply some ointment on this bruise."

Sienna Monroe’s skin was already pale, and around the bluish-purple mark, tiny red spots appeared, making him feel more and more heartbroken as he looked, unable to resist softly blowing on her wound, "Does it hurt a lot?"

Warm breath sprayed on her skin, raising goosebumps.

Sienna furrowed her brows, pulled her arm back uncomfortably, and used embarrassment to mask the rejection and disdain in her eyes.

She teased, "It feels much better now. People are watching."

Caleb Sinclair felt helpless, knowing she was thin-skinned, and with Nora Joyce and some others from the archives department around, he gently squeezed her hand, "I’ll go buy the medicine, you wait in the office for me."

"Alright."

Vivian Nash, standing aside, watched their intimate and affectionate demeanor, especially Caleb’s entire heart poured onto Sienna Monroe, his tenderness and concern for her were glaring.

The scale in her heart tipped instantly.

Last night, being left by Sienna was ignored, and there was no explanation afterward. During the day, he didn’t answer her calls either.

In their more than a year together, this had never happened before.

The eruption in her heart was more than just displeasure, it was jealousy and resentment wrapped in anger.

She had clearly fallen too.

But Caleb Sinclair acted as if he couldn’t see her at all.

The growing sense of grievance made her eyes well up, and finally, the tears that had been on the verge fell.

She quickly raised her hand to wipe away the tears, deliberately exposing her injured palm, her gentle and soft voice tinged with a sob, "The local pharmacy is a bit hard to find nearby, you probably won’t find it, let me go, you accompany Sienna up."

Hearing her voice, Caleb finally looked over at her, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the abrasions on her palm, slightly furrowing his brows.

Instinctively wanting to express concern, but with Sienna there, he could only casually ask, "What happened to your hand?"

Upon hearing this, Vivian quickly opened her hand for a glance and then tucked it behind her with a little smile, shaking her head, "It’s fine, minor issue, I’ll go get it first."

Because she had cried, her cheeks and nose looked like they were blushed.

With those shimmering watery eyes, pure yet enticing.

Caleb’s heart softened a bit, suspecting she was injured saving Sienna Monroe, reducing some of the doubts that had sprouted in his heart yesterday.

He called out to her, "Let me go instead. Just tell me where it is."

"It’s fine..."

Vivian could tell from his eyes that he was feeling sorry for her, a glimmer of excitement slowly overshadowing her previous negative emotions.

Sienna naturally noticed Caleb’s heartache and worry for her too.

She also recognized Vivian’s little tricks.

She wasn’t sure if it was pain or bitterness, her brain seemed numb, not able to feel very clearly.

If a man begins to feel heartache and worry for a woman, it proves that the woman holds a certain weight in his heart.

His heart can indeed be split in two.

Vivian likes to play the victim, so let her have enough of that.

"Let Vivian go instead, anyway, her hand also needs disinfection, who knows how long it would take for you to get back."

She clenched her fist in restraint, then slowly released it, smiling at Vivian, "Thank you, Vivian."

Vivian paused, her teary eyes glancing at her, showing an innocent and pitiful look once more, "It’s no trouble, I’ll go first then."

As she walked past them, she seemed to glance at Caleb, lowering her eyes in grievance.

Caleb pursed his lips, not following her with his gaze, but took Sienna’s hand and took the elevator to the curator’s office on the third floor.

"What’s the deal with Vivian Nash’s hand?"

Sienna turned to look at him, her eyes calm and gentle.

Caleb might have felt guilty being watched by her, he picked up her desk cup and poured her a glass of warm water, "I just saw that you and she both got hurt, I wanted to know what happened."

"I was just thinking about how to tell you, why are you so tense?" Sienna laughed softly.

"I just don’t want you to be overthinking things in that little head of yours."

Sienna snorted, taking the cup and sipping a few times, waiting for her throat to moisten before simply recounting today’s events.

When she mentioned that Stella Yates saw that it was Vivian Nash who stretched out her leg, Caleb Sinclair’s expression had already changed.

His eyes were dark and intense, with a hint of sharpness, completely devoid of the previous tenderness and concern.

"Do you really think it was Vivian who tripped her?"

Sienna Monroe studied his expression changes thoroughly, pondering in distress for a moment.

Then she slowly shook her head, "I think... it shouldn’t be. I’ve known Vivian for so many years, she’s not a ruthless person, and my pregnancy doesn’t cause her any conflict of interest. Besides, she told me long ago that she wanted to be my child’s godmother."

Conflict of interest?

Caleb Sinclair immediately thought about his relationship with Vivian Nash.

Could it be...

Sienna’s hesitant voice continued as she sighed, "But... Stella Yates, I know her too, she’s not someone who would lie."

"That spot happens to be a blind spot for the camera, can’t capture anything. Hearing them argue, I can’t draw a conclusion and fear of wrongly blaming someone, so I could only muddle through it."

Caleb frowned, the previous doubts surfaced once again, even deepened.

He squeezed her hand with affection, "No matter how those two argue, you’re the most innocent one. Look at this bruised arm, they must be penalized!"

"Alright, then a deduction of two hundred each!"

Caleb laughed, "What good is two hundred?"

Sienna tilted her head, "I can’t deduct thousands, their salary isn’t high, I’m not going to be a greedy boss."

They chatted for a while before Vivian Nash came back carrying a bag of medicine.

Upon entering, she saw Sienna leaning on Caleb’s shoulder, both talking and laughing.

This scene felt like a sharp blade, piercing inch by inch into her heart.

So painful.

Suppressing the storm in her eyes, she deliberately raised her voice, "Ahem, keep up appearances, this is a workplace, no public displays of affection allowed."

After speaking, she took out a tube of medicine from her pocket for Caleb, showing generosity, "Here, apply it on Sienna, remember to massage it in well while applying, it works better once warmed up."

Caleb looked at the medicine, "Promotes circulation and reduces bruising?"

Vivian’s heart skipped a beat, she nodded, "Yes, I asked the staff, they said this is the most effective."

Promotes circulation and reduces bruising?

This medicine used for pregnant women can cause abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, posing a high risk of miscarriage.

She took the medicine to confirm, her brows furrowed slightly, "Did you not ask the staff if this medicine is okay for pregnant women?"

Vivian met her gaze, her heart uncontrollably sped up.

In fact, when buying, she specifically asked for medicine that promotes circulation and reduces bruising.

It was merely wishful thinking that neither Caleb nor Vivian knew the matter.

On that pure and pretty face remained innocence and confusion, "I didn’t ask... just heard it was effective, so I bought it, is there a problem?"

"Using circulation-promoting medicine for pregnant women can cause miscarriage." Caleb interjected.

Vivian was startled, her face turned pale instantly, hastily waving her hand to explain, "I... I didn’t know, I really didn’t know pregnant women couldn’t use this medicine, I didn’t ask either."

"I’m sorry, Sienna, please believe me, I meant no harm, truly."

Seeing the suspicious looks from Sienna and Caleb directed at her, tears welled up in her eyes again. Anxiously, she retrieved another medicine from the bag, "Look, I was worried you might not want to use this after feeling pain from massaging, so I bought two other types of medicine. The staff said this medicine can be used with the heat compress."

Caleb accepted the medicine, speaking warmly to Sienna, "We don’t know much about this medicine, and she didn’t ask the staff. Let’s use a heat pad tonight and I’ll call the family doctor to check if it’s safe to use."

Sienna looked at the stepping stone Caleb offered to Vivian.

Even if there’s suspicion she might harm their child, does he still want to protect her?

Suddenly, she remembered that bizarre dream.

Now it seems, it’s not impossible.

The more important Vivian becomes to him, the lighter her own weight will be, light enough to forsake even their biological child.

She handed a few tissues to Vivian, teasing with a smile, "Don’t cry away your pearls, such a waste, we haven’t blamed you for anything, look how anxious you are."

Vivian took the tissues, glancing sideways as she responded haughtily, "How can I not be anxious? Just accused by Stella of harming you, and now purposely buying circulation-promoting medicine. I couldn’t clear my name even after jumping into The Siltflow River."

She wiped her tears, instinctively glancing at Caleb, observing his still cold demeanor, emotions unclear, finding his thoughts hard to grasp.

"As long as you don’t misunderstand me. I have some unfinished business, I’ll head back first." She advised, "You just fell, better go home and rest early, health is important."

"Alright."

Watching Vivian leave the office, turning back to see Caleb already holding her coat and bag.

He took her hand, "Let’s go home."

Sienna nodded, subtly withdrawing her hand, taking the coat to put it on.

Back home, it was already after eight o’clock, Caleb helped her run a bath in the bathtub, letting her soak for a while.

Sienna lay in the bathtub, closing her eyes, everything that happened today flashed by like a slideshow, leaving her both mentally and physically exhausted.

Coming out from the bathroom, a gush of steam flowed behind her, misty almond-shaped eyes scanned around to find Caleb’s figure.

Ding! Her phone, charging on the bedside table, suddenly chimed with message alert.

Her heart tightened, she quickly walked over.

[Caleb Sinclair is in the study taking a call from Vivian Nash, he plans to break up with her, and will transfer a breakup fee of five million to her Global Commerce Bank account tomorrow.]