The Secret on His Hip

When we signed the prenup, Caleb Sterling told me he didn't know how to love. He said he was broken. So, for five years of marriage, he gave me only sex and desire. It was a marriage of convenience between two powerful families. I knew I couldn't be greedy. I thought what we had was enough. Until the night of our fifth anniversary. I broke his one bedroom rule. For the first time, I secretly pulled off the blindfold he always made me wear. That was when I saw the tattoo inked into the hollow of his hip. It was a name. In that moment, I realized the truth. Caleb wasn't incapable of love. He was just hiding his love, saving it all for my adoptive sister. We had a massive fight. We screamed things we couldn't take back, wishing the other would just disappear. Ironically, the universe listened. We both drove off in a rage, the car skidded, and we went over a cliff. As we lay dying in the wreckage, Caleb looked at me, his face covered in blood, and begged: "Scarlett, if there is a next life... let's not be married, okay?" I stared at him, laughing hysterically through the pain, dying like a madwoman. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the Sterling family living room. Caleb was kneeling on the floor, his back straight, pleading with his parents. "Mom, Dad, I can't marry Scarlett. The one I love is Chloe." I froze. But relief quickly washed over me. Perfect. Because this time, I didn't want to choose him either. 1 "Are you absolutely sure you want to marry Ethan?" Mrs. Sterling looked at me with pity. I calmly exchanged the engagement contracts with her, verifying that the name on the document was indeed Ethan Sterling, not Caleb. I smiled gently. "I'm sure, Mrs. Sterling." She tried to warn me one last time, her voice trembling. "The best specialists all say Ethan won't live past thirty. You... Scarlett, even if Caleb refuses the marriage, you don't have to choose a dying man just to stay in the family." In my past life, Ethan did die at thirty. I remembered Mrs. Sterling fainting from grief, and Mr. Sterling aging ten years overnight. Everyone mourned the loss of a genius. Ethan was brilliant, running the Sterling empire from behind the scenes despite his frail body. Underneath that weak exterior beat the strongest heart I had ever known. Before he died in that timeline, I went to see him one last time. I heard him whispering to his assistant, drifting in and out of consciousness. "I love Scarlett." "She doesn't need to know what I did for her. I just want her to be happy." He believed that not all love needed to be spoken, and not all devotion required a reward. For years, no one knew—except his assistant. His love was buried so deep that I never noticed it, not until the moment he took his last breath, leaving the world full of regrets. So, even if it was just for that one sentence—"I love Scarlett"—I wanted to save him. I wouldn't let him die with regrets this time. I looked up, smiling radiantly, and patted Mrs. Sterling's hand. "Don't worry," I said softly. "Ethan is going to live a long, long life." 2 After Mrs. Sterling left, my mother pulled me aside. "Are you doing this just to spite Caleb?" She knew how much I loved Caleb. We were childhood sweethearts. Since I was a teenager, no other boy existed in my world. I thought he felt the same. I never imagined it was all one-sided delusion. When we married in my past life, Caleb had warned me: "I grew up in a shark tank. I don't know how to love. But everything else I can give, I will give to you." For five years, we were the golden couple of New York society. Rich, beautiful, seemingly perfect. To maintain that illusion, I taught him how to love me. I tolerated his coldness. I even indulged his specific... preferences. Before we slept together, Caleb would always hand me a silk blindfold or use his tie to cover my eyes. He would whisper, "Scarlett, your eyes are too beautiful. If I look into them, I might lose control and hurt you." Every time, I would blush, thinking it was romantic. On the rare occasions he forgot the blindfold, I would try to look at him, eager to see passion in his eyes. But he would just turn me around, insisting on positions where we didn't face each other, kissing my back apologetically. I thought it was just a quirk. Until that fifth anniversary. I took off the blindfold. I saw the name Chloe tattooed intimately on his hip. Humiliation and betrayal crashed over me like a tidal wave. I went crazy. I smashed everything in the bedroom. I threw a heavy crystal ashtray at his head. I cursed him to hell. But this time? I felt nothing. I didn't want to smash anything. I just wanted to be far away from him. Thinking back, Caleb treated me well enough. He just didn't love me. 3 The engagement party was set for next month. Mrs. Sterling handled everything. She told me I could back out at any time. I texted back: "That wouldn't be fair to Ethan." He was just sick, not unlovable. I messaged my team at the research institute: Prepare the lab. I need full access to the experimental antibacterial protocols. In my last life, after Ethan’s heart transplant, I locked myself in the lab developing a new drug to prevent rejection and infection. By the time it was approved for production, he had already passed away from complications. This time, I would be ready. Suddenly, my phone buzzed. A text from Caleb. Come to The Obsidian Club. We need to talk. I declined immediately. The first thing Caleb did after his "rebirth" was come to my house, cancel our engagement, and publicly confess his love to my adopted sister, Chloe. To make Chloe happy, he spent a fortune on a private fireworks show over the Hudson River. They were trending #1 on social media. Everyone called them a fairytale match. Paparazzi caught them walking on the beach in the Hamptons. When Chloe got "tired," Caleb knelt in the sand, massaged her ankle, and gave her a piggyback ride. His movements were practiced, gentle, adoring. Comments read: Caleb Sterling is absolutely obsessed with her. He was spending every waking moment making up for his "regrets" from the last life, treating Chloe like a princess. I didn't object. As long as he left me alone. But in the end, I went to The Obsidian Club anyway. Not for Caleb. I wanted to see Ethan. His assistant had called me. "Ms. Jiang... Scarlett. Mr. Ethan is discussing a deal at Obsidian. If it's urgent..." I frowned. "He's sick and he's at a club drinking? Is he trying to speed up the process?" The assistant went silent. I heard a faint, suppressed cough in the background. The assistant quickly gave me the room number and hung up. 4 Unexpectedly, Caleb knew I would come. He had people watching the entrance. The moment I stepped inside, two security guards flanked me and forcibly "escorted" me to Caleb’s VIP suite. They shoved me inside. I stumbled and fell to my knees on the cold marble floor. The feeling of humiliation was familiar. I clenched my fists and looked up. "Caleb, are you insane?" The room was dimly lit. Caleb bit down on a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I didn't want to do this, Scarlett." "But you wouldn't cooperate. You wouldn't cancel the engagement with the family. So don't blame me for playing dirty." My mind went blank. The wedding was canceled. Did he not know? I tried to stand up to explain, but Caleb was already in front of me. He held a glass of amber liquid, his other hand gripping my jaw. "Don't blame me. I just want to live the life I choose. If you’re... compromised... the family won't force me to marry you anymore." I stared at him, my heart turning to ice. Ten years of friendship. Five years of marriage. It all meant nothing to him. "So you're going to drug me and toss me into some random man's bed?" Caleb paused. His lips pressed into a thin line. For a second, he hesitated. Then he forced the liquid into my mouth. "The family is pushing for the wedding. I can't wait anymore." "I found a guy. Good family. He'll take responsibility. He'll marry you." "Caleb, you are sick! You're actually crazy!" I struggled, but the guards held me down. The alcohol burned my throat. I coughed violently, liquid spilling onto my white shirt, sticking to my skin. "Be a good girl, Scarlett." His voice was terrifyingly soft. He wiped the wine from the corner of my mouth. The guards released me. I gasped for air, tears of rage stinging my eyes. "Caleb," I rasped, laughing bitterly. "I am not going to marry you. I never was." He smirked. "Really? I know you, Scarlett. I know how much you love me. You'd never walk away." He was so confident. So arrogant. Suddenly, Chloe appeared at the door. She clutched her dress, staring at me with wide eyes. "Sister? Caleb? What are you..." Caleb stiffened. The cruel smirk vanished. "Chloe... why are you here?" "Who brought you? This place is filthy. You shouldn't be here." He rushed to her, his voice transforming into pure honey. He shielded her eyes, acting like a devout believer protecting his goddess. It was a look I had never received. Love and indifference really were black and white. I watched them, a sour taste rising in my throat. Humans are strange. In our past life, after I married Caleb, Chloe went abroad and never came back. If he loved her so much, why didn't he chase her then? A plane ticket cost nothing to a Sterling. He was a coward. Caleb ushered Chloe out to take her home, leaving me alone in the room with the guards and the creeping effects of the drug.

? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388933", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel