The man raised an eyebrow and said casually, “Saw your message, came to pick you up.”
After days of not seeing each other, the intimacy between them was gone. “When did you return to the country?”
Nelson straightened up a bit. “Yesterday.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Callie’s legs felt weak.
She tried to step forward, missed a step, and her body tilted. The man squinted his eyes, and the next second, she was securely held by a strong arm.
The sudden intimate gesture left both of them at a loss.
Their bodies stiffened for a moment. Callie looked at the buttons on Nelson’s chest, feeling inexplicably aggrieved. She pushed him away with all her strength, clearly showing her resistance.
Nelson’s eyes darkened as he held her tightly, showing no intention of letting go.
Callie panicked and blurted out, “Nelson!”
He responded in a low voice, “I’m here.”
The next second.
“Give me the recorder,” she heard him say.
Cold water seemed to pour over her head.
Callie’s chest heaved. “Nelson, why do you have to take my recorder?”
The man didn’t answer.
She kept her gaze fixed on him, as if trying to see into his mind and understand what he was thinking.
The man turned his head slightly under her intense stare.
Seeing Callie on the verge of losing control made his heart race with a flood of emotions, almost making him give up.
But he still said, “Give it to me.”
Callie didn’t move, trapped in his embrace, trembling with cold. “What is your relationship with Skye that makes you protect her like this?”
“Or are you protecting Regan? Why?”
Nelson’s lips moved, but Callie didn’t want to hear his answer. “Do you know what’s in here? It’s evidence of her framing me! Do you think after hearing what you said, I would believe you’re taking this to clear my name?”
Nelson wasn’t good at explaining, so he took a deep breath. “Just give it to me. I won’t harm you.”
Callie’s subconscious screamed to trust him, but experience told her she couldn’t.
“Won’t harm me? But do you know that if this recording isn’t made public, no matter how high I climb in the future, people will still look down on me. Oh, Callie is just a habitual plagiarist!”
Her tone was extreme, each word resonating loudly.
Nelson felt a sting in his heart, sensing something slipping away. He held her tighter, a bit flustered. “No, they wouldn’t dare.”
So, he was indeed protecting Regan.
Callie’s throat was dry. “Nelson, I’m your wife, your first wife. We haven’t divorced yet. I thought you understood my feelings. Even if you weren’t moved, you should at least feel sorry for me. But now you’re forcing me to do what? Forcing me to give up my reputation to protect another woman’s name.”
“Am I so cheap in your eyes? Like a pet you play with when you’re interested and discard when you’re not? I’m not even as good as these other women.”
She shivered as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, unbearably cold.
Nelson’s mind was in turmoil. He couldn’t stand her talking about herself like this, couldn’t stand the pitiful tone as if she had been abandoned by the whole world.
“It’s not like that. You’ll have a better life. But Regan, she just made a mistake. If exposed, her life would be ruined.”