Chapter 401

After dinner, Calliope and Eamon wrapped up a game of chess, and she was ready to head out. As soon as she stepped outside, Gideon seized the moment to follow her.

“I’m getting married tomorrow.”

Gideon moved to stand in front of Calliope, looking her straight in the eyes. “If you don’t speak up now, you’ll lose your chance. I’m about to marry her.”

He just couldn’t let it go. He was still holding onto a fantasy about her. He couldn’t believe she had moved on so quickly. It didn’t make sense; she had once loved him with such intensity, as if her life depended on it.

Calliope’s mouth twitched. “Seriously, Gideon? Tomorrow’s your wedding. Of course, I know. I’ve been helping with the planning all this time. I’m your aunt by marriage, after all. I may be your ‘little’ aunt, but I’m not that unreliable.”

“And what do you mean I won’t have a chance if I don’t speak up? What chance do I even need? A chance to pick up trash? Gideon, you were someone I tossed into the trash. The dumpster’s filthy, why would I ever retrieve anything from it? I’d send it straight to the incinerator!”

Gideon’s face turned sour.

“You didn’t used to talk like this.”

Calliope shot a glance at Gideon. “People change, Gideon. Haven’t you changed for Yvette? She’s pregnant, for crying out loud. What more do you want? Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to treat a pregnant woman like this? Are you a man or what?”

Gideon stared intently at Calliope. “But it’s you that I love!”

“Oh? You love me, yet Yvette’s the one expecting? Is that what you call love?”

Gideon’s face turned beet red, and he clenched his fists. “I… I just didn’t realize I loved you. Callie, give me another chance. I’ll do whatever it takes! I want to win you back. Just tell me how! No matter what it takes!”

Calliope gave Gideon a once-over. “And why on earth do you think I’d give you that chance? Take a good look at yourself. How do you even compare to Silas? Since I met Silas, I realized I had been stepping in something unpleasant before. Gideon, wake up.”

Calliope looked at Gideon with such disdain, as if he were nothing more than a smelly pile of garbage.

“Gideon, you’re getting married tomorrow, and you’re still trying to steal her from me?”

A familiar, cool voice cut through the air, and Calliope instinctively turned her head.

Under the streetlamp, Silas stood tall in his black coat, his figure blending seamlessly into the night. His eyes were bright, even in the darkness.

“Silas!” Calliope’s face lit up with a smile upon seeing him. She broke into a jog and leaped into Silas’s arms, hugging him tightly.

Silas wrapped his arms around her, lifting his gaze to meet Gideon’s. He didn’t say a word, but his eyes were ice-cold, carrying a powerful, intimidating presence.

Gideon felt an overwhelming pressure, unable to meet Silas’s gaze or muster any defiance. He glanced at Calliope one last time. The sight of her running toward him had made his heart race.

But she wasn’t running into his arms.

In front of Silas, she seemed like a joyful child, nestled in his embrace, walking away without a backward glance.