The Echoes We Leave Behind Chapter 2

In the five years we'd been together, Caleb rarely spoke about his past.

That was, until a month ago. We went back to his hometown to retrieve some things, and I accidentally found a worn-out wallet in his closet.

Inside was a photo of a woman. She had a bright, beautiful smile.

Caleb was usually so composed, but that day, he zoned out for a long time. A deep, melancholic shadow settled in his eyes.

I fought back the sour feeling in my chest and asked, trying to sound casual, "Your ex?"

"Yeah."

I watched him tear the photo to pieces, his face completely blank, and throw it into the trash can. A cold, irritable feeling spread through my chest.

I left immediately. That was our first cold war in five years.

That night, after I showered, Caleb hugged me from behind and sighed softly.

"Back when I was just starting the company and things were at their absolute worst, she took our core technology and defected to a rival company. She ended up becoming the owner's wife."

"On the day of her wedding, my mother went to find her and got into a car accident on the way. She barely survived. The very next day, Serena left the country with her new husband."

"Chloe, I truly hated her back then."

...

I stared silently at his calm expression in the bathroom mirror.

What Caleb didn't know was that later that day, I had gone back to the room.

I saw him digging through the trash can, picking out the torn pieces of Serena's photo. His eyes were red as he meticulously, painstakingly glued them back together.