All Chapters of Once a Doormat, Now Untouchable: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Nancy's face tightened for a moment, but she answered honestly, "No, he hasn't come back these past few days."She quickly added, defending Caleb, "He's always been busy. Don't overthink it.""Okay, don't worry," Sydney replied.She had no interest in obsessing over her soon-to-be ex-husband's whereabouts.Even after a shower and curling up in her own bed, sleep eluded her. Everything looked the same here, yet nothing felt the same. She picked up her phone and scrolled through friends' updates without thinking.Tiffany had posted: [Dropping off the universe's best sis! Now back to work on the case files.]Sydney tapped 'Like' with a faint smile, then paused mid-scroll..Penelope had posted: [You really did it. Protecting me always, standing by me when I needed you most.]The caption was paired with a photo: Penelope lay in a hospital bed, being fed fruit. Only one hand was visible—long fingers, defined knuckles, and a small red mole on the wrist.Sydney recognized it immediate

'Never shared a bed…' As a married woman, Adeline knew exactly what that phrase implied."You're not messing with me, are you?" she asked, disbelief heavy in her voice.Sydney looked up, her small, delicate face dim and tired. Her voice remained soft. "How could I joke about something like this? Mom, other than divorce, I can't think of any way out."Adeline's anger boiled, but not at Sydney. Her fury targeted her son and Penelope—one was oblivious, the other selfish to the core. Still, at this point, even as a strong-willed mother-in-law, she could not stop Sydney from divorcing.What could she say? Her own son had wasted three years of someone else's life. Sydney carried the title of a married woman but had never truly lived as a wife.Adeline drew a deep breath, trying to steady herself, and patted Sydney's hand. "I skimmed the divorce agreement. You're only asking for the apartment on Aurum Road?"Sydney nodded slightly. "If that's not okay, I can let it go."She knew her go

"Mhm, visa papers," Sydney said, improvising. "Tiffany wants to travel abroad. I didn't want to deal with the hassle, but when Mom found out, she said she'd arrange someone to take care of it."Just as the words left her mouth, her phone chimed.Azure Bank: [700,000 dollars have been deposited in your account.]Caleb didn't press her. Instead, he shifted gears. "Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me about something last night? What was it?"Sydney hesitated, then pressed her lips together. "Oh, just the visa thing. I figured it'd be easier to ask you for help.""So I came home a little too late, huh?" Caleb chuckled. His gaze landed on the empty gift box on the coffee table. "That was my present, wasn't it?""Mom saw it and liked it," Sydney replied. "She took it. If you want one, ask her for another next time."Caleb nodded. He didn't ask what the gift had been. "If she likes it, let her have it."He didn't try to look deeper—just like he hadn't during the past three years o

Sydney's gaze slid past Penelope, who trailed behind. Her voice came out flat. "No need. Tiffany's waiting for me."Caleb finally sensed something was wrong. He reached out and gently caught her wrist. "Sydney, wait a second."She tried to pull away, but he didn't let go. Without looking at her, he told Penelope, "Go wait in the car.""Okay. Just make sure to talk it out nicely with Syd." Penelope kept her expression gracious, but her clenched fists betrayed her mood.Before climbing into the car, she threw Sydney a sour glance.Caleb's thumb brushed lightly against the inside of Sydney's wrist while he searched for the right words. "About the hospital… When you hit Penny, she said she won't press charges. She's agreed to let it go. I also told her we'd hold off on the move for now."'So that's the story he chose to tell. Penelope, the generous one. Caleb, the helpless mediator, doing it all for my sake,' she sneered inwardly.It was as if they were the ones cleaning up her so-c

Alan sat across from Sydney's desk.Sydney felt the pressure rise as she wrote the prescription. Alan still had to approve it.The patient, referred by a friend, joked, "Dr. Wilson, with you looking this serious, I'm starting to think I’m sicker than I thought."Everyone at the clinic knew Alan mentored both Sydney and Marcus.Alan smiled. "Relax. She handles tough cases. Yours? A piece of cake. She just always thinks of herself as a student when I’m around."He skimmed the prescription and returned it without comment. Over the years, Sydney had proven the most gifted student in medicine he had ever met. If not for that meddling old woman from the Sterling family, her career would have soared long ago. She wouldn’t have to hide behind pseudonyms on research projects either."The approach is solid. The dosage is spot on. One dose should do the trick," Alan said.The patient had been diagnosed with severe enteritis through colonoscopy. They had tried various medications, but the s