Chapter 523 Double-Edged Sword
Susan was totally floored for a sec.
She hated Caleb's crappy parents so much she never wanted to see them again, but she got why they wanted to see Oliver. They hadn't bugged her lately, probably 'cause Caleb had kept them away.
She knew Caleb had done a lot for her, but his bossy and unreasonable ways were getting on her nerves.
Sure, a little possessiveness and jealousy were normal when he loved her, but he took it way too far. Fighting over dumb stuff was wearing her out.
May jumped in, "Yeah, Susan, Mr. Eilish is Oliver's dad. It's only fair he wants to see him. You can't hog him all to yourself; that's just selfish."
Susan shot back, "I'm not hogging Oliver. He wants to stay with me. I raised him, so of course he's closer to me. You haven't been around for the past four years. What right do you have to fight with me?"
'Now I want to see my son, and it's considered fighting for him? Does she really hate me that much?' Caleb thought.
Caleb had said it just to piss her off, but now he was serious. He grabbed Oliver's hand, "We're outta here."
"You're not going anywhere," Susan blocked them.
They stood there, staring each other down.
"Daddy, it's super late. I wanna sleep. If you wanna take me to see Grandpa and Grandma, can we do it next week?" Oliver suggested, still siding with his mom.
"You heard him? Oliver doesn't wanna go. Stop pushing him." Susan said.
Caleb let out a cold laugh.
"Caleb, can you be reasonable? Let go of my son," Susan pushed his hand.
"Your son? Isn't he my son too?" Caleb shot back.
"You were just there that night..." Susan wanted to say he only contributed a tiny sperm, while she had carried Oliver for so long and given her entire life for him.
"Let go, Caleb. Come out with me!" Susan finally managed to rescue Oliver from Caleb's clutches and pulled him out of the house. "Come out! Stop being unreasonable!"
"Unreasonable? How is it unreasonable for me to see my son?" Caleb asked.
Susan said, "Taking him away at this hour isn't unreasonable? You're just using him to get back at me. It's late. You should leave."
"You're so desperate to kick me out. Would you treat your good friend like this?" Caleb's cold laugh had a hint of bitterness.
Susan was stunned by his words.
It all came down to Michael.
Susan was getting fed up. "Michael would never act like you."
Caleb's brow twitched. "What do you mean? Are you saying he's better than me?"
Susan replied, "At least he's more reasonable than you."
"Then he's a hypocrite!" Caleb spat.
Susan was pissed. "Respect and manners make him a hypocrite? What does that make you, being so unreasonable? Reckless? Caleb, you're an educated man. Can you stop acting like a caveman?"
"Ever since you met him, I've become a caveman?" Caleb pointed at himself, his chest burning with anger.
"I don't want to argue with you. I'm exhausted," Susan, who always hated conflict, said.
She tried to go back inside, but Caleb grabbed her arm. "What do you mean? Now you don't even wanna talk to me? But you have so much to say to Michael."
"I can't communicate with you." Susan said.
"Yeah, I can't communicate, but you have endless things to say to him, right? Even revisiting old places. What? Trying to relive old memories?" Caleb sneered.
Susan's eyes widened. "You stalked me?"
"I wouldn't stoop to that." Caleb replied.
Susan asked, "How else would you know we went back to school? Caleb, your behavior is freaking me out."
Even if it was him, the word "stalking" still gave Susan the creeps. It was just too much.
"If you're so open, why hide? Scared I'll catch you?" Caleb shot back.
Susan snapped, "I'm not scared of you seeing. I'm scared of you stalking. I can call the cops!"
Caleb scoffed.
Susan knew the police couldn't do much and shook her head. "I think you're losing it. You're making me really uneasy."
"Any guy would react like me if his girl was out with another dude," Caleb said.
"No, other guys aren't as possessive as you, and they wouldn't stalk," Susan retorted.
Susan couldn't help but think about the future. 'Will I be unable to interact with any other men? I can't live under such tyrannical control.'
Susan said, "We have no relationship right now. You have no right to interfere with who I see. Honestly, I'm even a bit relieved. I need more time to think things through."
To Caleb, "thinking things through" sounded like regret, so he was furious.
"Because of him?" Caleb asked.
"It has nothing to do with him. You've just exposed a lot of issues."
"Like hell it has nothing to do with him. We were fine before he showed up. It's all because of him!" Caleb shouted.
Susan was exhausted, her mouth dry from explaining, "Do you think I could have an improper relationship with a married man? Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"You believe him? Have you seen his wife and kids?" Caleb asked.
"Not yet. But he has no reason to lie to me."
"Why wouldn't he? He has an agenda. He has every reason to lie." Caleb squinted. "You have no idea how many tricks a man can use to deceive a woman."
"That's your twisted thinking. I've known Michael for many years. I know him well. He's a gentleman," Susan retorted.
Caleb almost exploded with anger. "He's a gentleman, but I'm a scoundrel?"
"If that's how you want to interpret it..." At least in Susan's eyes, Michael was more respectful. He never forced her to do anything she didn't want to do.
"Susan..."
She cut him off, "I'm really tired. I don't want to talk."
"You don't want to talk in the video, it's inconvenient at the company, and now we can't talk here. You just don't want to talk to me! Are you so fed up that you don't even want to say a word to me?" Caleb asked angrily.
"If you keep being unreasonable, then yes." Susan's gaze had turned completely cold. "Let go."
"Susan!" Caleb shouted.
"I said let go."
Her cold stare pierced Caleb's heart like needles.
Caleb was furious and wanted to lash out at her, but he could only hold back. Because he cared too much about her, even in this moment of intense anger, he didn't want their relationship to become irreparable.
Love meant giving up power. Even if he was burning with rage, he couldn't bear to hurt her.
Susan looked at him silently.
Finally, Caleb let go of her wrist.
The hint of restraint in his eyes made her feel a bit sorry for him, but Susan held back. Work and emotions had left her physically and mentally exhausted. Continuing the conversation would only make them both more tired. It was better to take a break and cool down.
She said without emotion, "You need to calm down and I need some time to adjust too. Let's not contact each other for a while."
Caleb's heart ached again. 'She won't contact me but might be closely involved with Michael. What man could tolerate that? But what can I say? I can only swallow all my anger, even if it feels like sharp blades cutting my throat.'
Love was a double-edged sword.
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