Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 261

**When The Ocean Learned My Name and Whispered It Back to You by Aurelia Novel 261**

**Chapter 261**

“How intimate,” Julian remarked, his voice dripping with coldness. “By any measure, it isn’t your place to pay for her.”

Caleb felt as if the air had been sucked from the room, freezing him in place. The words were harsh, yet they rang with a truth that stung. He and Sydney were not bound by blood, yet they wore the titles of brother and sister—a bond forged in the fires of shared experiences. For nine long years, he had lived beside her, far longer and far more intimately than the husband who had continuously let her down.

Sydney, caught in the moment, could not decipher the hidden intentions behind Caleb’s expression.

“What do you want?” she inquired, her voice laced with confusion and a hint of defiance.

Julian’s gaze sliced through the air, landing on her with an intensity that made her shiver. “Is it so difficult to honor our agreement?”

A flicker of panic ignited within Caleb. What agreement? Had she promised Julian to stay away from him? He could sense Julian’s unyielding resentment toward their marriage, a wound that had never fully healed.

He turned to Sydney, desperation creeping into his voice. “What agreement?”

Sydney’s eyes darted toward Julian, and in that fleeting moment, she seized the opportunity to weave a lie. “That I have to live across the hall from him and walk his dog. If he doesn’t agree, I can’t move back to Viridian Garden.”

She delivered her words with a convincing air of helplessness, as if she were trapped in a web of circumstances beyond her control.

With Charlotte’s involvement looming over her, Sydney understood the fragility of her situation. She could not rely on Julian, not when it came to unraveling the mystery of her parents’ deaths. Yet, the thought of returning to Viridian Garden filled her with dread.

In her mind, there was no injustice in her plea. Years ago, she had saved both Caleb and Adeline—two lives intertwined with hers. Now, she was merely borrowing Caleb’s assistance for an investigation, a small request in the grand scheme of things.

He guided her to the parking lot, opened the car door, and nodded his chin—a silent command for her to get in. She bent down, slipped into the seat, and shifted aside to make room for him.

He followed her in, slamming the door with enough force to rattle the frame, a reflection of the turmoil roiling inside him.

Sydney braced herself for the storm of his anger—anger over the perceived breach of their contract, over the fact that she had seen Caleb again. But instead, his eyes were drawn to her wrist, where the marks still lingered.

His brows knitted together in concern. “That happened two nights ago?”

She hadn’t anticipated that he would notice something she deemed so trivial. Startled, she blinked at him. “Yes.”

He studied her calm expression, something within him twisting uncomfortably. “Does it still hurt?”