Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 373

**Chapter 373**

In the end, fate conspired to bring them together once more.

Sydney had encountered him countless times in that house they once shared—a place that had become a prison of her own making. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, each moment stretching out like an eternity filled with anticipation, only to be met with disappointment time and again. The childhood dream she had harbored for so long had finally materialized, yet it felt as if he had crushed it in his hands, leaving her to sift through the remnants of what might have been.

Caleb, on the other hand, bore the weight of his own choices. He cast no blame on anyone else, not even on Penelope. The only person he held responsible for the unraveling was himself. Why had he allowed himself to believe so fervently in a fantasy? Why had he clung to that pendant, that small token, convincing himself it was proof that Penelope was the girl from his memories, despite the stark reality that her essence was a far cry from his recollections? He had made excuses for her, indulging her whims without restraint, hoping to find the girl he once knew.

Last night, when he stumbled upon that delicate glass bottle, a wave of regret crashed over him, almost driving him to madness.

Sydney’s lashes fluttered down, her gaze fixated on the bottle that had been preserved with such care. In that fleeting moment, her mind wandered back to the past, to a time when her heart had yearned so desperately to see him again. But that girl was lost to time; she had transformed, grown up, and emerged from the cocoon of her parents’ love. The desires that once filled her heart had shifted, becoming unrecognizable from the innocent wishes of her childhood.

At just five years old, she had knelt on the cold, unyielding stone of the Sterling estate courtyard, already relinquishing her naïve dreams.

In those days, her thoughts had been consumed with a single question: ‘When can I escape from this place? Will someone come to rescue me from this suffocating despair?’

Someone had indeed come, but it was not the man who stood before her now.

That realization left a bitter taste on her tongue. She took a soft breath, steadying herself. “I remember. My mother folded these with her own hands.”

“And I still recall what you told me back then,” Caleb replied, his voice unwavering. “Even if a fresh start isn’t in the cards for us, we can still forge a friendship. Just being ordinary friends would suffice.”

His sincerity resonated with her, a calmness in his demeanor that felt almost reassuring.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

This bottle represented the only tangible thing her mother had crafted with her own hands. She could still vividly recall that night, her mother’s warm embrace as she folded each crane with unwavering patience and love.

Caleb offered a faint smile, a hint of warmth in his expression. “It was always yours.”

Then, as if a thought had suddenly flickered in his mind, he moved toward the elevator. Moments later, he returned, a large bag of pastries in hand. “When I went back to Haven, I passed by that bakery you love. I couldn’t resist picking some up. You and Tiffany can indulge together.”

Sydney blinked in surprise, momentarily taken aback. She hesitated, not reaching for the bag. “That’s really not necessary…”

“Didn’t you just say we’d be friends from now on?” he countered, a playful glint in his eyes, as if challenging her to accept this small gesture of camaraderie.