chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

For three days, Evelyn allowed herself to believe that things were changing.And maybe that was the cruelest part.Because for three days, Damian reminded her of the man she fell in love with.

He brought her coffee in the morning.He asked about her meetings.

He sat beside her on the couch at night instead of staring at his phone. Things that would have meant nothing to anyone else.

But to Evelyn, they felt like pieces of a marriage she thought she had lost.

"You seem happier," her assistant, Clara, said one afternoon.

Evelyn looked up from the documents on her desk. "Do I?"

Clara smiled."A little."

Evelyn looked down at the papers. "I think Damian and I are finally fixing things."

Clara hesitated.Not long.Just enough for Evelyn to notice. "What?"

"Nothing."

"No, tell me."

Clara sighed."Mrs. Sinclair... I just hope you're not ignoring things because you want them to be true."

The words bothered her.Not because Clara was wrong.Because a part of Evelyn feared she was right.

She closed the file in front of her."I know what I'm doing."

Clara nodded."Of course."

But the silence after that answer felt heavier than an argument.

---

That evening, Evelyn arrived home earlier than expected.She wanted to surprise Damian.Maybe they could have dinner together. Maybe they could start becoming the couple they used to be. But as she stepped into the mansion, she heard voices from the living room.

Her husband's family.Again.She almost walked away.Then she heard her name.

"She can't possibly expect us to live like this forever."

It was Damian's mother.Evelyn stopped.

Like this?She looked around the room.The marble floor. The expensive furniture. The chandelier imported from Italy.The home she bought before she even met Damian.

"What exactly is wrong with how you live?" Damian asked.

His mother's voice lowered."Don't pretend you don't understand. She has everything."

Evelyn frowned.Where was this going?

"She has no children. No real family. No one to leave everything to."

Her heart dropped slightly.

"Mom."

"What? Am I lying?"

That silence hurt more than anything. Because Damian didn't immediately defend her.

He didn't say, "That's my wife you're talking about."

He didn't tell them they were wrong. Instead, he said quietly "Don't worry about Evelyn."

The room went silent. Even from outside, Evelyn felt something change.

"What does that mean?" his sister asked.

"It means I know what I'm doing."

Her breathing became shallow.She should leave.She should walk away. But her feet wouldn't move.

"What about the company?" his brother asked.

Another silence. Then Damian answered. "Everything has a plan."

Evelyn felt cold.Not because she knew what they were planning. But because she realized something.

For the first time in five years Damian was having conversations about her future without her. She stepped back before anyone could see her.The front door closed softly behind her.

---

That night, Damian found her sitting on the balcony."You didn't answer my calls."

Evelyn forced a smile."I was thinking."

He sat beside her."About what?"

She looked at him.Really looked at him.The man who had once promised to protect her. "Do you love me, Damian?"

The question surprised him."Of course I do."

"Then why do I feel like everyone around you sees me as something to take from?"

His expression changed Only for a second.Then he reached for her hand "You think too much."

A simple sentence.A familiar sentence.One he had used many times.

Evelyn looked away.Maybe she was imagining things.Maybe she was letting fear ruin the one good thing she had left.

Damian kissed her forehead."Pack your bags tomorrow."

She looked at him."What?"

"Our vacation."He smiled."Two weeks away from everyone."

Away from his family. Away from the stress. Away from all the doubts. Evelyn wanted to believe him So she smiled.

"Okay."

And somewhere deep inside her.. A small voice whispered that she was making the biggest mistake of her life.