chapter 4

" What are you doing here ? "

The woman looked at him and laughed softly. "So now you're asking after ignoring my calls ?"

"Evelyn," Damian said quickly, "don't open that."

Too late. Evelyn had already pulled out the photographs. Her fingers froze.Photo after photo.Damian and the woman holding hands On a beach , In a restaurant , getting into a hotel.

Another photo. This one hit harder.The woman was wearing a diamond necklace.Evelyn knew that necklace.She had bought it for herself. It had disappeared months ago.

"I didn't steal it," the woman said quietly. "He gave it to me."

The room became suffocating.

Damian stepped forward. "She's lying."

The woman smiled. "Really?" She reached into her bag again. This time she placed an ultrasound picture on the table."I'm twelve weeks pregnant."

Evelyn's vision blurred. "No..."

The woman looked directly at Damian. "You promised me you were leaving your wife."

Damian exploded. "Shut up!"

"You said once the vacation was over everything would be settled."

The sentence hung in the air. Evelyn slowly turned toward her husband. "What does she mean?"

Damian opened his mouth. Nothing came out.For the first time since she'd known him he had no lie ready.His mother suddenly rushed into the room.

She glared at the young woman."You shameless thing!"

She raised her hand as if to slap her.

The woman caught her wrist. "I didn't come here for you."She looked back at Evelyn. "I came because woman to woman , you deserve the chance to save yourself."

She turned and walked out. The mansion fell into complete silence.

Evelyn stood there, clutching the ultrasound in one trembling hand and the photographs in the other.Then, without a word she tore the plane tickets in half.

Damian's eyes widened. "Evelyn..."

"Our vacation is canceled."

"No."His voice was so sharp it startled everyone. "No, we're going."

Evelyn laughed " There's no way I'll go anywhere with you after finding out you cheated on me again ! "

"We're going."His jaw tightened. "I don't care what it takes."

Evelyn realized his desperation wasn't about saving his marriage. It was about making sure she got on that plane. Anger filled her .

" I'm such a fool I saw the evidence but I chose to believe you. "

The torn plane tickets lay scattered across the marble floor. Damian stared at the pieces as though he had just watched someone tear up a winning lottery ticket.

Then, to Evelyn's surprise he knelt. Actually knelt. He gathered the torn pieces with shaking hands.

"Evelyn..." His voice was hoarse. "Please don't do this."

She had never seen him like this. Not even after their biggest fights.

His mother recovered first. "What are you doing?" she snapped. "Get up!"

Damian ignored her. He looked at Evelyn instead."If you're angry, be angry at me. Curse me. Slap me if you want."

His words stunned everyone in the room. "But don't cancel the trip."

Evelyn laughed bitterly. "You cheated on me."

"I can explain."

Evelyn turned toward the staircase. "I'm filing for divorce."

His mother's teacup crashed to the floor. "What did you say?"

"I said I'm divorcing your son."

The older woman's face twisted with rage. "You ungrateful girl!"

Evelyn stopped halfway up the stairs. "Ungrateful?"

" Everything my son has done for you, and this is how you repay him?"

Evelyn almost laughed.Everything he'd done for her? She slowly turned around.

"What exactly has your son done for me? I met him when he was earning less than my driver. I made him an executive. I put his name on company documents. I paid off your family's debts. I welcomed every one of you into my home. And somehow..." She smiled. "I'm the ungrateful one?"

No one answered because there was no answer.

Damian finally stood. "Everyone out." His family looked at him. "I said OUT!"

Grumbling under their breath, they left. The moment the doors closed, Damian walked toward Evelyn.His eyes were red.

"I love you."

She stared at him. "You have a strange way of showing it."

"I made mistakes."

"You had a whole relationship."

"I ended it."

"You got her pregnant."

He closed his eyes."Evelyn..."

"No."She raised a hand."No more lies."

She walked upstairs, entered their bedroom and began taking his clothes out of the wardrobe. .They landed in the hallway.Damian didn't stop her. He just stood there watching.

His phone suddenly vibrated.He glanced at the screen.His expression changed instantly.

He looked toward the bedroom to make sure Evelyn couldn't see him.Then he answered in a low voice."...Hello."

A man's voice came through the speake"You have twenty-four hours."

"I know."

"If she doesn't board that flight tomorrow..."The caller paused." you'll be the one paying us back."

Damian's grip tightened around the phone."I said she'll be on that plane."

"You'd better hope so."

The line went dead.Damian lowered the phone slowly." Damn you Evelyn you must go on that trip. "

Upstairs, Evelyn zipped her suitcase shut. She had made a decision. The vacation would be her chance to clear her head. She would go alone. She would return. And when she did, she would serve Damian with divorce papers.