CHAPTER THREE

‎As Evelyn took her seat, Chris sat beside her, his expression still remained cold. 

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‎Evelyn deliberately ignored him, her gaze fixed on Mrs. Wilford who was giving her speech and thanking the guests for attending her party. 

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‎After a long, tense silence between the two, Chris finally spoke in a low, yet firm voice. "You could have just easily said it was real."

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‎Evelyn's tone was calm and detached. "Would you have believed me anyway?" 

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‎Chris's jaw clenched in anger. "Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me? You made me look like a fool in front of everyone!"

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‎Evelyn finally turned to look at him, her gaze piercing. 

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‎Her voice was calm, but her eyes blazed with fury. "Made you look like a fool? How exactly have I made you look like a fool? You were quick to jump into conclusion, accusing me of getting a counterfeit gift. You didn't even bother to defend me as your girlfriend. If the receipt hadn't proven otherwise, would you have still believed me? How do you think everyone in this room would have perceived me?"

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‎Chris sat there stiffly. 

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‎He couldn't utter a word. 

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‎He was taken aback by her outburst. He had never seen this side of her before. 

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‎Isn't his girlfriend the gentle and obedient type?

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‎How comes she looks like a different person today? 

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‎Since when did she become the sharp-tongued type?

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‎After that, Evelyn ignored him again and focused intently on the performance on stage. 

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‎An uncomfortable silence hung between them until Chris finally broke it. "I'm sorry, I acted impulsive today." 

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‎Evelyn didn't respond, she just pretended as if she didn't hear him, her gaze fixed intently on the stage. 

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‎Chris didn't press further, he just remained seated beside her in silence. 

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‎As Evelyn averted her gaze, she caught Chris staring intently at someone. 

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‎His gaze was fixed on Andrea.

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‎With a look of longing.

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‎Evelyn just rolled her eyes and stood up. 

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‎Wanting a moment alone, she walked through the hallway, leading to the restroom. 

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‎"Evelyn!" Andrea's voice called out behind her. 

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‎Her heels clicking against the marble tiles as she approached Evelyn with a smirk. The glass of red wine swirled in her manicured hands. 

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‎"If I didn't know better, I would have assumed you're a rich heiress pretending to be poor. I can't believe you actually got those expensive pieces for my Grandmother. Did you spend your whole life savings just to get it?"

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‎Her tone, laced with mockery didn't go unnoticed by Evelyn. 

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‎Evelyn's fist clenched tightly, but her posture still remained calm and composed. 

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‎Her tone cold and detached. "What do you want, Andrea?" 

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‎She let out a humorous laugh. "What do you mean? Of course, I'm here to apologize for what happened earlier." 

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‎A cold, calculating gaze etched on Evelyn's face as she asked, "Are you really here to apologize? Or did you come with the intention of something else?"  

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‎Andrea stuttered, feigning an innocent look. "W-what are you saying?" 

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‎You should know exactly what I'm talking about, Andrea. I treated you like a sister. We were friends. How could you betray me and lust after my boyfriend?!

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‎The words screamed in Evelyn's mind. 

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‎And she wished she could say it to her face.

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‎Rather, her face remained composed, a fake smile playing at the corner of her lip. 

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‎"Nothing" Evelyn said, shaking her head. "I need to use the restroom." 

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‎Andrea's mouth opened to speak, but Evelyn had already turned on her heels and walked away, leaving her standing alone. 

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‎Andrea's face turned fury, her fist clenched as she stamped her foot on the floor, her eyes fixed on Evelyn's retreating back. 

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‎This wasn't how she had expected things to turn out. 

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‎The plan was to set a trap for Evelyn, making her look bad in front of Chris and sparking a heated argument between them. 

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‎But if she didn't get what she wanted today, there would be other opportunities for her. 

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‎•

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‎Back to Chris's mansion, Evelyn arrived home at exactly 9:30 PM.

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‎Chris had offered to take her home, but she declined. Citing she needed to stop by the branch office to pick up something.

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‎Which was a lie. 

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‎It was a perfect excuse to avoid being in same space as him. 

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‎Entering the bedroom, Evelyn tossed her purse onto the bed and sauntered over to the wardrobe.

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‎Meanwhile, Chris, at the back of the door pushed open the door and was immediately startled by the sight of the suitcases on the floor, with Evelyn's clothes piled beside it. 

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‎"What's going on here?" He asked.

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‎Evelyn, seemingly unfazed by his sudden appearance, answered. "I'm packing up. I will be heading back home in a few days." 

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‎Chris's frown deepened as he asked. "Which home do you have other than this place?" 

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‎Immediately those words left his mouth, her mind wandered back to the hurtful words he had spoken the other night. 

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‎~Don't you feel bad for an abandoned dog nobody wants and it's all alone?

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‎He had believed she was a nobody, unworthy of love and care~ a disposable piece of trash. 

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‎"Have you forgotten I also have family?" Evelyn asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

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‎"But you don't-"

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‎She cut him off before he could finish.

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‎She already knew what he wanted to say. 

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‎~Evelyn and her family didn't get along. 

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‎"I met my Dad a few days ago, and we patched things up. He wants me to come home and spend some time with the family." 

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‎Four years ago, when she left home, she had lied to Chris about her father disowning her after a heated argument. Keeping her true identity as the daughter of the prestigious Martins family a secret, she had also omitted the fact that her father had arranged a marriage for her. 

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‎"And you didn't think to tell me about it?" His voice rose, laced with anger and authority. 

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‎"Maybe I would have, if you hadn't been spending more time with my best friend than your own girlfriend." Evelyn shot back, her glare piercing.

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‎His expression softened, his anger melting away as guilt glimmered in his eyes. He looked away, his gaze darting around the room, as if caught in the act.

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‎His tone softened as he spoke. "I already told you, Andrea just helped with a business deal. There's nothing going on between us."

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‎Evelyn shrugged, her expression un-bothered and muttered. "Whatever."

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‎After a brief pause, he added, "I have a tight schedule for the next few days, so I won't be able to go with you. How about I order a ride for you to take you to the airport?"

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‎Not even his driver, but a ride hailing service?

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‎"It's fine" she replied curtly. "I can handle it myself." 

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‎Chris let out a heavy breath, without even realizing it.

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‎He worried she would be upset that he wasn't going with her, and might throw tantrum as she's been acting a bit different today.

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‎They've been together for four years and it's only right if he go with her~ To meet her father as her boyfriend. 

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‎It's a big step that seemed to hint at marriage. 

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‎But in his mind, he had no such plans. 

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‎He nodded, while Evelyn continued with what she was doing, deliberately ignoring him.

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‎The awkward silence between them grew thicker, until Chris walked over to the bed, dropped his phone on the nightstand and entered the bathroom. 

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‎The next minute, the sound of running water filled the air. 

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‎Evelyn could easily leave without taking anything, but she didn't want to leave any memories of her behind. 

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‎The moment she stepped out of this house would mark the end of their relationship.

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‎As Evelyn continued packing, the sudden constant of notifications from his phone caught her attention. 

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‎She dropped the dress in her hand and walked over to the nightstand. 

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‎She picked the phone and clicked it open. 

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‎It was Andrea. 

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‎~Chris, your Mom has booked an appointment with the store owner for tomorrow. We'll be going there to pick our engagement ring.

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‎The text says. 

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‎For a moment, Evelyn froze.

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‎The words hit her like a punch in the face. 

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‎An engagement ring? 

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‎They're already planning on getting married? 

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‎The words echoed in her head like a cruel joke, and a bitter scoff escaped her lips.

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‎She couldn't believe Andrea was already accepted by Chris's family, while she was nothing but a tolerated girlfriend ~ a mere plaything.

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‎Tolerating his mother condescending insults, and her constant disapproval. Believing that one day, she would learn to accept her for her son.

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‎As the realization hit deep, Evelyn's pain turned to bitter resentment.

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‎She couldn't believe she had considered taking a man like Chris to meet her father. 

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‎On the night of his birthday, she had planned to reveal her true identity, and taking him to New York City. 

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‎But then, everything changed when she overheard him belittling her in front of his friends. 

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‎Choosing another woman over her and wanting to use her as playtime. 

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‎Her eyes fixed on the phone screen intently as she saw various pictures of rings sent by Andrea. 

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‎She scrolled up and saw the numerous messages they had exchanged. 

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‎None of them had taken more than a minute to reply to. 

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‎His responses to her messages were almost immediately, as if he was always waiting for her texts.

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‎But when it comes to her, her messages could stay there for five days or even a week before he would send a curt reply. 

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‎While she continued scrolling, a particular text caught her attention. 

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‎Andrea~ Did Evelyn like the dress?

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‎Chris~ Does she have a choice? She have to. Just that.... It wasn't beautiful on her like it was on you. You look breathtakingly gorgeous in it. 

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‎Evelyn furrowed her eyebrows, racking her brain to recall which dress they were talking about. 

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‎Then, it clicked. 

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‎He'd once gotten her a red velvet dress as a belated anniversary gift.

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‎Andrea~ How do you think she would react if she finds out I had wore the dress before her?

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‎A laughing emoji right beside it. 

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‎Andrea~ You enjoyed my body in that dress all night and then wrapped it up for her the next morning. That's a bit unfair, you know.

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‎Chris~ There's nothing unfair about it. And I don't give a fuck if she finds out. It was never supposed to be hers to begin with. Whatever she's enjoying now, rightfully belongs to you. 

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‎Ire rose Evelyn's throat as she barely stood upright in shock. 

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‎The memories of that dress was now a horrible nightmare to her. How Chris has made love to her in that same dress in which he had raw sex with Andrea. 

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‎How he had kissed her lovingly when he lied to her that he had never seen anyone as gorgeous as Evelyn. 

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‎The memory swirled in Evelyn's mind like a storm. 

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‎She could remember vividly how he had embraced her gently from behind, raining kisses all over her neck and showering praises on her. 

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‎'You are the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on'~ those were his words. 

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‎Evelyn's fist clenched, her grip on the phone tightening. 

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‎That was two years ago.

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‎She had trusted the two blindly, never suspecting a thing. 

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‎And they had hidden it so well. 

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‎Slowly, Evelyn's lips curled up in a bitter smile. 

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‎Just then, the bathroom door swung open. And Chris's expression changed instantly when he saw his phone in Evelyn's hand.  

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‎He rushed towards her, and snatched his phone from her. 

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‎"What the hell are you doing with my phone?"