LOGINEvelyn’s pov ;
I thought about it for a moment. Have I made the right decision? Grandma was the only person who had ever shown me love in that house. Leaving her felt like abandoning the one person who truly cared about me. But as we pulled up to the restaurant, any uncertainty I had evaporated in an instant. As we stepped out of the car and approached the entrance, I saw Hunter and Sophia getting out of a car across the street. Sophia's hands were tightly clutched around Hunter 's arm, and he seemed perfectly okay with it. I felt like pulling my hair. How could he be so bold, parading his affair around for everyone to see? Does he think that because I had always been tolerant, I would just accept this too? "Are you okay?" Vinni asked me. Before I could answer, Sophia's voice rang out. "Evelyn, what a surprise to see you here!" Hunter 's face turned pale as he saw me. He sheepishly tried to yank his arm out of Sophia's grip, but it was too late. I laughed bitterly, the sound was harsh and empty. "Don't bother, Hunter ," I taunted sharply. "No need to hide it now." He shook his head. “No, it's not what you-” Sophia quickly put on a mask of innocence. "Evelyn, you misunderstood. It's not what it looks like." The sight of her false remorse made me angry that before I could stop myself, my hand shot out, slapping her across the face. "Don't you dare pretend to be innocent! You knew exactly what you were doing, breaking up my marriage." She clutched her cheek and soon her fake sobs followed. Hunter immediately pulled her to his side while glaring at me. "That's enough, Evelyn! You're being too much now. Sophia isn't the one breaking our marriage, you are. You're the one who decided to run away and leave everything behind. You're the one who gave up." His words hit me like a sledgehammer, each one driving deeper into my heart. "How dare you?" I choked out in pain and rage. "You never loved me. You were never there for me. And now you defend her, the one who helped destroy everything we had?" “You're going too far. Grow up." I couldn't bear to listen to any more of his twisted justifications. The pain of seeing him protect the woman who had come between us was too much. Without another word, I turned around and walked away while the tears of agony rolled down my face. "Evelyn, wait!" Hunter called after me, but I didn't stop. I kept walking, each step taking me further away from the life that had caused me so much pain. Vinni caught up to me and wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "You did the right thing, Evelyn. Don't let them get to you. C’mon, wipe your tears and cheer up.” Walking away from him, I realised that I had indeed made the right decision. His actions and words confirmed that he never truly cared about me. It was time to let go of him. But then, I did something I shouldn't have. When Hunter and I got married, it was the biggest wedding of the year. His grandmother urged him to make it a grand wedding. I was closer to her than to anyone else. So, despite Sophia being the one closer to Hunter , Grandma had forced him to marry me. In my anger and desire to strike back, I told Vinni to make headlines about our divorce. Vinni praised my decision and did exactly that. But it turned out to be the biggest mistake I had ever made. I received a call late that night. Grandma had been rushed to the hospital after reading the news of our divorce. I quickly rushed to the hospital in fear. When I arrived, Hunter was already there. Grandma was inside the operation room, and Sophia was rubbing his arm in comfort. I approached them cautiously, my heart pounding in my chest. "How is Grandma?" I asked in a trembling voice. Hunter 's eyes locked onto mine, filled with a rage I had never seen before. He slowly stood up and walked toward me. I gasped when he gripped my arms tightly. "If anything happens to Grandma, I will never forgive you, Evelyn. I will make your life hell. You just wait and watch.” His words pierced through me, and I realised the enormity of my mistake. Even if I hate Hunter and want to hurt him, how could I do that to Grandma? She had been my rock, my only family after my parents' death. “I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen. I only wanted—" He cut me off in a cold and unforgiving voice. "Save it. You wanted the divorce so badly, right? Sure, you'll get it. I will divorce you." He let go of my arms and stepped back. Sitting back next to Sophia who whispered something in his ear and stroked his back. She looked in my direction with an evil look and I figured out that I had played right into her hands. Finally, the doctor came out after a few hours. Hunter and I both stood up. "She's stable for now.” I sighed both in relief and guilt. I wanted to see her but Hunter didn't let me. So, the next day, I planned to meet her when he wasn't there. I was getting ready to visit Grandma at the hospital when my phone rang. It was Vinni. "Evelyn, we have a crisis at Galaxy Gemstone," she let out worriedly and desperately. My heart sank. "What happened?" "There’s been a hostile takeover. 55% of our shares have been purchased.” "What?!" I exclaimed, trying to wrap my head around the news. Galaxy Gemstone was my father’s pride and joy, a company he had built from the ground up. We specialise in high-end jewellery, using ethically sourced gemstones to create unique, luxurious pieces. The company has always been financially stable. This sudden acquisition of such a significant portion of our shares is shocking. "How is this possible?" I asked, panic rising in my chest. "Who bought the shares?" Vinni hesitated for a moment. "Hunter . He’s the one who did it." "Hunter ?" I repeated in utter shock. He did this? "How could he do this?" "I don’t know all the details yet, but he must have used his connections and resources to buy out our shareholders. Evelyn, I’m so sorry. I had no idea this would happen," Vinni's voice was filled with sympathy. So, this is how he wanted to play this because this is clearly more than just a business move, it is personal. That bastard. I quickly sent him a text. “Meet me at this address in an hour.” I can't just let him destroy my father’s company so easily.Evelyn felt her dress swish around her ankles, the rose silk tickling her calves as she walked toward the steps of the hall. The air was thick with the scent of gardenias, infused with the hum of voices and laughter bouncing off the polished wood beams overhead. Outside, a late summer sun slanted through the windows, turning the dust motes into glitter.She held her daughter, Olivia, tight in her arms—a sturdy, dimpled toddler smelling of milk and biscuits, dark hair curling defiantly away from her bow. Olivia reached for Evelyn’s dangling earrings, gurgling with delight as her mother nuzzled her cheek, smothering her with kisses.“Enough, Mama!” Olivia squealed, squirming.Evelyn laughed, setting her on her hip and pressing a final kiss to her forehead before glancing up at Hunter. He was waiting at the bottom of the steps, looking irrepressibly pleased, hands thrust into the pockets of his navy suit. A violet boutonniere—pinned by Evelyn herself just hours earlier—stood vibrant agai
Three years later - Applause swept through the ballroom in bright, crashing waves as Evelyn’s speech drew to a close. Across the sea of elegant tables and flickering candles, faces shone with admiration. Camera crews crisscrossed in silence, red LEDs like fireflies, their lens trained on Evelyn as she stood, radiant, beneath the crystal chandeliers.The gold award for Woman Empowerment sparkled warmly in her hands, heavier than she expected—a symbol of so many years of struggle, doubt, and relentless hope. As the applause swelled, Evelyn’s chest shivered with the joy and disbelief of it all. She cleared her throat, gathered the final words she’d practiced for weeks, and let the room fall quiet.“My journey has not been easy, and I know there is so much more to do. Still, I stand here tonight because of the women who lifted me when I could not stand on my own, and the men who stood beside me, not ahead of me. This award isn’t just mine. It belongs to every woman who ever wondered if h
The honeymoon was everything Evelyn had never dared to dream: an unfolding tapestry of candlelit dinners, winding cobblestone streets, sun-dappled vineyards, and secret laughter that felt as new as it was familiar. For the first time in years—perhaps the first time in her life—Evelyn allowed herself to simply be happy, to lean fully into the radiance of mornings and the comfort of nights. In those days with Hunter, she was no longer bracing herself for disappointment or pain. She dared to want, to hope, and to trust.Their first morning in the coastal villa, light poured across the tangle of their legs, casting patterns on the rumpled sheets. The scent of salt and wild rosemary drifted through lace curtains as Evelyn woke with her head on Hunter’s chest, the steady drumbeat of his heart guiding her from dreams into waking. For a long moment, she merely listened, tracing the edge of his jaw with a fingertip. Hunter, drowsy and unguarded, tightened his hold around her waist, sighing con
The sun rose over the bustling market district, awash in gold. Their hotel was only a short walk from the city’s beating heart—a labyrinth of stalls packed tightly under patchwork awnings. Aromatic clouds curled through the alleyways, lush with spices and grilled meats, mingling with laughter and shouts in several languages. Evelyn felt at home in the chaos, her cheeks flushed with anticipation as she tucked one arm through Hunter’s and pulled him along.Hunter wore his favorite linen shirt and a pair of worn jeans, but his usual corporate seriousness seemed to have melted away with the morning sun. He gamely let Evelyn lead the way, smiling at her delight. Market sellers called out from their stalls, waving fragrant teas and vivid silks. They weaved between a crowd of locals haggling, tourists gesturing at maps, and children darting past with sticky sweets clutched in their hands.“Look at these colors!” Evelyn exclaimed, pausing at a table bursting with dyed scarves and beaded bags.
The private jet sliced through the cloudless sky, silver and clean against a world of soft blue. Sunlight streamed through the windows, pooling in golden puddles across the pale leather seats, glinting off Hunter’s wedding band as he laced his fingers through Evelyn’s. She didn’t let go, not for a single mile of the flight, and each soft squeeze sent a thrill humming through her chest. She was his wife now—hers, always.Evelyn had imagined their honeymoon would be impossible, a dream reserved for someone else’s fate. Yet here she was, glowing inside and out, her hand safely locked in Hunter’s grip as they soared across continents to a place where the world felt impossibly far away. A blend of luxury and intimacy: secluded cliffs, private plunge pools, sandy coves lit by lanterns and moonlight—every whim attended to but every moment theirs alone.Hunter caught her staring out the window, lost in thought. “Planning our next great adventure, Mrs. Blackwood?” He murmured her new name, sav
A gentle breeze rolled in from the ocean, carrying with it the tangled scent of salt and blooming gardenias. Under a billowing white canopy lined with strings of twinkling fairy lights, Evelyn surveyed the guests weaving between tables adorned with trailing vines and jars brimming with wildflowers. In the distance, linen-draped lanterns glowed amber, and the soft, persistent murmur of the surf gave a rhythm to the laughter and clinking glasses around them.Everything felt impossibly dreamlike. Plates of lemon cake and tiny crystal flutes of champagne circled from hand to hand. Children in pastel dresses darted around adults’ ankles, bare feet kissing the damp sand. Someone’s tie had already come undone; another’s crown of daisies bobbed crooked in her hair. Through it all, Hunter watched Evelyn. Not with the nervous admiration of a new love, but with a profound calm—a deep, unshakeable certainty that made her pulse skip.A string quartet under the canopy plucked out a gentle, familiar







