You want a divorce?" Louis’s voice was cold, unreadable. "Yes," I typed on my iPad. "And this time, I won’t beg." For five years, I was nothing more than a ghost in my own marriage. A substitute bride, a deaf and mute wife who meant nothing to him. Louis never looked at me, never touched me. He paraded his mistresses in front of me, making sure I knew my place, nowhere. But I had secrets of my own. I wasn’t deaf. And I wasn’t weak. When I was kidnapped, I expected Louis to come for me. He didn’t. His indifference shattered me, but it also set me free. I made a deal with the devil, a dangerous man who helped me blackmail my own husband. If Louis wouldn’t let me go, I would destroy him. But things spiraled out of control. Now, I’m trapped. Not just between two dangerous men but between my heart and my freedom. Because despite everything… I think I still love him.
view moreEvelyn's POV
"I want a divorce!"
I typed the words quickly on my iPad, holding it up for him to see. As someone who could hear but couldn't speak, my iPad had become my voice—my lifeline.
Louis barely glanced at the screen before scoffing, his eyes filled with indifference.
"You're not serious," he said, his tone dripping with arrogance.
"I'm damn serious!" I typed again, my hands trembling as I clenched the device. My heart pounded in my chest, anger bubbling inside me.
My grip tightened around the crumpled pieces of paper in my other hand—the divorce papers. Five years. Five years of a marriage that never should have happened. I was never supposed to be his wife. I was just a substitute, a stand-in for my sister, who had been betrothed to him since birth.
I still remembered my mother’s harsh voice ringing in my ears.
"You have to marry him, Evelyn. Now that your sister is gone, you must take her place!"
My father, who had never seen me as anything more than an illegitimate burden, decided to erase my past and mold me into my sister’s image. No one had ever seen her before, so they hid her death and forced me into her name—Evelyn. But my real name was Nana.
The secret funeral had barely ended when I first met Louis. And despite the circumstances, I fell for him instantly. Love at first sight.
But he was different.
"Why didn’t you tell me your daughter couldn’t speak?!" he had roared when he found out about my disability.
My mother had pleaded with him. "She can hear! She’ll be a good wife, please, just marry her!"
Reluctantly, he agreed.
That night, after we signed the marriage papers, I had tried to reach out to him. I had walked toward him, my fingers trembling as I attempted to remove his jacket. But before I could, his strong grip caught my wrist.
"Don’t ever touch me!" he spat, his cold blue eyes filled with disgust. "You're like glass—fragile, useless. Listen carefully. I don’t want you near me. And don’t ever fall in love with me, because it will only end badly for you. You’re not my type."
And just like that, he walked away, leaving me alone on our wedding night.
Now, standing in front of him, I shoved the iPad toward his face again, my message clear.
"Take these papers and sign them now!"
Instead of complying, he stepped closer. Instinctively, I took a step back. My breath hitched. He was so close, and even after everything, my heart still raced. How could I still love him after all he had done?
I wanted to scream at him, to throw every ounce of pain back in his face, but I couldn’t. He didn’t even understand sign language, the one way I could communicate freely.
Just last night, I had seen him with another woman. Their moans had echoed through our house, piercing my heart like a thousand knives. He hadn’t even tried to hide it.
And now, he had the audacity to say—
"I won’t divorce you."
His voice was firm, his fingers brushing against my hair. I slapped his hand away, my blood boiling.
"Don’t you dare touch me, you flirt!" I typed furiously, shoving the screen at him.
He let out a low chuckle, biting his lip. "I admit I’m a flirt," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "But I will never let you divorce me. Never."
I typed aggressively, my fingers jabbing at the screen.
"Why?! Why can’t you just let me go? Let me live my life!"
For the first time, he hesitated. His silence made my stomach twist. For a split second, I wondered—could he have developed feelings for me over the years?
But then he spoke, shattering that thought instantly.
"I have an upcoming election at the office. A divorce would be bad for my image," he said coldly.
Of course. It was never about me.
My hands shook with fury as I typed my response. "I don’t care! Sign the damn papers and let me go!"
I shoved the divorce papers into his hands along with a pen. My heart pounded as I watched him stare at them. But then, in one swift motion, he tore them into shreds.
I gasped, my eyes widening in shock.
"How dare you?!" I signed furiously, my hands moving aggressively in front of his face. "You evil, selfish man! You think just because you’re handsome, I won’t leave you? If you don’t divorce me, I swear I’ll chop off the balls you use to cheat on me!"
Louis frowned, staring at my hands in confusion. "Whatever you just said, I didn’t understand. Type it out." His smirk returned. "I bet you just cursed me, didn’t you?"
I gritted my teeth, rage consuming me.
Before I could type anything, his phone rang. He answered it with a smirk.
"Hello, babe," he said smoothly. His eyes flickered to mine, enjoying my reaction. "Yeah, I enjoyed every second of last night. Can’t wait to do it again tonight."
I didn’t think. My body moved before I could stop it.
SMACK!
My palm collided with his cheek so hard that my own hand stung.
For a moment, there was only silence. Even I was shocked by what I had done. His head slowly turned back to me, his jaw clenching. His eyes darkened with fury.
"You hit me?" he said, his voice dangerously low.
My breath caught in my throat. Before he could react, I spun around and ran. I didn’t know where I was going—I just needed to get away. My whole body trembled as I walked aimlessly through the streets.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, but I ignored it. Then, messages started flooding in.
Mom: "Your husband called! He said you ran away! What is wrong with you? Go back home now!"
I stopped walking, my knees giving out as I collapsed onto the cold pavement. My fingers trembled as I turned off my phone, shutting out the world.
Tears blurred my vision.
Why was my life like this? Why did I always have to suffer?
I buried my face in my hands, letting out a silent sob.
Then, suddenly, a shadow loomed over me.
Before I could react, a hand clamped over my mouth.
They immediately pulled me to the van, throwing me in like I was some kind of dirt.Evelyn’s POV“I love you.”The words tumbled out of me before I could stop them. I meant it this time. The last time I said it I probably didn't mean it. But right now I do.I hadn’t planned to say them, not now, not like this, but they burst from my chest like a secret I could no longer carry. My voice trembled as I raised my hand and gently pressed it against his cheek.“I love you. I love you. I love you so much, Louis. I’ve always loved you.”I didn’t care how I looked or how fast my heart was racing. The truth was all over my face, written into the cracks of my voice, soaked into every breath I took.He froze.His eyes widened a fraction, then crinkled at the corners as a rush of warmth filled them. His lips parted, and I saw it, pure joy. His cheeks flushed a deep red, and before I knew it, he was grinning, teeth flashing like a boy caught in his first crush.He looked like he was blushing harder than anyone I’d ever seen. “You—you do?” he whispered.I didn’t even let him finish
Evelyn’s POVI woke up to the scent of sizzling onions and something buttery, eggs, maybe? My eyelids fluttered open, and for a second, I was disoriented. The warm sheets tangled around my legs, the faint ache between my thighs reminding me of the night before, his lips, his hands, the way he had clung to me like I was his last anchor to the world.I blinked at the ceiling. Had that really happened?The scent drew me up. I sat up slowly, the fabric falling off my shoulders. It smelled like home, like warmth, like… love.My bare feet padded softly on the cold tiles as I walked out of the room. The hallway was quiet except for the soft clatter of dishes and the low hum of something frying. As I turned the corner into the kitchen, the sight stopped me cold.Louis stood there, barefoot, in a worn gray tee and sweats, spatula in one hand, stirring a pan on the stove with practiced ease. Steam curled from a kettle behind him. The counter was cluttered with eggshells, sliced bread, and a bow
Evelyn’s POV“Officers! Did he tell you anything?!” My voice cracked as I screamed across the hallway, my feet stumbling forward, frantic. “Did he say why? Why he killed my mom?!”The chaos of the hospital buzzed behind me, machines beeping, nurses rushing, the quiet hum of suffering, but all I could hear was my own voice, trembling and desperate.One of the officers turned, face tight with something between exhaustion and sympathy. Louis was right behind me, his hand grabbing mine weakly, trying to keep up despite his healing body. He shouldn’t have been on his feet yet, but there he was, still trying to hold me together.“Tell me!” I yelled again, ignoring the stares from nearby nurses and patients. “Why did he do it? What did he say before he died?!”The officer exchanged a glance with his partner before sighing. “Yes… he said something.”My heart stopped. “What?” I stepped closer. “What did he say?!”The officer looked pained as he answered, like the words themselves were hard to
Evelyn’s POVAnd I knew.That look in his eyes, cold, measured, inhuman, was all I needed. He didn’t come here to talk. He came to finish what he started. To end me. Again.But this time, I wasn’t alone.After Dave died, I refused to be the woman who waited around, praying for miracles. I’d worked with the police. I told them I knew he’d come for me. He wouldn’t be able to resist. So, they hid, disguised, stationed all around the hospital, weapons ready, snipers positioned, cameras set up to capture every step. We baited the trap, and the monster walked right into it.He raised the knife higher.“Drop it,” I said through clenched teeth, voice sharp with steel.Still, he smiled. Still, he took a step forward.The hospital door flung open."FREEZE!" a voice bellowed. Boots thundered in. Uniformed officers flooded the room in seconds. One of them, the same officer who promised me they'd find him, stepped forward with his gun raised, eyes locked on the man. “Drop your weapon. Now!”The ma
Evelyn’s POV“We found his location.”The words barely left the officer’s lips before I was on my feet. My chair scraped loudly against the hospital floor, startling even the nurse passing by."Yes. You found his location," I repeated, breath catching. My heart thudded like a war drum. I grabbed the officer's sleeve. “Please… just make sure you find him. Please.” My voice trembled, but the urgency in it was steel.He gave me a tight nod. “We will.”But that wasn’t enough. It would never be enough until he was gone. Until the monster who burned through everything I loved was erased from this world. He doesn’t get to live while Dave lies cold in a morgue.I stepped back, then turned and moved quickly, almost blindly, through the hospital corridors. The smell of antiseptic clung to everything. My shoes hit the tile harder than I intended. I wasn’t just walking. I was marching. Hunting. Rage guided my feet, and grief lit the path.I had one more stop to make before the end began.I pushed
Evelyn’s POVThe rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound grounding me. Each beat was a fragile tether, keeping him alive… keeping me sane. I hadn’t moved from his side. My hand had never left his. And even though his fingers hadn’t twitched again, I held on to hope like a lifeline.The nightmare was almost over. His parents were in custody. The people who had laughed while he suffered were behind bars. I should’ve felt triumphant, like justice was finally tipping in our favor. And yet, my heart wouldn’t rest. Not until the last piece, the darkest one, was caught.Him.The one who orchestrated it all. The one who destroyed everything I loved. The man who killed my mother… the root of all this pain.He was still out there.I reached for my phone with one hand, still gripping my husband’s cold fingers with the other. I called the officer I’d spoken to earlier.“Detective Hale,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “Any updates?”“We need you at the station,” he said urg
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