Chapter 1

(Evelyn's POV)

Everywhere was quiet.

Which was ironic, because I felt anything but calm as I let the words tumble out.

"I'm here to file for a divorce… and to have my identity erased."

"Are you sure, Mrs. Hart?" He studied me from underneath his lashes, his fingers splayed on the edge of the document. "You understand what this means, right?"

Mrs. Hart.

It was all I had known for so long.

My head moved in a nod. "I understand."

The lawyer shifted uneasily in his seat. He'd known me and my husband for years, and I could guess that was the reason it made no sense to him. The whole city saw us as the golden couple.

"Evelyn, I can call you that, right?"

"It's much better than Mrs. Hart," I responded in clipped tone.

A sigh escaped his lips. "Forgive me for saying this, but your husband…he adores you. Everyone knows that. He chased you for five years before you got married. Don't you think…"

"And… Identity erasure," he whispered, as if suddenly scared that the words would become real if he said them out. "That is… that is a lot. It will be like you never existed, like…"

"I know what you are doing," I breathed, moving slightly to one corner of the uncomfortable chair.

"You want to offer me the counselling services your firm undertakes, so we can invite Julian over. But you see, Mr. Creighton, I have made up my mind. And I don't want to talk about him more than I have to. Just get this done. We pay you for your services, right? And one of the things you promise is confidentiality."

Outside, the rain picked up again, and I wondered if this was nature's way of telling me today was only going to get worse. Julian had forgotten my birthday. He'd rolled out of bed that morning with a chaste kiss.

Nothing else.

It was one of the things that made me make the journey down here.

"Okay," Mr. Creighton muttered, pulling the paper off the desk and sliding it into an envelope. He pushed it my way, holding onto it as he muttered. "It will take about a month. The identity erasure alone…"

"A month?" A frown settled on my face. I didn't have that long. "Can't you make it any shorter? Please. This is really important."

"It's a legal procedure, Evelyn," he said, shaking his head. "Even if I pull every string, an identity erasure takes a lot to achieve."

"There has to be a way," I insisted, my eyes searching his features. I knew there was. I could see it in his gaze. "Please."

Silence travelled between us for a few seconds, unsettling. After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed again. "I'll … I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you." My lips barely moved as I got up and turned around, the sound of my heels clicking against the marble floor billowing behind.

***

For a long moment, Mr. Creighton just sat there, watching her retreating figure. He didn't move minutes after she left. It was impossible to make sense of it all, and he had to admit that in that minute, he contemplated calling her husband.

But in a swift change of mind, he leaned over and pressed a small intercom on his desk.

"She just left, Sir," he breathed into it. "Apologies for the delay. Can we continue with the …."

"No." His voice filled the room, a rich baritone that demanded attention; that was used to getting attention. "What did she want?"

Mr. Creighton could hear a scratch from the other side. He'd gotten out of his chair, his feet tapping lightly against the ground.

"Divorce…."

"And?"

"An identity erasure. She wants to disappear. I told her it would take a month, and she wanted me to hasten the process. But it makes no sense. She…"

"Do it."

"What?" He blinked hard, the veins on his forehead popping out. His boss never intervened in the private matters of their clients.

"Creighton."

He swallowed. "Yes, sir?"

"Get it done in two weeks, and report directly to me."