Chapter 5

My heart pounded so hard I was certain Adrian could hear it through the door.

He knocked again.

Once.

Twice.

Then silence.

"Evelyn," he called softly. "Please... just give me five minutes."

Five minutes.

The words almost made me laugh.

He wanted five minutes after destroying the future we had spent three years building.

Three years of dreams.

Three years of promises.

Three years of believing I had found the man I would grow old with.

Now he wanted five minutes.

I leaned against the wall and squeezed my eyes shut.

Don't answer.

Don't let him in.

If I looked into those familiar blue eyes, would I still have the strength to leave?

"I know you're hurting," he continued. "But you deserve the truth."

The truth.

Where had the truth been when I stood at the altar in my wedding dress?

Where had it been when the giant screen showed him proposing to another woman?

Where had it been when my father collapsed?

Or when I discovered I was carrying his child?

A tear escaped despite my resolve.

I wiped it away.

"No," I whispered.

"I've cried enough."

Outside, another gentle knock echoed.

"I'll stay here all night if I have to."

The irony almost made me smile.

The man who never came to our wedding was now promising not to leave my doorstep.

If only he had fought this hard three days earlier.

My gaze drifted to the open suitcase resting on the couch.

Inside was everything that mattered now.

My passport.

A one-way ticket to London.

A few clothes.

My mother's photograph.

The prenatal vitamins.

And my appointment card for my first ultrasound.

I picked it up.

Next week.

By then, I'd already be gone.

Far from the scandal.

Far from Adrian.

Far from the life that had broken me.

My hand settled gently over my stomach.

"I choose you."

The words came naturally.

"You come first now."

For the first time since discovering the pregnancy, I understood what being a mother meant.

It meant putting my child before my own broken heart.

I grabbed my phone and sent a message.

Evelyn: He's outside.

The reply came almost immediately.

Chloe: Don't open the door.

Another message followed.

Chloe: I'm on my way.

A small smile tugged at my lips.

No matter how many times life knocked me down, Chloe always seemed to arrive before I hit the ground.

---

Twenty minutes passed.

Adrian never left.

Unable to resist, I looked through the peephole.

He was still there.

His jacket hung over one arm.

His sleeves were rolled up.

Every few moments he ran a hand through his dark hair.

He looked exhausted.

Broken.

Nothing like the confident billionaire the world admired.

For a dangerous moment, memories returned.

The Adrian who stayed awake all night when I had pneumonia.

The Adrian who secretly learned to cook my favorite seafood pasta.

The Adrian who kissed my forehead every morning before leaving for work.

Those memories had been real.

So how had that man become the one who abandoned me?

The elevator doors opened.

Chloe stepped into the hallway.

The moment she saw Adrian, her expression hardened.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to see Evelyn."

"No."

"You don't understand."

"Then explain."

"I can't."

She folded her arms.

"Why not?"

After a long silence, Adrian answered quietly.

"I signed an agreement."

"What agreement?"

"I can't discuss it."

She stared at him.

"So you're legally forbidden from telling the truth?"

He looked away.

"I gave my word."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"So you're choosing a contract over the woman you claimed to love?"

"It isn't that simple."

"It is."

She stepped closer.

"My best friend spent three years loving you."

"She defended you every time people called you cold."

"She believed every promise you made."

"And on the happiest day of her life..."

Her voice shook with anger.

"...you humiliated her before the entire country."

Adrian lowered his head.

"I know."

"No, you don't."

"You weren't there when her father collapsed."

"You weren't there when she cried herself sick."

"You weren't there while reporters turned her pain into entertainment."

Each sentence struck him like a blow.

"I never wanted anyone to get hurt."

"But they did."

His eyes drifted toward my apartment door.

"I just need five minutes."

"She's not opening that door."

"I figured."

"Then leave."

He rubbed both hands over his face.

"If she hears the truth..."

His words faded away.

"What truth?" Chloe demanded.

He said nothing.

Watching from inside, something finally settled inside me.

Not forgiveness.

Not understanding.

Acceptance.

I might never know why.

And I was finally ready to live without the answer.

---

Nearly an hour later, Adrian left.

I waited another thirty minutes before opening my door.

The hallway was empty.

Resting neatly against my doormat was a small black velvet box.

My breath caught.

I already knew what it contained.

Inside lay my engagement ring.

The same ring he had slipped onto my finger beneath a sky full of fireworks.

Beneath it rested a folded note.

My fingers trembled as I opened it.

There was only one sentence.

"If you still believe I betrayed you after hearing the truth... I'll let you hate me forever."

— Adrian

I read it twice.

No explanation.

No apology.

Just another promise built around a truth I wasn't allowed to hear.

A sad smile crossed my face.

"I don't need the truth anymore."

I closed the box.

Then walked to the trash chute.

Without hesitation, I dropped it inside.

The velvet box disappeared into darkness.

Gone.

Like our future.

When I returned to my apartment, I locked the door.

This time...

I didn't cry.

---

The next morning arrived before sunrise.

Chloe drove me to the airport.

Neither of us spoke much.

Some goodbyes didn't need words.

At the departure gate, she hugged me tightly.

"You'll call me when you land."

"I promise."

She rested a gentle hand over my stomach.

"Take care of both of you."

"I will."

Minutes later, I boarded the plane.

No reporters.

No photographers.

No dramatic farewell.

Just me.

One suitcase.

One unborn child.

And a heart too broken to look back.

As the plane climbed through the clouds, I rested my forehead against the window.

The city grew smaller beneath us.

Soon, it disappeared.

"Goodbye, Adrian," I whispered.

"You'll never know about our baby."

"And I'll never give you the chance to break us again."

For the first time in days...

I felt free.

---

Adrian's POV

Miles away, Adrian Thorn stood in his office, staring through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

He hadn't slept in three nights.

Cold coffee sat untouched on his desk.

Reports remained unread.

Every thought led back to Evelyn.

A frantic knock shattered the silence.

His assistant rushed inside.

"Mr. Thorn!"

Adrian turned.

"What is it?"

"We found it."

His eyes narrowed.

"Found what?"

"The recording."

His heartbeat quickened.

"What recording?"

"The complete security footage from your wedding day."

He froze.

"You told me it was deleted."

"We thought it was."

The assistant placed a flash drive on the desk.

"Our IT department recovered a hidden backup from the cathedral's security server."

Adrian stared at the tiny device.

"And... sir."

"What?"

"I watched part of it."

Adrian's voice dropped.

"What did you see?"

The assistant swallowed.

"I don't think Miss Hart was ever supposed to see what she saw."

The color drained from Adrian's face.

His fingers tightened around the flash drive.

If the recovered footage confirmed his suspicions...

Someone hadn't simply ruined his wedding.

Someone had planned it.

And Evelyn...

Had been the target all along.