Chapter 12. The Man at the Door

Inside the Callahan family’s villa, the television that had been broadcasting live suddenly went black after a few flickers.

Lucas’s face turned pale. From the start, he had been so sure that Sebastian Reed would never take an interest in Evelyn Sinclair. After all, Sebastian was Sebastian Reed. What kind of woman couldn’t he have? Why Evelyn—a married woman most people would call ordinary?

But Sebastian’s sudden appearance had shattered that belief in an instant.

“You shameless woman!”

A sharp slap broke the silence in the living room. The sound echoed, leaving a sting in the air.

Evelyn stumbled to the floor, clutching her cheek. She stared in shock at Beatrice, Lucas’s mother, whose face was twisted with rage.

“A man dares to show up at this house looking for you, and you still dare to lie?” Beatrice shouted, her voice dripping with hatred, while Madison piled on cruel words, fanning the flames even higher.

Evelyn glanced at Lucas, the man she had fought for all this time. He didn’t say a single word to defend her.

That was it. Yes, she had been involved with Sebastian—but Lucas had been the one to cheat first. If they wanted to call it the same, then she no longer wanted to stay here.

Evelyn pushed herself up and walked to the bedroom. She packed a few things, then came back with a suitcase in her hand.

“Evelyn Sinclair, where do you think you’re going?” Lucas snapped, his brows furrowed. “You’re overreacting. My mom was just scolding you. You think you can just walk out like this?”

Evelyn didn’t answer. She kept walking toward the living room.

“Stop right there!” Beatrice blocked her way. “What’s in that bag?”

Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment, holding back her anger. “My own belongings.”

“In this house? What do you even own besides what my son bought you?” Beatrice sneered.

“Exactly. She got caught, and now she wants to sneak off with valuables. Hand it over!” Madison yanked at Evelyn’s suitcase roughly.

They struggled, until the red case fell to the floor and split open. Inside were only a few plain clothes.

Madison kicked it in disgust. “Cheap junk like this? Where are all the nice things my brother bought?”

Evelyn’s chest tightened as she looked at the broken suitcase. Lucas had bought it for her back when they got married. Now, just like her marriage, it lay shattered—mocked and discarded.

“And where will you go after leaving the Callahan house?” Lucas’s voice was cold. “Back to your mother’s? You’ll end up coming back here anyway.”

Beatrice pulled a document out of the drawer. “I always knew this day would come.”

She threw it onto the table. “Fine, Evelyn. You can leave—but sign this first.”

Evelyn’s hands trembled as she opened it. The words “Divorce Agreement” stood boldly across the front page.

Three years of marriage. She had revived the Callahan family business, carried the entire household on her back. And now, they wanted to throw her out with nothing.

After a long silence, she clenched her jaw. “No. I won’t sign it.”

In front of the Callahans, she ripped the document to pieces, letting the scraps flutter through the air.

Her face was blank as she stared at the three cold expressions. “You think I’m that easy to trample on? I’m not signing anything.”

She turned and headed toward the front door of the villa.

“Stop!” Beatrice lunged forward, grabbing her arm. “You’re not leaving until you sign!”

“Let me go!” Evelyn struggled, wincing at the pain in her arm. Suddenly she was pulled into someone’s embrace from outside the door, while Beatrice was yanked backward and nearly lost her balance.

“Mom!” Lucas and Madison rushed to steady her.

“You dare lay a hand on me?” Beatrice screamed, but the words froze in her throat when she saw the tall figure standing at the doorway. His cold stare made her entire body shudder.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Sebastian Reed?” Lucas blurted, instantly recognizing him.

Evelyn’s eyes flew wide when she heard his name. She looked up at the sharp lines of his jaw, sculpted like stone.

Sebastian was really there.

She quickly stepped back, lowering her gaze to hide her shock.

Sebastian’s eyes fell on the red mark across Evelyn’s cheek. His brows furrowed. “Who dared lay a hand on you?”

His voice cut through the room like ice, and everyone held their breath.

“So you’re the man? You’re her lover?” Beatrice spat, her face twisted with fury.

“Her lover?” Sebastian turned toward her, his gaze sharp enough to silence her instantly.

“Mom, stop talking nonsense!” Lucas panicked, rushing to smooth things over. “Mr. Reed, please forgive us. My mother didn’t mean it. This must all be a misunderstanding. Thank you so much for clearing things up with the media.”

“Evelyn, look at the trouble you’ve caused Mr. Reed. Why don’t you apologize?”

Lucas’s humble, groveling tone toward Sebastian was a striking contrast to the cruelty he always showed Evelyn.

Tears welled in Evelyn’s eyes. She squeezed them shut, hating herself for ever believing in this coward of a man.

“Evelyn, what are you waiting for?” Lucas grabbed her hand.

But Sebastian shoved him aside and pulled Evelyn behind him.

Evelyn froze. His broad back stood like a shield in front of her, as if protecting her from three years of humiliation she had been forced to swallow.

Lucas clenched his fists in rage. “Mr. Reed, what is the meaning of this?”

Sebastian’s voice was cold. “I came here to take Evelyn with me.”

The Callahans fell silent, just as stunned as Evelyn herself.

“I don’t like repeating myself,” Sebastian added, his tone like steel.

Lucas finally snapped out of his shock. “You… you really…” His voice shook, his teeth chattering. He wanted to spit out the word “affair,” but the word stuck in his throat.

For a man, even one who no longer loved his wife, nothing was more humiliating than being betrayed. It was a matter of pride. Lucas’s face darkened with rage he could barely contain.

Evelyn’s mother-in-law lashed out, her shrill voice cutting through the room. “Look at this! They even dare come to our house! A barren woman who can’t even give us children, and now she dares to cheat? God, what sins has the Callahan family committed to be disgraced like this?”

The insult hung heavy in the air, slicing into every corner of the room.

Evelyn started to step forward, but Sebastian stopped her. “Daniel, take Evelyn to the car.”

Daniel understood immediately. He bowed politely. “Mrs. Sinclair, this way, please.”

Evelyn had no desire to deal with the Callahans any longer. Without hesitation, she walked out.

Seeing Evelyn actually leave in Sebastian’s car, Lucas snapped. “What the hell do you think my house is?”

Even though he didn’t dare face Sebastian head-on, his anger boiled over. “Mr. Reed, I respect you and the Reed Group, but you can’t treat our family like this! Taking my wife right in front of me? What if people find out? The Callahans will become a laughingstock!”

“You want to talk about disgrace, Mr. Callahan?” Sebastian’s stare was like a blade. “Then let’s talk about disgrace.”

Once Evelyn was gone, his demeanor grew even colder. His sharp gaze bore into Lucas, and the man instantly broke into a shiver.