Evelyn’s POV
My head throbbed. Everything was spinning. I groaned softly and tried to sit up.
My eyes opened slowly, and confusion hit me like a wave. Where… am I? This wasn’t my room. The sheets were silk, smooth beneath my skin. The air smelled expensive—like cologne, leather, and something else I couldn’t place. I looked down. I was wrapped in a white towel. Nothing else. Panic exploded in my chest. I clutched the towel tighter and looked around the unfamiliar hotel-like room. Then, I saw him. A man. He was standing across the room, buttoning his shirt, completely calm—as if nothing was wrong. He looked rich. His black shirt clung to his chest, his wristwatch sparkled under the light, and his face… he was so handsome it hurt. Sharp jaw. Cold eyes. Lips that held no kindness. “What—what happened?” I asked, my voice shaking. He didn’t answer. I grabbed the nearest thing—a pillow—and held it to my chest. “What happened last night?!” He glanced at me once, then continued fixing his cufflinks. “You don’t remember?” “No!” I yelled. “And I shouldn’t even be here! I’m married! I have a son!” At that, he finally looked me in the eyes. “Who has a family,” he said in a cold, flat voice, “and drinks like that in public? Like you were dying to forget something.” I blinked. That hit me. Hard. Tears rushed to my eyes, but I held them back. “I didn’t mean to. I was just… I was hurting. I didn’t come to—” “To sleep with someone?” he cut in sharply. “Then maybe next time you should stay home.” I threw one of his folded clothes at him, trembling. “You don’t talk to me like that!He didn’t even flinch. He just stared at me with those cold, unreadable eyes.
“You were crying at the bar,” he said. “You drank like you wanted to disappear. And when I tried
to leave you there, you followed me.”
I gasped, shaking my head. “You’re lying!”
He walked over to the table and pulled something from his wallet. A black card. He tossed it
onto the bed beside me.
"There's money in it. Take it. Treat yourself to something nice. Tell it's a gift for the night."
The tears I'd held back finally fell.
"What kind of man are you?" I demanded in amazement. "I don't want your money. I'm not that
type of woman!"
I crumpled up the card in my hand and flung it back at him, my hand shaking.
He looked at it on the floor but didn't stoop down and pick it up.
"You'll get it after I'm gone," he shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. "You're acting. That's all."
"Acting?" I struggled to get the word out, horrified. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be
unloved in your own home? To give all—your body, your health, your soul—and be treated as a
stranger? And now this…"
I hid my face in my hands. "I can't believe this occurred."
He turned to the door. "You thought it enough to cry in my arms last night."
It rendered me speechless.
"I've seen your type before," he continued. "The sulky, miserable ones. The dead-eyed,
smile-through-it ones. You play-act until play-acting is all you're ever any good at."
He pushed open the door and glanced over his shoulder at me once, smiled. Not warmly. Just
amused.
"You will remember my name soon," he said to me.
And then he went out.
The room was quiet again.
And I shattered.
I sat down on the bed, hugging my knees, my cheeks wet with tears. My towel slipped off, but I
did not care. I had never been so ashamed I was suffocating. So empty. He was no longer there. But his words remained behind.Evelyn’s POVThe morning air was quiet, but my heart wasn’t.I barely slept through the night. My pillow was soaked with silent tears, and my eyes were sore. Ihad made up my mind. I would collect the divorce papers today. My lawyer had called earlierand said everything was ready. All I had to do was show up and take them.I stood in front of the mirror, brushing my hair slowly. I didn’t even recognize the woman staringback. My skin was pale. My lips were dry. The scar on my cheek… I used to hide it withmakeup. Now I didn’t bother. What was the point?As I slipped into a plain dress and picked up my bag, I took one last deep breath. Today,something in me had changed. I wasn’t going to beg anymore.I walked towards the living room, ready to leave the house, when I heard laughter.Jason and Liam were there — father and son — sitting on the couch, getting ready for work andschool. Liam was holding his little backpack while Jason helped him fix his tie.I paused.I used to be the one
Evelyn’s POVI sat on the edge of the bed, my hands buried in my face. My whole body still felt heavy from thedrink the night before. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror.What have I done?A married woman… with a child… how could I let myself go that far?The image of that man — cold, handsome, the way he threw that card at me — it still burned inmy mind. I wasn’t that kind of woman. I had never been.But last night… I was broken. I was just a woman nobody wanted. A wife unloved. A motherunrecognized.I picked up my phone to distract myself from the shame building up inside. That was when I sawthe message.“Mrs. Evelyn, there’s a dinner meeting tonight. We need you there. It’sregarding the new project files and mreoverThe CEO from abroad is finallyreturning.”My heart skipped a beat.I remembered — they mentioned weeks ago that the real boss of the company was returning. Ihad never seen him. Only the manager had been running things.I wiped my face and replied, “Okay.
Evelyn’s POVMy head throbbed. Everything was spinning. I groaned softly and tried to sit up.My eyes opened slowly, and confusion hit me like a wave.Where… am I?This wasn’t my room. The sheets were silk, smooth beneath my skin. The air smelledexpensive—like cologne, leather, and something else I couldn’t place. I looked down.I was wrapped in a white towel. Nothing else.Panic exploded in my chest. I clutched the towel tighter and looked around the unfamiliarhotel-like room. Then, I saw him.A man.He was standing across the room, buttoning his shirt, completely calm—as if nothing waswrong. He looked rich. His black shirt clung to his chest, his wristwatch sparkled under the light,and his face… he was so handsome it hurt. Sharp jaw. Cold eyes. Lips that held no kindness.“What—what happened?” I asked, my voice shaking.He didn’t answer.I grabbed the nearest thing—a pillow—and held it to my chest. “What happened last night?!”He glanced at me once, then continued fixing his cuf
Evelyn’s POVI checked the time for the tenth time.6:45 PM.Liam should’ve been back by now. The school closes by 4:00, and the driver always brings himhome before 5:00. I had called the driver earlier, but he didn’t pick up. Maybe he was just busy.Or maybe… maybe something was wrong?I had spent the whole day in the kitchen. My hands were sore, my dress had oil stains, and myhair smelled of onions and chicken, but I didn’t care. I wanted to do something special. For myson. For Liam.Today was his birthdayAnd even if he hadn’t smiled much at me that morning, even if he had whispered to Jason that Iwas embarrassing, I still wanted to make him feel loved.Because I was his mother.Even if he no longer believed it.I looked at the table I had decorated—blue balloons, a small chocolate cake, his favoritemashed potatoes, and the gift I’d wrapped with trembling hands. A toy car just like the one hewanted two years ago, before he started hating me.Still… no one came.My heart pound
Evelyn’s POVI woke up earlier than usual today.The sky outside was still grey, and the house was silent. But my heart wouldn’t let me rest.every year. Not because anyone reminded me, but because how could I forget the day Ibecame a mother? Today was special — Liam’s birthday. I had marked the day in my mind the same way I did I didn’t need an alarm clock. My love for him had always been louder than anything else.I stepped out of my room quietly, still in my robe. The floor felt cold, but I didn’t care. All I couldthink of was how much Liam used to love it when I sang him awake on his birthdays — when hewas smaller, before he learned how to hate me.I walked to his room with a soft smile, holding onto a thread of hope that maybe, just maybe,today he would remember that I’m still his mother.The door creaked open and I peeked inside.He was curled under the blankets, his small frame rising and falling gently. The sight of himsleeping always did something to me — a mixture of p
Evelyn’s POVThe morning was quiet.Too quiet.The kind of quiet that feels heavy in your chest. Like the silence is screaming all the thingsyou’re not allowed to say.I stood by the doorframe, watching my son, Liam, frown as he sat on the edge of the bed.His socks were halfway on. His school bag leaned against the wall. His uniform was a littlewrinkled. I had ironed it the night before, just like I always did.I took a small step forward. “Do you want me to fix your tie?”He didn’t answer.I walked closer, kneeling in front of him. My knees hurt these days, but I didn’t care. “Liam,” Isaid again, my voice soft, “Would you like me to make your favorite lunch today? I could bring itto school at break time. The j rice with the diced meat. Remember how much you used to loveit?”He looked up at me with the coldest eyes I’ve ever seen on a child.“No.”Just one word.But it shattered something inside me.“No?” I asked, trying to keep smiling.He stood up and pulled the tie out of my