2

Evelyn’s POV

I do not remember how I got home that night.

The only things I remembered were the rain, Damien’s voice calling my name from behind, and the numbness spreading through my chest during the entire drive.

The moment I arrived at the Sinclair mansion, I locked myself inside my room.

A room that once felt like home.

Now it felt like a cage that suffocated me.

I sat on the floor beside the bed while hugging my knees. My anniversary dress was still partially soaked, my hair was a mess, and the makeup on my face had already been ruined by tears.

At some point, I stopped wiping them away.

Because no matter how many tears fell, none of them could change what I saw tonight.

Enough.

I was no longer crying.

Maybe because the pain had already become too much.

A soft knock suddenly came from the bedroom door.

“Evelyn.”

Damien’s voice echoed from outside.

I closed my eyes tightly.

“Open the door. We need to talk.”

I did not answer.

Several seconds passed in silence before his voice came again, lower this time.

“Whatever you saw tonight, it’s not what you think.”

I almost laughed hearing that.

Apparently cheating men all used the same lines.

I slowly stood up. I walked toward the door. Upon opening it, I leaned against it while staring blankly ahead.

“I’m tired, Damien.”

The hallway outside instantly fell silent.

I truly felt exhausted from loving him.

“I can explain everything,” he said quickly.

“Explain?” I smiled bitterly. “What are you going to explain? That you accidentally slept with another woman on our anniversary?”

Damien did not answer immediately.

His silence hurt more than any lie could.

I swallowed hard before speaking softly.

“Leave.”

“Evelyn-”

“Leave.”

Eventually I heard his footsteps moving away.

Instead of feeling relieved, my chest hurt even more.

Because some pathetic part of me still wished he would force me to listen.

Still wished he would tell me I was the only one he loved.

I sat down on the edge of the bed while staring at the wedding ring I had taken off earlier. Somehow I still brought it home with me.

Maybe because part of me still could not accept that our marriage had truly fallen apart.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

Sophia’s name appeared on the screen.

I answered immediately.

“Evelyn? Oh my God, I just saw your message. What happened?” my friend’s voice sounded panicked from the other side.

That was when my defenses finally collapsed.

Tears started falling again.

“I caught Damien cheating,” I whispered softly.

Sophia immediately went silent for seconds.

“What?”

“I saw it myself.”

My breathing trembled.

“At a hotel. With another woman.”

“That bastard,” Sophia cursed under her breath. “Evelyn, listen to me. You need to divorce him.”

I closed my eyes.

Divorce.

The word sounded terrifying.

At the same time, it felt like the only way out.

Because if I stayed I would spend the rest of my life wondering how many women my husband touched behind my back.

“I want to,” I answered quietly. “I really want to leave him.”

“Then let me handle the divorce papers.” Sophia’s voice turned serious. “I’ll be your lawyer.”

I lowered my gaze to my trembling fingers.

“I have nothing now, Sophia.”

That was the painful reality.

During the three years of marriage, I abandoned my career for Damien. I left the scientific research world I once loved because the Sinclair family believed a CEO’s wife should not work in a laboratory.

Now I realized how foolish I had been.

I lost everything for a man who could not even stay faithful.

“Dad is still hospitalized too,” I continued softly. “The hospital bills keep getting more expensive.”

I heard Sophia let out a sigh.

“Evelyn, what if you start working again?”

I fell silent.

Go back?

I had left that world for three years.

Three years without research, laboratories, or scientific journals.

Could I still do it?

“There’s Professor Andrew, right?” Sophia continued. “Didn’t he always say you were his best student?”

My heart beat softly hearing that name.

Professor Andrew. My former mentor.

The man who always believed in my abilities when I doubted myself.

I bit my lip slowly. Maybe this was the way.

I needed money to pay for my father’s treatment.

More importantly, I needed the freedom to leave Damien Sinclair.

For three years, my entire life revolved around being Damien’s wife.

Somewhere along the way, I forgot who Evelyn Hart used to be.

“I’ll contact him tomorrow,” I finally said.

Sophia sounded relieved. “Good. About the divorce, leave it to me.”

After the call ended, I sat there quietly for some time before finally opening an old contact on my phone.

My fingers trembled slightly as I typed the message.

[Professor, this is Evelyn Hart. I’m sorry for contacting you suddenly. Is your offer from before still available?]

I stared at the screen for several seconds before finally pressing send.

My chest felt strange afterward.

Fear and nervousness.

A small spark of hope slowly appeared inside me.

Suddenly the bedroom door opened without a knock.

I immediately turned around.

Damien walked in carrying a glass of milk as if nothing had happened.

My body instantly tensed.

“I didn’t give you permission to come in.”

He walked closer with a tired expression. His shirt had been changed.

But I could still picture that woman touching him only a few hours ago.

The thought made me sick.

“You haven’t eaten,” he said softly. “Drink this first.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

After everything he had done, he still dared to act as if he cared about me?

“Get out.”

Damien sat beside me without permission.

“Evelyn, I know you’re angry.”

“Angry?” I let out a mocking laugh. “You think this is about anger?”

He stared at me for a long moment.

“I never meant to hurt you.”

That sentence made me want to throw up.

If he never wanted to hurt me, then why did he sleep with another woman?

Why did he touch someone else with the same hands that used to hold me?

I stood up quickly before my emotions completely exploded.

At that moment, my phone vibrated again.

A message from the unknown number.

My chest instantly turned cold.

Somehow I already knew it would not be anything good.

I opened the message slowly.

My breathing stopped immediately.

A photo.

That woman had sent another photo.

This time she was lying on the bed while smiling smugly at the camera. The blanket only covered part of her body.

That was not what destroyed me. It was the necklace around her neck. A crescent moon diamond necklace.

The anniversary necklace Damien gave me this year.

The necklace he claimed was custom made because I was the woman he loved.

My hands started trembling violently.

 

I still remembered how carefully Damien placed that necklace around my neck two weeks ago.

Then he kissed my forehead softly and told me no one could ever replace me.

Now another woman was wearing it while lying in his bed.

The message beneath the photo made my entire body go cold.

[He said this necklace suits me better.]