9

Evelyn’s POV

Sophia’s flat was tiny when matched with the Sinclair house. Yet, as soon as I walked in, I could take a breath again.

No chilly looks from Damien's folks met me there No hurtful hints sat behind every turn too.

Sophia put a mug of warm tea in front of me, then sat next to me quietly. Worry filled her eyes as she looked at my face closely.

“You seem tired” she said softly “Did you get any sleep last night?”

I looked down at the hot tea in my hands. A sour grin slowly came to my lips after that.

“I don’t think I remember how to sleep anymore.”

Quiet filled the room for a moment. Rain kept falling hard outside the apartment's windows.

Sophia gave me a big brown envelope all of a sudden. Her ͏face got serious right after that.

“The investigator sent everything this morning.”

My fingers gripped the envelope a bit more. Fear quickly sat deep in my chest.

Slowly, I opened it.

Pictures spread out on the coffee table real quick each one seemed like a knife turning more in my heart.

Damien goes to hotels with Chloe. Damien puts his arm around her waist while taking her into the pricey restaurants.

Damien pecking her in a car park late at night Damien going into a fancy flat that is under another person's name.

Hurt shot through my chest as I looked at the photos quietly. It seems like their love had gone on for way longer than what I first believed.

One pic almost broke me all the way. Damien was grinning softly while he fixed a scarf for Chloe carefully.

That soft expression used to belong only to me.

Sophia swore softly next to me. Rage showed on her face as she took another picture from the table.

“That bastard doesn’t even look guilty.”

I looked at Damien's happy face in the photo. My heart hurt so much that it got hard to breathe again,

“He loved her,” I whispered softly.

Sophia quickly moved her head side to side. Her voice got chillier after that.

“No. Guys like Damien don’t get love.” Disgust showed on her face. “They only care about owning.”

Sadly, some of me still knew the guy Damien was before. That is maybe why being let down stung this bad.

My phone buzzed a lot on the table. Damien’s name showed up on the screen again.

I hung up the phone right away. A bit later, another call came in.

Then another.

Sophia rolled her eyes a lot while crossing her arms. Annoyance filled her face right away.

“At this point he’s basically harassing you.”

An empty laugh came from my lips softly. Tiredness sunk further in my chest.

“He only panics now because I finally left.”

My phone shook again before another text showed up.

[Evelyn, answer me.]

Another message followed immediately afterward.

[We need to talk.]

Then another one arrived.

[I’m outside.]

My whole body stopped quick. Sophia straightened up right away next to me.

“What?”

Before I could say anything; loud bang suddenly rang in the apartment. Damien's tough voice came seconds later.

“Evelyn!”

Sophia swore lowly. Anger showed on her face fast.

“He’s drunk.”

The banging got͏ louder after that. Anger could already be heard clear in Damien's voice.

“Open the damn door!”

I got up from the sofa. Worry turned tightly in my belly.

Sophia took my arm just before I got to the door. Worry showed on her face again.

“You don’t have to deal with him tonight.”

I took a shaky breath before looking at the door. My chest felt really tight.

“I’m tired of running.”

The second I opened a door, Damien nearly fell ahead. Booze filled the hall right away.

His tie dangled soft around his neck, while tiredness made his eyes dark. Untidy hair hung a bit over his forehead.

For a few seconds, he just looked at me quietly. Joy slowly showed on his face after.

“You’re okay.”

Hurt bent hard in my heart hearing those words. Even now, some silly part of me still answers to him.

Sadly, Chloe's face popped into my head again.

Damien reached out to me. A look of worry showed on his face for a moment.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I moved back before he could reach me. His face grew a bit dark after that.

“You left me.”

An empty laugh slipped from my lips soft. Doubt filled me all the way.

“You cheated on me.”

Quiet broke out between us right away. Sophia put her arms around me in a safe way.

“You should leave,” she snapped coldly.

Damien didn't see her at all. His red eyes stayed on me.

“Come home.”

“No.”

His jaw got tight right away. Annoyance showed clear on his face.

"Evelyn, hear me good." His voice was soft and full of feeling. “Chloe means nothing compared to you.”

Pain spread violently through my chest again. That woman was carrying his child.

“You really expect me to believe that?” I whispered shakily.

Damien dragged a rough hand through his messy hair. Guilt finally appeared across his face.

“She was a mistake.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Anger slowly replaced the remaining heartbreak inside me.

“A mistake you kept sleeping with?”

Frustration darkened his face instantly. Heavy silence filled the hallway again.

“She kept forcing herself into my life.”

The excuse sounded so pathetic that I nearly laughed. Rage slowly boiled inside my chest.

“You’re unbelievable.”

Damien suddenly grabbed my wrist desperately. His grip tightened slightly like he was terrified I might disappear again.

“I love you.”

Those three words nearly shattered me. Once upon a time, they meant everything to me.

Now they only sounded cruel.

Slowly, I pulled my hand away from him. Then I walked toward the coffee table before grabbing the thick folder beside it.

Damien frowned slightly while watching me. Confusion crossed his face afterward.

“What’s that?”

Without answering, I threw the photographs directly against his chest. Pictures scattered across the floor instantly.

Damien froze completely.

Hotel photos.

Restaurant photos.

Pictures of him kissing Chloe passionately.

Evidence of every single lie he told me.

Color slowly drained from his face while he stared down at the scattered photographs. His breathing became visibly uneven.

“You hired someone to follow me?”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips quietly. Disappointment filled every inch of my chest.

“You really think that’s the problem here?”

Silence exploded between us again. Genuine panic finally appeared inside Damien’s eyes for the first time.

Slowly, he bent down before picking up one of the photographs. His hands trembled slightly afterward.

“There’s so many.”

Pain twisted sharply inside me again. Tears nearly burned behind my eyes.

“Yes.”

Another long silence followed afterward. Damien looked completely shaken now.

Maybe this was finally the moment he realized I was serious.

No more forgiving him.

No more waiting for him.

No more loving him blindly.

“You were really going to leave me,” he whispered hoarsely.

I looked directly into his eyes afterward. My voice sounded colder than before.

“You already left me first.”

Something inside Damien seemed to crack after hearing that sentence. Rage suddenly exploded across his face.

He turned around violently before punching the apartment wall hard enough to make Sophia flinch. Heavy breathing filled the hallway instantly.

“Fuck!”

Several seconds later, Damien stormed out of the apartment without another word. The loud slam of the door echoed harshly through the room.

Sophia exhaled heavily afterward before looking toward me carefully. Concern slowly replaced her anger.

“You okay?”

I stared silently at the scattered photographs around my feet. Strangely enough, no tears came anymore.

Only exhaustion remained.

Later that night, Sophia placed the divorce papers in front of me quietly. The pen beside the documents suddenly felt unbearably heavy.

My chest tightened painfully while staring at the empty signature line. Three years of marriage would end with one signature.

Slowly, I picked up the pen.

Then signed my name without hesitation.

Evelyn Hart Sinclair.

Sophia exhaled softly beside me afterward. Relief crossed her face instantly.

“It’s finally over.”

I stared silently at the signature for several long seconds. Unfortunately, deep down, I already knew Damien Sinclair would never let me go that easily.

Especially after what happened next.

Because late that night Damien finally saw my signature on the divorce papers for the very first time.