Chapter 2

Beverly walked out of the kindergarten. When the butler, Alfred Smith, saw that she wasn't in the best of spirits, he asked, "Where are you headed, Mrs. Gray? I'll drive you there."

Where could she go? None of her family members were around anymore. There was only one place she could go.

She said, "I'm fine on my own."

Alfred watched her leave, feeling like something was wrong. At that moment, his phone rang.

A maid's horrified voice came from the other end of the line as she cried, "Mrs. Gray has discovered Mr. Gray's secret!"

She'd been stunned by the mess left in the study.

Upon hearing her words, Alfred immediately called Heather Monroe, Evan's mother, and informed her about it.

…

Beverly got into her Porsche Panamera and drove off. She sped along the highway, leaving the bustling city behind as she went deep into the mountains.

Meanwhile, Evan and Cindy were getting it on in the CEO's lounge at Gray Corporation. At that moment, Evan's phone, which he'd placed on the nightstand, pinged. He picked it up and checked his tracking app, which showed a red dot getting further away.

"Babe, Harry's boxing class will be over soon." Cindy snaked her arms around him from behind, her voice saucy and alluring.

Evan pushed her away as he watched the red dot get further away from the city center. For some reason, his heart twisted into a knot as he heard the way Cindy had addressed him. He felt like he was slowly losing his hold on something.

"Don't call me that," he said icily. Beverly was the only one who had the right to address him that way. He must've been possessed to have allowed Cindy to do it before.

He pulled his pants up and strode out of the lounge without another look back.

Once he was gone, Cindy's fawning face twisted into rage. Fuming, she reached out for the photo of Beverly and Evan on the nightstand and swept it into the trash can.

She was younger and prettier than Beverly, and she brought Evan more pleasure in bed. Even Harold liked her more than he liked Beverly!

So why was Evan still so obsessed with Beverly?

He had to be clinging to his nostalgia. If that were the case, she would handle this matter personally.

…

It started drizzling at a cemetery located in the suburbs. Beverly stood before a gravestone for a long time. She'd once promised her mother, Elaine Barrett, that she would always be happy, but it looked like she now had to break that promise.

She became choked up as she said, "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm going to divorce Evan and give up Harold's custody to him. Then, I'll take you away from here."

"Where will you take her?" a voice asked tenderly as an umbrella appeared over her head, shielding her from the rain and wind.

Beverly's surprised eyes reflected Evan's handsome face.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked with a slight frown. It seemed he hadn't heard the first half of her words.

"Because our hearts are connected, of course." He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "I was so worried when you suddenly left the city, honey."

His warmth enveloped her heart, but the ice around it couldn't be melted anymore. As she stood there in his arms, she smelled the scent of daisies on him. It was the fragrance that Cindy regularly used.

"What's there to worry about? Or were you afraid that I would leave you after finding out you'd done something to betray me?" Beverly asked while scrutinizing Evan's face, trying to catch any telltale signs.

Evan's expression turned somber. He said firmly, "Honey, I swear before Elaine that I've never done anything to betray you. I'm not doing it now, and I never will. If I do, may lightning strike me down."

Thunder rumbled overhead as soon as the words were out of his mouth, startling him. It seemed even the heavens couldn't resist exposing his lies.

Beverly thought of how he'd cheated on her for years while pretending to be a loving, devoted husband. Her gaze turned cold as she said, "There's no need for lightning to strike you down."

She didn't want the heavens to dirty their hands dealing with someone like him. She continued, "I'll leave you if you do anything to betray me."

"I won't, honey." Evan grabbed her hand and pressed his lips to it. "In life, we share the same bed, and in death, we'll share a grave. I won't ever give you the chance to leave me."

Beverly sneered inwardly at his words. It was precisely this so-called devotion that had fooled her for years. Still, she softened her tone and said, "I have faith in you."

This encounter at the cemetery made Beverly realize one thing—it wouldn't be as easy to leave Evan as she'd imagined. She'd only been gone from the city center for less than two hours, yet he'd already tracked her down.

And beyond that, every airport, seaport, and passenger terminal in Alterra was controlled by Gray Corporation. If Evan refused to let her go, she wouldn't be able to go anywhere.

She had to endure this until James sent someone to take her away.

Evan pulled Beverly close. "Thanks for your trust, honey. But you didn't answer my earlier question—where did you say you were taking Elaine?"

Beverly pushed him away. Her eyes were lowered, so he didn't see the scorn in them. "Mom's grave has become worn with time. I was thinking of having her ashes stored at a funeral parlor for the time being."

He exhaled in relief and took off his suit jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. Then, he handed her the umbrella before crouching to remove the weeds around the gravestone.

He said, "The soil around here is getting loose, so it's definitely time to fix things up. I'll have the cemetery administrator arrange for Elaine's ashes to be taken out.

"I bought a plot of land in your name a few years ago and had it turned into a cemetery for Elaine. I'll have someone arrange for the best time to have her ashes relocated there. The view there is fantastic, and it's filled with her favorite tulips.

"There will be someone to clean and maintain the gravestone, and there will also be guards on duty. I'm sure Elaine would love it there. I was going to wait until her death anniversary to tell you about this."

Evan stood up and held Beverly's hand as thunder continued to rumble overhead. He said, "It's not safe here, so let's go."

He took the umbrella from her and kept a protective arm around her as they headed down the mountain.

Beverly looked into Evan's love-filled eyes and thought about the hardships she and Elaine had suffered ten years ago. He was the one who'd stepped forward to help her, and it was thanks to him that Elaine's final moments had been free of worry and pain.

He'd done so much for her. So why had he ultimately betrayed her?

Beverly's lips trembled as she considered asking him why he'd done it.

Just then, Evan opened the door of the front passenger seat of the car. Cindy sat there, and the sight of her made Beverly swallow all her hesitation.

Cindy wore a white, spaghetti-strapped dress with a cardigan on top, revealing her neck, which was covered in love bites. She also wore a chain around her neck, and dangling on it was a ring.

Beverly only caught a vague glimpse of the ring, but she recognized it as her wedding band, which she'd lost not too long ago.

She'd been devastated at the time, so Evan had taken his off and promised to melt it so it could be molded into a new one. He'd promised to make them both a new pair of wedding bands that were more perfect than the old ones.

Yet now, Beverly clearly saw Evan's wedding band on his left ring finger, gleaming as coldly as a sharp blade. It stabbed her right in the heart, making it a bloody mess and sending waves of agony coursing through her.

She couldn't believe Evan had brought Cindy with him to Elaine's grave. He'd even given Cindy her wedding band!

Beverly thought about how she'd almost fallen for his devoted act and considered confronting him about his affair. Now, she found herself ridiculous and pathetic.

Evan wasn't worth her time, nor was he worth sticking around for.

Beverly's heart was shattered beyond recognition as she turned to leave. Behind her, Evan roared, "Get the hell out of my car! Who said you could take the seat reserved for my wife?"