Semua Bab I was more than pretty: Bab 61 - Bab 70

The last light of day faded, leaving behind an aftertaste.Soft. Bitter. Lingering longer than it should have.By the time I reached home, Mom was already asleep. My shoes ached from the weight of everything I’d had to pretend. The echo of Serena’s laughter still clung to me — too bright, too hollow — while Julian’s voice replayed in fragments I didn’t want to hear.Apologies. Promises. Lies.The day had been one long performance, and every actor deserved an award.Serena, for her charm.Julian, for his devotion.And me — for my restraint.I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, letting silence swallow the falseness. My reflection in the hallway mirror looked calm, almost serene. But underneath? I was exhausted.Not from the lies. From keeping them alive.I poured myself a glass of water, drank half, and left the rest untouched on the counter.When I finally walked into the bathroom, my mind followed me like a shadow I couldn’t shake.Steam curled as the shower came on. I step

The room was quiet—too quiet. The kind of silence that carried weight, pressing against the skin until one could almost hear their own heartbeat. Evelyn stood before him, unsure whether to take another step or retreat. The memory of that night at the restaurant still burned in her mind—how she’d walked out on him without a word, leaving him sitting there, his expression unreadable, his eyes shadowed by something she couldn’t name.Now, here she was again. The same man. The same tension. The same unspoken pull.“I’m sorry,” she began softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “For walking out on you that night… I didn’t feel well.”It wasn’t entirely a lie—but not the truth either. She had left because she couldn’t bear the weight of what she was beginning to feel… or remember. The fragments of memory that kept stabbing through her mind, sharp and fleeting.Soren leaned back in his chair, his eyes watching her with that same deep stillness that always unsettled her. His mouth curved slig

The elevator doors closed behind Evelyn, leaving the faint hum of the office fading into silence. Her thoughts were still tangled in the words Soren had said, looping through her mind like a haunting refrain. She killed me. Those three words carried more weight than anything she’d heard in years. The truth of his past now pulsed in rhythm with her own—two souls scarred, two lives rewritten, and one secret that could break everything.When she reached her desk, the first thing she did was glance around. No sign of Serena. No trace of that perfume she always left lingering in the air—sweet, expensive, and poisonous. Evelyn let out a quiet sigh of relief. She didn’t want to see her now. Not after everything. She gathered her bag, switched off her system, and left.The evening sky was painted in fading golds and smoky blues when she finally stepped outside. The city moved around her in its usual rhythm—cars honking, people talking, lights flickering to life—but her world felt muted, as tho

Days had passed since Evelyn had last seen Soren at his house — days filled with quiet thoughts, restless nights, and a storm of planning beneath her calm surface. The memory of their conversation lingered like perfume, sweet yet unsettling. His words had stuck to her mind, echoing with dangerous promise.It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The kind of day meant for peace — for soft breezes and lazy sunlight — yet Evelyn’s heart was anything but still. She sat on the edge of her bed, her phone in hand, staring at Julian’s number flashing on the screen. Her lips curved slightly — not in affection, but calculation.With a slow exhale, she pressed “call.”When he answered, his voice came with the same practiced charm — smooth, feigned concern draped in affection. “Eve? This is a surprise. How are you?”She forced a fragile sigh, the kind that could make a man believe she was crumbling. “Julian,” she said softly, “there’s… a lot happening right now. I need to speak to you. I feel so ove

Weeks passed after the signing of the agreement, and everything changed — quietly, but completely.Julian changed first.He stopped calling. The morning texts, the goodnight messages, the flowers — all gone. His absence wasn’t loud; it was methodical, calculated. It was as if he had carefully erased me from his life one layer at a time.At work, he didn’t look at me. Didn’t nod, didn’t acknowledge me. We could walk past each other in the hallway, and he would act as though I were a shadow that brushed against him — brief, unnoticed, insignificant.It didn’t hurt. Not anymore.In another life, I would’ve broken down over that. I would’ve asked what I did wrong, tried to fix something that wasn’t mine to repair. But this time, I didn’t feel the need to do any of that.I simply smiled.He had gotten what he wanted.And now, he had no use for me.It was almost amusing, really — how easy he was to read. I didn’t even need to guess what came next. Men like Julian always follow the same scri