Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

POV: EvelynThe flight was long, but I didn’t spend time thinking about anything I had left behind, because once I boarded and took my seat, I decided to keep everything about that marriage, and that part of my life already felt closed off in a way that didn’t need revisiting.By the time the plane landed, I was already clear on what I needed to do next.The city was unfamiliar, and that was exactly what I wanted, because no one here knew my name, no one knew the Hayes family, and no one would look at me and see a woman who had just walked away from a marriage worth billions.Here, I was just another person starting over.I took a taxi from the airport and gave the driver the address of the apartment I had arranged before leaving, and during the ride, I kept my gaze on the passing streets without trying to take anything in, because settling in wasn’t my priority yet.This was just a beginning.The apartment was small, simple, and quiet when I stepped inside, and after collecting the k

POV: EvelynI didn’t take the card out of my bag until much later that night, not because I had forgotten about it, but because I didn’t want to look at it while everything from the gala was still fresh in my mind. I wanted to think about it clearly, without the noise of the event or the conversations that came with it.By the time I finally placed it on the table in front of me, the apartment had gone quiet again, and there was nothing else competing for my attention.I picked up my phone and searched for the company without hesitation. It didn’t take long to find it. The company had been operating for years, long enough to establish a presence, and at first glance, nothing about it seemed unusual, but as I went deeper into the available records, the pattern became obvious without needing to dig too far.The revenue had been declining steadily over time. Several projects had gone past their deadlines, and some had been quietly dropped altogether. There were complaints from past clien

POV: EvelynThe evening was quieter than usual, and I got back earlier than I normally would, because I had already cleared most of what needed to be handled at the office, and there was nothing urgent left to keep me there longer.Toby was in the living room when I walked in, sitting on the floor with a book open in front of him, his attention fixed on the page in a way that made it clear he hadn’t noticed me yet.I didn’t call out immediately.I walked over instead and stopped just behind him before leaning down slightly and pressing a light kiss to the top of his head.“I’m home,” I said.He looked up quickly, his expression shifting the moment he saw me, and he stood without hesitation, closing the small distance between us as I pulled him into a hug, one hand resting against his back while he leaned into me easily.“You’re early,” he said.“I finished what I needed to do,” I replied, pulling back just enough to look at him before brushing his hair back from his forehead. “Did you

POV: ArthurThe meeting had already started by the time I arrived, and I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary from it, because it was just another proposal to review, something that would either move forward or be rejected depending on whether it made sense for the company.I took my seat quietly and opened the file in front of me, following along with the discussion as it continued, and for a while, everything stayed exactly as expected, with the board going over projections and timelines in a steady, controlled manner that didn’t require anything beyond attention.Then the door opened.I didn’t look up immediately, but the slight shift in the room made it impossible to ignore, and when I finally did, my attention stopped completely.Evelyn stood at the entrance. For a moment, I didn’t react, not because I didn’t recognize her, but because I didn’t understand why she was there, and I found myself watching her as she walked into the room without hesitation and took her seat like

POV: EvelynThe morning came quietly, and for a few seconds after I opened my eyes, I didn’t move, because the first thing I noticed wasn’t the light or the time, but the weight beside me.Toby was still there. He had shifted closer during the night, his head resting near my arm, his hand loosely curled against the sheet like he had reached for me in his sleep and stayed there, and I watched him for a moment before I reached out and brushed my fingers gently through his hair.He stirred almost immediately, his brows tightening slightly before he opened his eyes, blinking slowly as he adjusted.“Morning,” I said.“Morning,” he replied, his voice soft.I leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, letting my hand rest against the side of his face for a second before pulling back.“You slept well?” I asked.He nodded. “Yes.”I studied him briefly, then sat up, pushing the blanket aside as I got out of bed, and he followed a second later, stretching slightly before standing.“I have t