Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 11 - Chapitre 20

The late afternoon light filtered through the arched glass windows of the sunroom, casting long, geometric shadows across the polished floorboards. I sat motionless in the deep velvet armchair, staring down at the dark, lifeless screen of my phone.A memory rose from the dark corners of my mind, painfully clear, dragging me four years back into the past.It was a cold, crisp autumn evening during our second year of marriage. The chill in the air was sharp, smelling of wet pavement and fallen leaves. Kevin had surprisingly come home early, and in a rare moment, he had agreed to take a quiet walk with me down the quiet street outside our residential estate.Back then, I was still desperately hoping that we could become a normal, happy couple. I was still foolish enough to believe that if I was patient enough, he would eventually love me.As we walked under the warm yellow light of the streetlamps, the wind blew through my thin coat. I shivered slightly, gathered my courage, and slowly r

"You are being completely unreasonable, Elodie!" Kevin shouted, his dark hazel eyes burning with a furious, suffocating glare. "I brought my friends home for a quiet dinner, and you stand there spewing baseless accusations and humiliating everyone in my house!""Baseless?" I asked, my voice terrifyingly soft compared to his roar. "Are you going to tell me that wasn't your Maybach in the photo? Or that you weren't wearing the suit I designed when she held your hand?"Kevin’s jaw worked silently, a sharp flicker of panic darting through his eyes before his face hardened back into a wall of cold stone.Before I could say another word, Marcus stepped between us, holding up two hands in a desperate bid for peace."Look... guys, let's just calm down. Kevin, maybe tonight isn't a good night for a dinner party." He turned to Julian, who was still staring at Kevin with a mix of shock and awkward realization. "Julian, come on. Let's head out. We shouldn't be in the middle of this.""Yeah..." Ju

I stood motionless under Kevin’s heavy, slumping weight, feeling his jagged breath against my collarbone. When he stumbled into the room earlier, he had tossed his phone onto the nightstand, where it sat dark and forgotten."If you need me so much, Kevin..." I whispered, my voice cutting through the heavy, alcohol-laced air, "...then why do you love Iris? Why bring her here? Why confess your devotion to me when your heart has belonged to her for six years?"At the sound of Iris’s name, something in Kevin snapped.His eyes flew open, wild, dark, and utterly unfocused. The soft, desperate surrender vanished, replaced by a sudden, violent surge of drunk confusion. He grabbed my wrists, pinning them against my sides, and shoved me backward.My knees hit the edge of the mattress, and I tumbled onto the bed. Before I could move, Kevin leaned over me, his heavy frame blocking out the light, his bloodshot eyes staring down into mine without a single shred of recognition."Iris..." he slurred,

Kevin's POV Iris slipped her arm through mine as we walked through the glass doors of the Grand Hotel lounge.Because Professor Mary and her husband, Mr. Stanley, were hosting this gathering, Iris and I had no choice but to show up together as a married couple. Ever since the dinner a few weeks ago where we let Mr. Stanley believe Iris was my wife, we had to keep up the facade in front of them to avoid a massive public scandal."Kevin, look over there," Iris whispered softly, leaning her head against my shoulder with a sweet, fond smile as she pointed toward the grand piano. "That's Adam Warner. I read an article about him this morning—he's the lead actor everyone is praising."I looked down at her and smiled gently, covering her hand on my arm with my own. "He's had a lot of press lately. If you want, we can say hello after we speak to Mr. Stanley."Before we could turn away, Adam Warner walked straight over from the bar cart, holding a glass of sparkling water. His eyes fixed on th

Elodie's POV "Wait, let me check the second folder..." Adam murmured, his eyes glued to his screen while his thumbs rapidly navigated his phone storage. Adam couldn't seem to believe what he was seeing. I almost laughed at the whole situation. A quiet ripple of curiosity began to spread through the surrounding guests. Drawn by the sudden silence and Adam's intense focus, a few nearby patrons drifted over. Among them were Professor Mary and Mr. Stanley, their glasses of wine held loosely as they exchanged puzzled glances before stepping into our circle to see what was catching everyone's attention. "What is going on over here, Adam?" Professor Mary asked softly, her brow furrowing in gentle confusion as she leaned slightly toward the screen. "I'm just trying to confirm a detail from years ago, Professor," Adam replied, his voice calm but filled with sharp concentration. I took a small, deliberate step closer