Chapter 2

Realizing her reaction was getting a bit too intense, Victor softened his tone. "I have an important client meeting tomorrow. How about I have my assistant Lucas accompany you instead?'"

Before Evelyn could respond, he turned and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

That whole night, James's words kept swirling in her mind.

Evelyn didn't sleep well that night.

By the time she woke up the next morning, it was already noon. Lucas Grant had been waiting in the living room all morning, only to regretfully tell her that the dance performance had ended.

Since her legs were paralyzed, she hadn't watched any dance performances.

One reason was because she was afraid it would stir up painful memories.

The other reason was that she didn't want to relive the traumatic day when her legs were crushed by the stage equipment.

The previous day, she had purposely suggested going with Victor to see the performance, merely as an excuse to test his commitment.

She had gambled, hoping that Victor would choose her this time.

But it turned out she had lost the bet.

She didn't remember when she had followed Sophia Fraser's Instagram account, but on the first day Sophia returned to the country, she posted three updates in quick succession.

The first post was a picture of Victor waiting in the rain at the airport to pick her up at dawn.

The caption read, "Heard I was coming back, and someone was waiting for me at the airport at the crack of dawn. He even said he wanted to be the first to see me. So cheesy."

The second was a picture of her and Victor together, cuddling while watching the dance performance.

The caption read, "We're here to see the dance show! He promised to put me on the international stage. Talk about bragging."

The latest post was a photo taken at a restaurant, where Victor was carefully wiping her mouth. His wedding band, which he had been wearing the previous night, was now missing.

The comments were flooded with people envying her and offering their blessings.

Evelyn let out a self-deprecating laugh and called Victor.

He rejected the call twice before finally answering. "I'm not available to talk right now, I'll call you back later."

A woman's voice, sweet and flirtatious, came through the phone. "Who's calling at this hour? I've already taken my clothes off."

Before Evelyn could react, Victor quickly hung up.

Lucas, noticing what had happened, couldn't help but comfort her. "Mr. Blake has been really busy lately. If there's anything you need, just let me know."

Lucas couldn't understand why, if his boss had feelings for Sophia, he had gone through all the trouble of marrying Evelyn.

He would never know how much damage his rash decision had caused to the fragile woman sitting in front of him.

Evelyn had just sent a message to her best friend, Claire Jennings. "A friend will be visiting me soon. Could you help me bring her in, Mr. Grant?"

She lowered her gaze and glanced at the wheelchair she was sitting in.

"You know, it's not really convenient for me to go out like this."

A trace of sympathy crossed Lucas's face, and he quickly agreed.

As soon as Claire entered the bedroom, Evelyn immediately locked the door behind her and took a few slow steps in front of her.

Before Claire could scream in surprise, Evelyn quickly covered her mouth.

"Keep it down."

Claire, almost in tears, whispered excitedly, "The doctor Victor found for you really worked! Your legs are healed, you can stand! This is a miracle! Does Victor know?"

"He doesn't know. I can't let him find out."

Claire's smile instantly froze on her face.

Evelyn briefly told Claire about what she had overheard the day before. After hearing her out, Claire silently embraced her, and then Evelyn continued.

"Sophia's back in town. I don't have a reason to stay any longer."

Evelyn took out a divorce agreement from the safe in her room and handed it to Claire.

"This is the divorce agreement between Victor and me. You're a lawyer, so I'm entrusting you with my entire divorce case."

This was the same divorce agreement Evelyn had made Victor sign when they got married. She had willingly given him the power to choose, telling him that if there came a time when he grew tired of her-when her disability became too much for him-he could end their marriage whenever he wanted, simply by using the agreement.

Victor had probably forgotten about it by now. Even if he remembered, Evelyn was certain he would quickly activate the agreement once he was ready.

Claire nodded after reviewing the signed divorce agreement. "Everything looks fine. But there's a 30-day waiting period before it becomes effective. That means you'll still need to stay at the Blake estate for the next month."

Evelyn tapped her sore legs. "I know."

Her legs hadn't fully recovered yet, and the month would give her a good opportunity to rest and heal.

Not long after Claire left, Evelyn received a text from Victor.

"I might bring a friend home today."

He wasn't asking for permission, just letting her know.

Victor rarely brought people home, and even his closest friend James had never stayed over. Evelyn couldn't think of anyone who would make him break that habit except Sophia.

She opened her phone, and sure enough, she saw the newest post from Sophia.

"As soon as I said I had no place to stay, he offered to let me crash at his place. You guys can stop guessing in the comments. I just found out he's married. We're just good friends, I hope his wife won't misunderstand."

Scrolling down, Evelyn saw several comments.

"No matter how powerful the wife is, she'll always have to step aside for you."

"The true love is back. If that disabled one knows what's good for her, she'll move aside."

And then, Victor's glaring comment caught her eye...