Chapter 4

Victor lost it.

"Evelyn, what the hell do you want from me? Sophia already apologized. She's compensating you. Are you seriously going to keep pushing this? Since you can't stand her, fine. I'll leave with her-if that's what you want."

Before Evelyn could even get a word out, he was already out the door.

She had wanted to ask, "Wasn't this trophy given to me as compensation? If it's mine, why don't I have the right to do whatever I want with it?"

But Victor had no patience to hear her out.

Once things finally quieted down, the housekeeper came in to clean up the mess.

Seeing Evelyn lying weakly on her side, she couldn't help but speak up. "Mr. Blake just left with Miss Fraser. Before he left, he gave me a message-"

Evelyn's eyes flickered. "What message?"

The housekeeper hesitated. "He said no doctors are allowed to visit unless... unless you apologize to Miss Fraser in person and get her forgiveness. He also said, for every day you refuse to apologize, he'll stay away for one more day. Mrs. Blake, you know how it is with husband and wife-fights happen, but they blow over. Why don't you just go and make peace with him?"

Evelyn let out a cold laugh. "If he's so fond of living outside, then let him stay out there-for good."

The housekeeper stiffened, sighed, and quietly went back to tidying up. After all, she was just staff-whatever conflict played out between her employers wasn't hers to weigh in on.

Not having to put on a show for doctors suited Evelyn just fine. She stayed in her room, throwing herself into rehab day after day.

Meanwhile, Sophia kept posting on social media-pictures with Victor, in every angle and every setting imaginable.

By day twenty-eight of Victor's absence, Evelyn was walking again. Not perfectly, but enough to ditch the wheelchair.

On the first day she could move freely, she went out to the garden and personally cut down every last lilac tree.

Back then, she'd casually told Victor that her father had once planted a lilac tree outside their home when she was little.

Victor had gone and ordered every rose in the garden replaced with lilac seedlings.

Every fall, when the scent filled the garden, it stood as proof of how much he loved her.

But now that she had made up her mind to leave, none of it was worth keeping anymore.

Evelyn had just finished cutting down the trees and was about to sit down to rest when her phone rang-it was Lucas.

"Mr. Blake asked me to escort you to the charity gala this evening. Kindly prepare in advance."

Evelyn found it rather amusing.

In three years of marriage, Victor had never once taken her to an event like this, always using the excuse that it was "for her own good." She used to think he did it out of concern. Only now did she realize-he simply didn't want to be seen in public with a disabled wife.

She knew this would be a setup. But with only two days left before she was planning to leave, she no longer cared to fight him on it.

Why create unnecessary drama? If Victor wanted her there, then fine-she'd go.

Lucas arrived with a stylist and a makeup artist, and after getting her ready, he personally drove her to the venue.

But the one waiting for her at the entrance wasn't Victor-it was James.

With a smile on his face, he cheerfully took control of Evelyn's wheelchair from Lucas.

Something felt off to Evelyn. But at this point, she didn't have much of a choice.

Sure enough, when James wheeled her into the venue, all eyes turned toward them.

A few guests who hadn't witnessed Victor's grand public proposal three years ago couldn't help whispering when they saw James-typically known for his playboy image-arrive with a woman in a wheelchair.

"Is that James's new girl? A cripple? That's... unexpected."

"Don't be ridiculous," someone corrected quietly. "That's not his new girl. She's Victor's wife. Back then, he spent an insane amount just to propose to her in front of the whole city."

The first person gasped and muttered, "But didn't Victor bring someone else tonight?"

They weren't exactly discreet. The comment carried just far enough for everyone to hear.

Evelyn followed their gaze-and there she was. Sophia, standing proudly at Victor's side. Every bit the perfect match.

"I heard they've known each other for years," someone whispered. "If Miss Fraser hadn't been so focused on dance competitions, Victor never would have ended up with a cripple."

"Old flame versus the legal wife? This is like something out of a soap opera. Who does Victor really care about, anyway?"

A woman nearby chuckled and sneered, explaining, "Isn't it obvious? The necklace Miss Fraser's wearing-it's a one-of-a-kind piece. Worth over ten million. Mrs. Blake, on the other hand, is wearing the freebie that came with it."

Evelyn looked down at the necklace around her neck-the one Victor had given her for their wedding anniversary. So it was just a freebie?

James leaned down and whispered in her ear with feigned sympathy, "Even I didn't think Victor would give you the freebie. Wow, that's rough."

His voice was dripping with malice. He was clearly trying to humiliate her.

Before they left the mansion, the stylist had picked that exact necklace from the jewelry box, claiming it was the perfect match for her gown.

Now Evelyn realized-this was all a setup. James had clearly heard about what happened last time and was here to back up Sophia.

He pushed her directly toward Victor and Sophia. Victor didn't kneel down to her like he used to. Instead, he looked down at her from above, his gaze cold.

"So... you've come to apologize to Sophia?"

Evelyn paused for a beat, then smiled and nodded. "Yes. I've spent the last few days reflecting. I'm here to offer Miss Fraser a formal apology."

She turned to Sophia, smiling warmly. "I'm truly sorry, Miss Fraser. Had I known you had not just one, but two knights in shining armor protecting you, I wouldn't have dared give you attitude-not even if I had a thousand lives to spare."

The moment those words left her mouth, all three of them froze.