Chapter 6

Later in a lounge of the mall, Victor said, "Give the medicine to Sophia."

He didn't bother with explanation; his tone was flat and direct.

Evelyn stared at him in disbelief. "You really think Sophia's minor injury is more deserving of this medicine than my legs? Do you even realize what this means to me, Victor? Do you even care at all? I've spent three years in a wheelchair. I dream of walking again every single night."

She had looked into it beforehand. Sophia's injury was merely superficial, nowhere near severe enough to warrant something this advanced.

Victor crouched down in front of her, his expression grave.

"But Evelyn, it's different for the two of you. Sophia needs her legs to dance. Her future's on the world stage. Even the slightest damage could end it all. The doctor said that even if your legs recover, you'll never perform again. And even if you remain in that wheelchair for life, you're still my wife. That won't change. I'll take care of you-for the rest of your life. Just listen to me this once, alright?"

Taking care of her? Like keeping a broken-winged bird in a golden cage-pampered, but never free to fly again?

Evelyn froze. A few silent tears slipped from the corners of her eyes.

If it weren't for Victor, she would've been the one shining on that stage. It should've been her.

Evelyn didn't voice this thought.

"Listen to me. I owe Sophia. And we're husband and wife-it's only right that we share the burden," Victor went on.

In that moment, everything he'd ever done to Evelyn-all the hurt, all the betrayal-came rushing back, breaking down the last of her defenses.

Then she remembered she was leaving soon anyway-there was no point starting a fight now, no reason to complicate things further.

Evelyn forced a bitter smile and obediently agreed, "You're right. I overreacted."

Victor gently patted her head, seemingly satisfied. "Take her home," he told Lucas. "I'll come back when I get the chance."

Evelyn's heart felt hollow as Lucas pushed her wheelchair toward the exit. She didn't resist.

One more day. Just one more day until the divorce agreement took effect. After that, Evelyn Carter would disappear from Beaumont forever.

She and Victor would never meet again.

With that thought in mind, Evelyn quietly began packing her things, counting down the hours.

But maybe because she was too restless, she couldn't fall asleep that night. Bored, she picked up her phone-only to find a message from Sophia.

It was a photo of her and Victor in a hotel room. Clearly intimate. The kind meant to provoke.

Evelyn didn't reply.

Moments later, Sophia sent another message, "Oops, wrong person. Couldn't unsend. Just pretend you never saw it."

Still, Evelyn said nothing. She simply took a screenshot-then carefully archived the photo along with a few of Sophia's equally provocative posts from Instagram.

At 3:30 a.m., still unable to sleep, she quietly set fire to her room.

While the others scrambled to put out the flames, she slipped away through the back door of the estate.

If she was going to leave, she'd make sure it was complete and irreversible.

From this moment on, Evelyn Carter no longer existed.