The Heiress' Reckoning

In the third year of their relationship, Kristian Dobson married the wealthy heiress Laura Clarke behind my back.

He told me, "Evelyn, I'm an illegitimate son. Only by marrying her can I gain my father's approval and claim my place in the family."

I scoffed inwardly. He was merely making excuses for his ambition.

I chose to end things cleanly, but Kristian confined me like a caged bird, hidden from the world.

"You live a life of luxury without lifting a finger. What more could you want?" he demanded.

Later, to please Laura, he forced me to jump from the seventeenth-floor balcony.

They assumed I was powerless, unaware I was the sole heir to the city's richest fortune.

...

"Evelyn Hayes, don't just stand there. Hurry up and serve the food!"

The manager's voice snapped at her, but Evelyn barely registered it. Her eyes fixed on the couple exchanging rings on the stage.

The wedding buzzed with joy, and she should have clapped along, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

The groom was Kristian Dobson, her boyfriend of three years.

The bride was Laura Clarke, her college rival.

As the ring exchange concluded, Kristian lifted Laura's veil and kissed her passionately under the guests' gaze.

"I vow to love only Laura Clarke, through sickness and health, for all my life," he declared into the microphone, holding her hand, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

Evelyn watched his devoted act and found it bitterly ironic.

Just last night, he had been with her, and now, without warning, he was someone else's lifelong partner.

Perhaps she should have stormed the stage and exposed him.

Or maybe she should have wept and caused a scene, demanding why he betrayed her.

But her feet felt rooted, weighed down by the pain radiating from her heart.

While toasting and chatting merrily, Kristian suddenly glanced toward the service entrance, as if sensing her presence.

Their eyes met amid the clinking glasses. Hers were tearful with disappointment; his were wide with panic.

He started toward her, but Laura clung to his arm. "Kristian, where are you going? My father wants to talk. He has some spare capital, and didn't you always want to start a business?"

On one side was Evelyn, offering no advantage. On the other was the opportunity he craved.

After a brief hesitation, Kristian made his choice.

He smiled casually and said, "It's nothing. I thought you might be hungry and wanted to grab you some cake. But since your father needs to talk, let's go."

He wrapped his arm around Laura, and they turned toward the main table.

Though Evelyn had accepted the reality, his choice still stung.

The man who once promised her unwavering loyalty had changed.

Ignoring the manager, she shed her work apron and slipped out of the festive chaos.

...

Evelyn wandered aimlessly down the cold streets, her phone buzzing with a notification.

It was a text from Kristian. "Evelyn, wait till I get back, and I'll explain. I only love you. Today wasn't real."

His words sounded convincing, as if she had misunderstood.

Moments later, she tapped his profile and blocked him without hesitation.

She also deleted all three hundred seventy photos of them together.

"Miss Hayes, back to see that wedding dress?" A shop assistant's voice startled her. Evelyn glanced around, realizing she had unknowingly stopped outside a bridal shop's window.

The display showcased a pink-diamond-encrusted gown priced at two hundred thousand dollars.

The assistant said "back" because Evelyn and Kristian had visited often, gazing through the glass and dreaming of a happy future.

Her thoughts drifted to when she was twenty and met Kristian kneeling outside the Dobson family gate.

Rain poured that day, dripping from his hair, softening his stern features with vulnerability.

Friends told her he was the Dobson family's illegitimate son, kneeling annually on his father's birthday to show filial piety.

His father, however, never acknowledged him, refusing to recognize his existence.

As the only daughter of the richest man in Seavelt, Evelyn should have had no connection to someone like him.

Yet, after that day, she fell uncontrollably for Kristian.

She pursued him boldly, melting the ice around his heart.

Once together, he worked three jobs tirelessly, even fainting from hunger, just to buy her a necklace for her birthday.

"I can suffer, but you can't. Whatever others have, you'll have too," he said, fastening the necklace around her neck, giving her his all.

But her father warned, "Kristian may seem like a pitiful outcast, but he's ambitious and cunning. He's not right for you."

Naive and love-struck, Evelyn didn't grasp the warning. She made a bold bet. "I'll hide my identity and stay with him for three years. If he remains loyal and treats me even better, you'll approve our marriage."

Out of love, her father agreed but added conditions.

Today marked the end of that three-year bet, and the past felt like a cruel joke.

Evelyn wiped a tear and dialed her father's number.

"Dad, I lost," she admitted. "I'll come home and take over the family business as you want. As for a marriage partner, you decide. I don't care."

Her father's voice crackled with excitement. "That's my girl! I'll arrange a gala with five eligible bachelors for you to choose from. I'll send someone to pick you up in seven days."

After hanging up, Evelyn hailed a taxi and returned to her rundown suburban apartment.

She flicked on the dim yellow light, illuminating a small space filled with memories of their past sweetness.

Matching slippers, keychains, and violets symbolizing unwavering love surrounded her.

Everywhere she looked, traces of Kristian lingered.

Once a source of joy, these now stirred only disgust, threatening to overwhelm her.

She turned and headed downstairs, through the corridor's corner, and knocked on the junkyard owner's door.

Under his puzzled gaze, she said flatly, "Everything in apartment 1603 is yours for free. Take it all, but leave nothing behind."

Eager for the deal, the owner nodded and called his workers to clear the place.

Evelyn watched expressionlessly as they emptied the once-cozy home.

Oddly, love had felt heavy, but letting go brought relief.

This was for the best.

Tears for Kristian weren't worth shedding.

When the apartment was finally bare, Kristian rushed in, trailed by two bodyguards.

"Evelyn, I'm back, you..." He trailed off, noticing the emptiness.

He looked around in disbelief. "Evelyn, the flowers we planted, our things-where are they?"

She scoffed, her face dripping with mockery. "Kristian, they're at the junkyard where trash belongs. And so do you."

His expression froze, speechless.

Her gaze fell on his left hand, where a ring-another woman's mark-now sat on his once-slender finger.

Catching her stare, he guiltily slipped off the ring and pocketed it, then signaled the bodyguards.

Moments later, they carried in a pink-diamond-encrusted wedding dress.

He flashed a warm smile, reaching for her hand. "Evelyn, this is for you. Remember how we used to stare at it in the shop window? Now it's yours."

His tone dripped with affection, as if nothing had changed.

Her eyelashes fluttered, anger surging. She yanked her hand away and stepped back. "You're sick. You marry Laura in the morning and bring me a wedding dress at night. Do you think we can go back to how things were?"

Her resolve shook him. Panic crept in, and he dismissed the bodyguards before dropping to his knees.

Clutching her waist as he once did, he said shakily, "Now that I'm married to Laura, everything's different. Her family will back me, and my father will add me to the family registry. I'll be a legitimate Dobson heir. Don't worry, she's just my wife in name. I still love you. Can't you just be my kept darling?"

He was certain she'd agree-three years together couldn't be discarded so easily.

But in his hopeful gaze, Evelyn smiled faintly, raised her hand, and slapped him with all her strength.

The sharp crack echoed clearly.

He reeled, clutching his face in shock. "Evelyn, stop this. If your family had money to help me, I wouldn't have needed to marry Laura."

He stood, feigning patience. "I'll spend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with Laura, and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with you. Fair, right?"

She stared at his face, searching for the man she once knew.

In college, when Laura offered millions to steal him away, he returned her gifts and swore he'd never bow to money.

Now, he not only bowed but made absurd promises.

She didn't respond. Instead, she pulled a lighter from her bag, lit a cigarette, and exhaled slowly.

Smoke curled between them. He frowned, about to speak, when she startled him. "Evelyn, are you crazy?"

She ignored him, leaning down to press the still-lit cigarette to the dress's hem.

Smiling innocently, she said, "I'm burning filthy things. This dress is as disgusting as you, isn't it, Kristian?"

She brushed past him, leaving the fire to consume the dress she once dreamed of wearing.

Kristian ordered the bodyguards to douse the flames and started to chase her, but Laura's call interrupted.

...

Evelyn used the black card her father had given her to book a presidential suite downtown.

Lying on the soft mattress, she felt out of place.

For three years, to hide her identity, she slept on a hard bed and worked as a server to avoid relying on her father.

All her sacrifices were to prove their love, to show her father was wrong.

But parents plan deeply for their children, and he hadn't been mistaken.

Her error was failing to see the ambition beneath Kristian's charming exterior.

Thankfully, as the sole heiress of the city's richest man, she could afford mistakes.

Kristian mistook a pearl for a pebble. She looked forward to the day he'd regret it.

The next morning, a knock startled Evelyn from her daze. She opened the door groggily.

Three bodyguards stood in unison, gesturing politely. "Miss Hayes, Mr. Dobson sent us to escort you. He's arranged a new residence."

Before she could react, they ushered her firmly out of the hotel.

As the car pulled away, she glanced at the unfamiliar route outside, a spark of unease flaring within her.

Seizing a moment when the bodyguards weren't watching, she opened her contacts, intending to call her father. A hand snatched her phone away.

"Miss Hayes, Mr. Dobson's orders are clear. No outside contact without his permission." The bodyguard pocketed her phone and fell silent.

Evelyn dug her nails into her palm, forcing herself to stay calm. Brute force wouldn't solve this.

She couldn't fathom what Kristian Dobson wanted.

Soon, the car stopped smoothly outside a villa, eerily quiet with no one in sight.

The bodyguards led her inside, her face set in a cold mask.

In the villa's living room, a butler and two maids waited. The sofa overflowed with gift boxes, dazzling with luxury.

She scanned the items-a limited-edition Chanel bag, a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, and other high-end brands' latest pieces.

Turning to the butler, she asked darkly, "What's this? Does Kristian plan to lock me away as his little pet? Tell him to face me."

The butler lowered his gaze, mute. The bodyguards mirrored his silence.

She nearly laughed in frustration, trapped with no means to fight back.

For now, she had to bide her time and find a way to escape.

For three days, Evelyn lived like a puppet, every move dictated.

Even a trip to the bathroom came with a maid stationed outside, knocking every ten minutes to ensure she hadn't fled.

She asked to sunbathe in the backyard, but the butler repeated, "Mr. Dobson forbids you to leave this room."

Just as her patience frayed, Kristian appeared.

He showed no guilt, lounging on the sofa, sipping red wine. "Evelyn, you could never afford this life, no matter how hard you tried. You should thank me for giving it to you."

His hair was slicked back, his expensive suit paired with gold-rimmed glasses. His every gesture dripped with arrogance.

This was not the simple man she once knew.

Money had consumed him. Evelyn looked away, unwilling to waste words.

Talk was pointless.

Kristian ignored her icy demeanor, a faint smile playing on his lips as he signaled the butler to present a black off-shoulder gown.

"There's a private gala. Laura wants you to see the world." He caressed her cheek, as if soothing a pet.

Evelyn shoved his hand away, glaring. "Kristian, I'm not going to any gala. Let me go. Do you hear me?"

If not for the odds against her, she'd have slapped him senseless.

He'd betrayed her. Why play the devoted lover now?

It was repulsive.

The tension hung heavy, but Kristian seemed unfazed, as if he'd anticipated her defiance. He pulled a pocket-watch necklace from his coat.

His tone was careless. "This was your grandmother's keepsake. Wouldn't it be a shame if it broke?"

Her eyes flashed with panic. She blurted, "Don't touch it. I'll go."

Satisfied, Kristian smiled and summoned a makeup artist to prepare her.

She sat before the mirror, heart aching, tears slipping down her cheeks.

In their second year together, Kristian had asked for her most cherished possession. Foolishly, she'd handed over the necklace, giving him her weakness.

Now, she hated herself for it.

Half an hour later, Evelyn followed Kristian silently to the Clarke family's private gala.

The lively chatter stopped abruptly at her arrival.

Laura Clarke, teetering on stilettos, rushed to Kristian's side, looping her arm through his. "Honey, it's only been half a day, and I already miss you."

She spoke while casting a dismissive glance at Evelyn.

Kristian tapped her nose playfully. "I'm with you twenty-four hours a day, and you miss me after half a day? So clingy."

Ruby Edwards, Laura's loyal sidekick, chimed in. "Laura's head over heels for you. Don't take it for granted."

At her words, the crowd, as if rehearsed, shot Evelyn scornful looks. Some even snickered.