EVELINE'S POINT OF VIEW

I had low expectations for the dinner.

I just wanted to spend Christmas Eve and my eighteenth birthday with my husband, Thorne Whitlock. That was it. I thought that wish alone was sufficient. I even declined my parents' extravagant plans for a celebration.

He was all I truly desired.

Thorne managed to invite me out tonight despite his constant workaholism tending to his family's empire. The thought made my heart flutter. Perhaps this dinner was his birthday present to me, I thought.

It was supposed to be a pivotal night.

He wasn't even in Ravendale last Christmas. I had been looking at my phone all day, anticipating a message that never arrived. He was here this time. alongside me.

Mom said I looked like a lady when I put on my nicest dress. I didn't care that my heels hurt. I wore minimal makeup, styled my hair, and probably took longer than necessary to choose a perfume. As our parents had intended when they arranged the marriage, I promised myself that tonight would be the night we finally discussed moving in together.

Our marriage spanned two years. covertly. Only our families were aware. Additionally, we hadn't shared a residence during this time.

There was no wedding night.

This is not a shared house.

It wasn't even a kiss.

However, I waited. I had been waiting a long time.

I even read about birth control pills and how they worked, thinking maybe now was the right time to be ready for that next step. Although I didn't anticipate an immediate event, it's still important to be prepared. A girl needs to be ready.

Who wouldn't want to be with Thorne Whitlock, after all? He was intelligent, tall, and sharp-jawed. Usually, he was cold, but in that enigmatic, aloof way that made people want to pay more attention to him.

And I believed I would finally be the person he leaned into tonight.

As usual, he arrived in an immaculate dark suit; his eyes were unreadable, and his hair was pushed back. I smiled enough for us both, though. In addition to being anxious, I was also excited.

For me, this dinner was more than just a meal.

It was all of it.

The restaurant's lights were soft gold and dim. The air was filled with soft jazz. Between tables, waiters moved in silence. The world seemed to pause around us, as if it knew I would remember this night for the rest of my life.

After we finished eating, I leaned forward, smiling at him.

I said, "Thank you for dinner." "I assumed you would be too busy. But you’re here.”

He didn't return the smile.

He simply gazed at me with the same expressionless look.

The air between us became chilly as he remained silent. It felt even colder than the winter air that was waiting outside the restaurant.

Something’s wrong.

He reached down next to his chair and said, "I can't stay long." “I just needed to give you something.”

I examined the bag he had brought. I didn't inquire about it, but I had noticed it when he entered. I wish I had now.

He produced an envelope.

One that's thick.

He then put a stack of papers in front of me without saying anything.

I gazed at them.

My throat tightened with breath.

My surroundings became hazy.

"What is this?" With my voice barely audible, I posed the question.

His voice? flat. indifferent. "Eveline, you are able to read."

No. No way.

I muttered, "This is a divorce document."

He didn't flinch. didn't recoil.

"Let's get this over with. Simply sign it.

"What if I don't?"

His voice was sharper now as he leaned forward. "Avoid playing games. Simply sign the fucking document.

It was as if I had been struck in the chest.

"This is a gift from you for my birthday."

He gave me the impression that he didn't even know who I was. As if I weren't the girl who would spend her nights imagining what our life would be like after we moved in together.

He didn't respond.

"On Christmas Eve, you really brought me out here just to give me divorce papers?"

He remarked, "You understood what this marriage was." "Your father required assistance. His business is now stable. The situation is straightforward and uncomplicated.

I didn't realize the depth of his words.

I blinked quickly in an attempt to contain the tears that were welling up in my eyes. "Are our parents aware?"

"They will. However, he cautioned, "don't you dare visit them before I do." "If you visit them before me, I will ensure the destruction of your dad's business."

I went cold.

Thorne meant it. That was the first time I had ever heard him speak like that.

I touched my temple. My brain ached. I glanced at the paper once more. It might as well have been a dagger.

Everything I had ever dreamed of and everything I believed in shattered in black ink.

He had no desire to live with me.

refused to try.

He showed no concern.

I suddenly remembered the rumors.

Camille.

She was Thorne's former girlfriend. She was back in Ravendale, they said. Last week, someone even claimed to have witnessed her getting into Thorne's vehicle. They were mistaken, I told myself. that it was untrue.

Right now?

I wasn't so sure now.

"Is it because of Camille?" Quietly, I asked. "Isn't she back?"

His eyes narrowed. "Avoid her involvement in this."

Naturally. He would defend her, of course.

He gave me a look as if I were the one causing trouble. It seemed as though I had coerced him into doing something against his will.

However, I never coerced him. It was our parents who made this agreement. I was clinging to it in the hopes that it would become something meaningful.

I gazed at the man I used to love.

Silently loved.

I feel love with every heartbeat.

I loved it when he just kept his distance from me.

"God's time will reveal the truth," I declared. "You are aware that such revelation will not sit well with our families."

"As you are aware, I have detested this marriage from the beginning."

That was it.

Tears blurred my vision, but I determined not to let them fall—not in front of him.

I got to my feet. I took the pen out of my handbag. I signed the document with a trembling hand. I then presented my wedding ring to him after removing it.

"Thorne Whitlock, you'll regret this."

He remained silent.

I left the restaurant without turning around.

The chilly air outside slapped me.

I paced quickly, my heels clicking against the pavement. The fact that people were staring and that snow had begun to fall didn't bother me.

I had a hollow heart.

It appeared as though it had been meticulously carved.

He did not love me.

He didn't.

And now all I gave him was a paper signature.

However, he made a mistake.

This statement is completely incorrect.

What he just did—ending our marriage like it meant nothing—was going to come back to him.

And the next time our paths crossed…

He wouldn’t recognize the girl who once begged for his love.

He’d meet someone else entirely.

I stopped walking.

The snow continued to fall.

I gazed at the heavens. It appeared to be a quiet Christmas. However, a storm had begun inside of me, and it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.