"Fuck, Evelyn…"

"Nathan…don’t stop." Soft gasps spilled from Evelyn’s parted lips.

His rough palms roamed firmly across my skin, his lips dragging wet, bruising marks one after another along my collarbone and the curve of my shoulder.

Hot heavy breaths fanned against my neck as he pressed his body tight against mine.

"Nathan... oh, deeper... harder!" Evelyn’s shrill voice begged between breathy moans.

“Look at me, Evelyn.” Nathan’s low voice rumbled huskily against my skin, his eyes glazed with raw desire only seconds earlier. He tilted my chin up with one calloused thumb, holding my gaze while his hips moved slowly.

I melted completely under his touch, my nails scraping lightly over his broad shoulders. “I love you, Nathan. Stay with me forever… just us.”

Several minutes later, our high faded away gradually.

He lingered over me for a moment, his forehead resting against mine.

His warm fingers stroked my flushed cheek gently, and I relaxed into his hold, still trembling from the afterglow.

Dark‑hued hickeys covered my collarbone.

Then Nathan pulled back abruptly.

He rolled off me and sat up on the edge of the bed. His warm hands fell away from my body without hesitation.

All of the heated softness in his eyes died out in an instant, leaving only icy detachment.

There was no trace of the passionate man from moments ago.

He ran one hand loosely through his messy hair, his jaw tightening sharply.

“Evelyn, I want a divorce. Sophia came back last night.” Nathan stated suddenly.

Just hearing Sophia’s name sent a sharp, familiar stab through my chest.

I could barely process what I heard. My husband said this right after making love to me. His little guy had just finished interacting with me!

It all hit me all at once.

Sophia was his first love, the girl who’d abandoned him three years ago. He would murmur her name whenever he got drunk, and I’d even found her faded photo hidden deep in his desk drawer early in our marriage.

Being cast‑aside by the man I loved made my fingertips tremble.

No pain I’d ever known compared to this. My breath caught in my throat, my shoulders shook faintly.

We had been tangled in each other’s arms moments before. He had held me gently, touched me softly, yet his heart had already belonged to someone else.

Why? Why would he do this to me?

A thousand questions burned in my throat‑what had I done wrong? What had these three years meant to him? Still, I swallowed every single word. There was no point begging for an answer I already knew.

I took a slow deep breath and forced my voice steady and flat.

“Okay.”

Nathan’s brows furrowed slightly and he looked away the instant my eyes landed on him.

“My assistant will bring the property papers tomorrow,” he said in an unfeeling tone.

Money and property. Those were all that linked us now.

A bitter, self‑deprecating smirk flickered across my mind, and I nodded without a word.

“Let’s sleep,” he said.

“Go out! Sleep somewhere else tonight! ”

Nathan froze. “This is my bedroom too, Evelyn.”

I lifted my eyes, empty and worn out, no longer bothering to argue or explain.

He stared at my lifeless expression for a long momen.“Okay, Fine.”

Without another word, he pushed himself off the bed and turned to leave, heading for the guest room.

The second the bedroom door clicked shut, the entire room fell into dead silence.

I lay alone on the mattress, a heavy, suffocating weight settling over my chest, making every single breath laborious and painful.

Memories washed over me uninvited. Three years ago, my parents passed away and left me utterly broken. Nathan stepped in, married me, and pulled me out of despair.

I’d fallen head-over-heels for him without a single defense.

Yet I had never captured his heart.

His old love was back, and all I got was a hollow three‑year‑long marriage.

*****

I headed downstairs just like every other day the next morning.

Ms. Wendy set a delicate bowl of rich Greek‑style yogurt topped with fresh figs and crunchy granola in front of me.

“Madam, the master left extremely early today,” she said warmly. “Before going out, he mentioned you needed something nourishing to lift your spirits.”

I stared down at the pristine breakfast; its fresh, sweet flavour turned bitter on my tongue before I even took a single bite.

He still looked after me only out of ingrained habit and guilt, even when he intended to end our marriage.

“This won’t last much longer,” I murmured under my breath.

“Pardon?” Ms. Wendy looked confused.

“Nothing. Could you turn on the TV?” I shook my head and forced myself to perk up.

I had grown used to catching fragments of his life from news reports, for he never allowed me to step into his world.

As the television turned on, a news reporter’s voice filled the room.

“The famous rising actress Sophia Reed has returned from overseas and plans to build her career here long‑term. Nathan Carter, CEO of Carter Enterprises, greeted her at the airport late last night, fueling dating rumors. Countless fans showed up to welcome her.”

On‑screen stood Sophia Reed, Nathan’s lifelong moonlight, his one and only love.

Next to her was Nathan in his tailored formal suit. He stood tall and attentive toward her, a look I’d never once received from him.

Right after telling me we would get divorced, he drove straight to welcome his old flame. All his soft touches and sweet words from the previous night were nothing more than a parting gift.

My fingers squeezed my spoon tight, my heart turning numb from cold pain.

Ms. Wendy’s smile faded away, worry clouding her eyes. “Madam…”

“Don’t call me that anymore. Change the channel.” My tone remained flat and emotion‑free.

Moments afterwards, the doorbell chimed.

When Ms. Wendy opened the front door, Ethan, Nathan’s assistant, stood outside holding a formal document.

“Miss Evelyn, I’ve brought over the divorce agreement.” He skipped polite small‑talk straight away.

I lowered my gaze to conceal my inner agony beneath a calm‑seeming exterior.

“Do you have a pen?”

Ethan hesitated briefly before pulling a pen out of his pocket and handing it to me.

Without any hesitation, I flipped to the last page of the paperwork. My signature was graceful yet resolute; the final stroke severed every bond we had built across three years.

I pushed the pen gently back toward him. “Thank you.”

Surprise flickered across Ethan’s face. He had anticipated tears, breakdowns or hesitation rather than my unshaken composure.

“Miss Evelyn, are you certain you won’t rethink this?”

A faint bitter glint appeared in my eyes. Nathan was the one desperate for this divorce, leaving nothing for me to reconsider.

Ethan avoided my stare. He had witnessed Nathan’s restless, strange mood before he left home that morning yet dared not mention it.

“My mistake.” He departed quickly with the signed agreement.

Then I pushed the yogurt aside and prepared to head upstairs when my phone rang‑it was a call from the hospital.

The words from the receiver made my fingers clamp hard around my phone. My heartbeat pounded loudly in my ears and I did not notice when the screen turned black.

Once I hung‑up, my eyes turned red instantly, and I hurried upstairs.

Ms. Wendy watched my retreat with pity. She could not fathom how two people who seemed so affectionate could split up so abruptly.

By afternoon, I calmed my turbulent feelings and neatly packed my belongings.

When I walked downstairs hauling my suitcases, I ran straight into Nathan who had just arrived home.

"How come you're back?"

“Why wouldn’t I come back to my own house?” He replied indifferently.

His gaze swept over my packed luggage. “You don’t have to rush to move out,” he said, his tone softer than before. “The property will be transferred into your name today.”

I lifted my gaze. One quiet question slipped out before I could stop myself.

“Will you marry Sophia eventually?”