Chapter 13

Evelyn gestured toward the bookcase in the corner. "I've read every single book on your shelves these past few days."

Liam studied her face intently. "You're really not going to reconsider?"

Her lashes fluttered downward. "No. My flight leaves at dawn. This might be goodbye forever."

He didn't press further.

The silence between them grew heavy as he strode past her into the bedroom. His fingers worked methodically at his shirt buttons. "When we visit Grandmother tomorrow, don't mention the divorce. It would only worsen her condition."

Evelyn's grip on her phone turned white-knuckled. The device trembled in her hand like a trapped bird.

A dam burst inside her. "I found something in your copy of War and Peace. A photograph of a little girl." Her voice cracked. "The inscription read 'My one true love - Victoria Dawson.'"

Liam froze mid-motion. His entire body went rigid as if struck by lightning.

The shadows in his eyes deepened. He remained silent.

The pain in Evelyn's chest pulsed like an open wound. She forced her expression neutral, masking the hurt. "I assume she's the woman you always intended to marry?"

An eternity passed before Liam resumed undressing. "Childhood infatuation. She left for boarding school at fourteen and we lost contact." His tone was carefully measured. "Haven't seen her in over a decade. She's practically a stranger now, despite being back in town for a year."

He disappeared into the ensuite bathroom without another word.

His explanation provided no comfort. The ache in Evelyn's chest intensified. She couldn't shake the feeling of being an interloper in their story. Liam and Victoria had shared a lifetime before she'd ever entered the picture.

Had fate not intervened, they'd be married by now. What was the point of clinging to this hollow marriage?

The night air chilled her flushed cheeks as she stepped onto the balcony. She welcomed the cold, hoping it might numb the pain.

Returning inside, she dimmed the lights and burrowed beneath the covers. Normally sleep came easily, but tonight her mind raced. Liam's presence in the adjacent room made relaxation impossible.

Every time she closed her eyes, unwanted images surfaced.

The bathroom door creaked open fifteen minutes later. She felt the mattress dip as Liam slid in beside her. Darkness swallowed the room whole.

Though mere inches separated them, the gulf between their hearts felt oceanic.

A phone vibration shattered the silence.

Evelyn's body went taut in the darkness.

Liam fumbled for his device. Victoria's saccharine voice filled the room through the speaker. "Liam, I'm scared. Please come stay with me?"

The sheets rustled as he threw them off. The bedroom door clicked shut behind him.

Evelyn lay perfectly still, eyes squeezed shut. She'd heard every word. Witnessed his haste to leave.

She told herself not to care. He wasn't worth her tears.

Yet the pain came anyway - sharp and relentless. Hot tears soaked her pillowcase.

Rolling onto her side, she muffled her sobs in the duvet. Her teeth sank into her forearm, channeling the heartache into physical pain.

The bite mark would fade. The scars he'd left on her soul never would.

Beneath the covers, her shoulders shook with silent, uncontrollable grief.