Chapter 223

The light in Liam's eyes dimmed as disappointment washed over him. Evelyn caught the shift in his expression, and a pang of guilt twisted in her chest.

Yet that guilt evaporated the moment she remembered his entanglement with Victoria. Besides, she had no intention of revealing her true identity—or lack thereof—to anyone, including Liam.

Clutching the sheets, she sat up abruptly and raked fingers through her tangled hair. "I refuse to waste my life on a cheating bastard like you."

He mirrored her movement, sitting up with a heavy sigh. Running both hands through his dark locks, he exhaled slowly before speaking. "That's the second time you've called me that. At least tell me why."

Her fingers tightened around the blanket's edge as she avoided his gaze. The silence stretched between them like a taut wire.

"I can't fix what I don't understand," he pressed, voice rough with frustration.

A strange calm settled over her. "You're still in love with your childhood sweetheart."

His head snapped up. "You are my first love."

The words hit her like a physical blow. She blinked rapidly before scoffing. "Don't be ridiculous."

Liam's piercing gaze never wavered. "That's a poor excuse. Give me something concrete."

"When you were injured," she spat, "you demanded Victoria stay with you—even when I was right there!"

"That was strictly professional!" he interrupted. "She was consulting on the Norvanian military case."

His excuses only fueled her anger. "And the embrace in your hospital room? Was that professional too?"

Understanding dawned across his features. So this was the root of her sudden coldness—the reason she'd vanished and now demanded divorce papers.

Liam exhaled sharply. "She threw herself at me. You saw that?"

Evelyn turned away, tears pricking her eyes. Men and their convenient excuses.

"There's surveillance footage," he offered. "I'll have security pull it."

"I don't want to see it," she muttered into her knees.

"Then don't accuse me without evidence." His voice dropped. "If you doubt me, at least give me the chance to prove my innocence."

She curled tighter into herself, fingers twisting the sheets. "I gave you one last chance," she whispered. "At the lake."

The memory flashed between them—Liam choosing to save Victoria while Evelyn nearly drowned. That moment, followed by the hospital embrace, had shattered whatever fragile hope remained.

A migraine pulsed behind Liam's temples as he collapsed backward onto the mattress. Emotional confrontations weren't his forte; comforting distraught women even less so.

Not only had Evelyn lost all memory of their past, she'd lost all trust in him. Every explanation fell on deaf ears. Was she determined to believe the worst?

Draping an arm over his eyes, he voiced the question haunting him: "Why did you marry me in the first place?"

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken answers.

"Was I just... convenient?" His voice cracked. "A stable military man to depend on until you realized I couldn't measure up to whatever fantasy you'd imagined?"

The bed dipped as he turned away, the space between them suddenly vast.