Chapter 107

"You bastard! Give that back!" Evelyn shrieked, her face flushed crimson as she clung desperately to Nathan's towering frame.

Her left hand gripped his broad shoulder for balance while her legs scrambled against him like a frantic kitten trying to climb a tree.

Nathan's arms tightened around her waist with unexpected possessiveness, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Through the delicate silk of his dress shirt, Evelyn could feel the scorching heat radiating from his muscular body against her palm.

Yet Nathan remained completely focused on her phone, his chiseled features as impassive as a marble statue in meditation.

The boutique erupted in gasps as witnesses saw Evelyn cursing at the notoriously ruthless Nathan Blackwood - who showed no signs of anger.

Theodore broke into a cold sweat, desperately trying to pull Evelyn back but unable to reach her through the tense standoff.

Cassandra stood frozen, her mouth agape. The couple had never been this physically close during their marriage - why were they practically embracing after divorce?

Cassandra's socialite friends glared daggers at Evelyn, their manicured nails digging into their palms with barely contained jealousy.

Nathan's brow furrowed slightly as he swiftly deleted every compromising photo of Cassandra from Evelyn's phone.

"Evelyn, must you resort to such underhanded tactics now that we're divorced?" His deep voice rumbled like distant thunder.

With calculated precision, he slipped the phone back into her pocket and released his grip on her waist.

"Underhanded? That's rich coming from you!" Evelyn scoffed, hastily putting distance between them while brushing imaginary dirt from her clothes.

"I obtained those photos through legitimate means, unlike you, Mr. Blackwood. When you couldn't outmaneuver me, you resorted to petty theft. You're nothing but a common thug in an Armani suit!"

Nearby sales associates stifled giggles, thinking to themselves that he was undoubtedly the most devastatingly handsome "thug" they'd ever seen.

Nathan's expression darkened, his lips pressing into a thin, dangerous line.

Being called a thug in public stung his pride, but what cut deeper was the undisguised revulsion in Evelyn's eyes - she was slipping further away.

Just how much did she despise him now?

Since their divorce papers were signed, she'd become a constant thorn in his side. He'd shown remarkable restraint until now, only for her to publicly humiliate him.

A volatile mix of fury and something dangerously close to hurt surged through Nathan. In one fluid motion, he closed the distance between them, looming over her with predatory intensity.

"Evelyn," he growled, his voice low enough that only she could hear, "the only reason you dare treat me this way is because you were once my wife. Do you truly believe our past marriage gives you license to test my patience indefinitely? Not even Victoria would dare cross me like this. What makes you so bold?"

Evelyn's eyes burned crimson with barely contained rage.

For three long years, Nathan had refused to meet her gaze, systematically crushing her confidence through sheer indifference. Yet even then, she'd never regretted loving him or being his wife.

But standing here now, Evelyn felt the first bitter seeds of regret taking root.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips as she forcibly blinked away the telltale shimmer in her eyes. "Victoria doesn't dare because she cares about you. I dare because you mean absolutely nothing to me anymore."

Nathan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Before he could react, Evelyn seized his platinum silk tie in a white-knuckled grip, yanking him down to her level.

"Do you expect gratitude for that farce of a marriage? Let me make this perfectly clear - I regret every single second of it."

Their faces were now mere inches apart, close enough to share breath.

As the tie constricted around his neck, Nathan felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest at the sheer hatred radiating from her gaze.

"To be brutally honest," Evelyn continued through clenched teeth, "I can barely stomach remembering those three wasted years. Did you honestly think being your wife was some grand privilege? That I should proudly announce to the world I was once Mrs. Blackwood?"