Chapter 120

Evelyn quickened her pace through the dimly lit underground parking garage, her heels clicking against the concrete.

"Ms. Carter! Evelyn!"

Julian Montgomery's voice echoed through the cavernous space as he caught up to her, his fingers wrapping around her delicate wrist.

She spun around abruptly, her tear-filled eyes meeting his with icy detachment.

"Release me."

"What's wrong? Is this about Nathan?" Julian's voice cracked slightly, laced with remorse. "I'm sorry. I had no idea he'd be here tonight. If I'd known—"

Evelyn's fingers instinctively touched the velvet box in her purse, the one Nathan had forced into her hands earlier. A sharp pang shot through her chest.

Compensation? As if money could erase everything.

"Here. Take it back."

With trembling hands, she removed the diamond necklace Julian had given her, the stones catching the fluorescent lights overhead.

"Thank you for the gift, but I can't keep it."

Julian's entire body stiffened. "Was I just a pawn in your game?"

"I'm sorry." Evelyn's voice was barely above a whisper, her sorrow palpable.

Strangely, Julian felt no anger—only profound pity. Beneath his disappointment, he recognized the lingering affection she still harbored for Nathan. She needed time.

And he'd wait. However long it took.

"It's fine. At least you rejected Nathan's gift too." He forced a careless laugh as he pocketed the necklace. "Small victories."

"Mr. Montgomery, you're a good man. Far more perceptive than Nathan. Beneath that playboy exterior, you're thoughtful... considerate." Her voice softened with genuine remorse. "You deserve someone better. Don't waste your time on me."

"I've already found the best." Julian's eyes burned with intensity as he stepped closer. "It's you, Evelyn."

"Flattering."

Her polite smile didn't reach her eyes as she turned on her heel, leaving him standing alone in the parking garage, fists clenched in frustration.

Had she just...?

Yes. Definitely.

That same night at Velvet Lounge, Nathan Blackwood's stormy presence had cleared the VIP section faster than any bouncer could.

Julian had the entire wing emptied, leaving only the two of them and a terrified bartender.

Nathan sat hunched over the bar, his aura so glacial the ice in his glass barely melted. Before him sat an open jewelry box containing a pair of earrings worth more than most cars.

He'd carried them for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment. Instead, Evelyn had rejected them without even looking.

Humiliating.

The whiskey burned his throat as he recalled Julian fastening that damned necklace around Evelyn's neck earlier. That radiant smile she'd once reserved only for him—now freely given to others.

"Another." He slammed his empty glass down.

The bartender hesitated. "Sir, perhaps something—"

Nathan's glare silenced him mid-sentence.

Just as he raised the fresh pour to his lips, Julian's hand intercepted it.

"Slow down. You'll poison your liver."

Nathan's drunken gaze focused with difficulty. "Better my liver than my best friend fucking my wife."

"Ex-wife." Julian slid onto the adjacent stool. "And I didn't touch her."

"Yet." Nathan's knuckles whitened around his glass. "Stay away from Evelyn."

"Why? Because she's with Sebastian now? Or because she was your wife first?" Julian's mocking tone cut deep.

Nathan's chest constricted violently.

"If it's the former, I don't care. If it's the latter..." Julian smirked. "I care even less."

Something in Nathan snapped.

Glass shattered as he overturned his drink and seized Julian's collar in one violent motion, eyes bloodshot with rage.

"Listen carefully, Montgomery. Over my dead body will you lay a finger on her."