Chapter 184

"Ugh!"

Evelyn's back slammed against the cold marble pillar, the impact sending sharp pain through her spine. She gasped, her voice laced with fury. "Nathan! Have you lost your damn mind?"

Nathan's grip on her wrist tightened like a vice, his knuckles turning white. His breathing came in ragged bursts, his usually composed features twisted with barely contained rage.

Their faces were so close she could count the dark lashes framing his stormy eyes. The scent of his expensive cologne mixed with the faint metallic tang of anger.

"You lied to me again, Evelyn." His voice was dangerously low, each word dripping with accusation. "Any man would lose control after being deceived like this."

Evelyn's laughter was bitter as she struggled against his hold. "What exactly did I lie about this time, Your Highness?"

Her eyes burned with unshed tears. "Everything you don't know about me isn't because I kept secrets - it's because you never bothered to ask! Three years, Nathan. Three years as your wife, and you never once cared to know me."

Nathan flinched as if struck. His pulse pounded visibly at his throat.

"Do you know my favorite color? The music that makes me dance? The places that make me feel alive?" Her voice cracked. "I could recite your entire schedule, your allergies, even how you take your coffee. But me? I was just furniture in your perfect life."

The truth of her words hit Nathan like physical blows. Shame colored his aristocratic features pale.

"Don't pretend this is about deception," Evelyn continued, her voice trembling. "I was that book gathering dust on your shelf, praying you'd finally pick me up. But you only noticed me when it was time to throw me away."

Abandonment? The word echoed in Nathan's mind. Had he really...?

His hands shook as memories surfaced - Evelyn's tear-streaked face when he'd forced the divorce papers on her. The way her slender fingers had trembled holding the pen.

"Your indifference killed every last bit of love I had," she whispered. "Now I feel nothing for you. Nothing at all."

Nathan's breath hitched. "Liar." His voice was raw. "You're still mine, Evelyn. This act with Sebastian - it's just to punish me, isn't it?"

Evelyn's laugh was cold. "Delusional much? Get your head examined, Nathan. Sebastian makes me happy - something you never could."

Nathan's grip shifted to her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Happy?" he sneered. "You'd give yourself to a man you don't love just to spite me?"

A slow, cruel smile curved Evelyn's lips. "Seeing you upset is just a bonus. With him, I'm free. With you? I was in a gilded cage." She tilted her head. "Honestly, you're not worth the effort of revenge."

"You mercenary little-" Nathan's voice dropped to a venomous whisper. "Marrying you was the worst mistake of my life."

The words hung between them like a guillotine.

Evelyn went utterly still. Her face drained of color, lips parting soundlessly. Thirteen years of love. A near-fatal sacrifice. And she'd been reduced to... a mistake.

Nathan immediately regretted his words. He hadn't meant-

"Mr. Blackwood? Ms. Carter?"

Marcus Underwood's startled voice shattered the moment. Evelyn jerked away, smoothing her dress with trembling hands.

"Marcus," she said, voice artificially bright. "Shouldn't you be with Reginald?"

The older man's sharp eyes noted the tension but tactfully avoided comment. "There's an issue with the banquet arrangements. I came to inform Mr. Blackwood."

Evelyn nodded stiffly. "Of course. Don't let me keep you."

As Marcus hurried Nathan away, Evelyn turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching her fractured reflection in the glass. Behind her, the grand ballroom glittered with false cheer, a perfect backdrop for her shattered heart.