Chapter 2

The house is empty, lonely. It feels cold.

I know Adrian wouldn't be here, but arriving alone feels worse than I already imagined.

How can we now look at the house where we were happy with the same eyes?

It's not possible.

I set my bag on the kitchen island and pour myself a glass of water. I drink it in one gulp; my throat is dry.

I sit down in the living room when I think I have the strength to move and I wait there. With my phone in my hand, two hours pass, then three. My stomach growls with hunger.

I call him. It's too hard to find his name and see how affectionately I've saved his contact information. But I stay strong; I can't be weak now. The call goes to voicemail, and I'm not surprised, but another piece inside me breaks.

There's a knock at the door, and the loud sound startles me. I know it's not Adrian, because he has a key, and I doubt he'll bother with formalities now.

I slowly get up and wait for the dizziness to pass before going to the door. When I open it, I find Adrian's lawyer; he's carrying a briefcase, and unlike other times, his face doesn't have a pleasant expression.

"Mrs. Blackwood, I'm here on your husband's orders. May I come in? "

My skin crawls, but I nod. I know nothing good will come of this.

I give him space to enter and follow him into the living room, to watch him sit on the sofa and open his briefcase.

I sit in the chair beside him, still not understanding anything.

"Will you tell me what's going on? " I ask, when I see him taking out papers and a fine-point pen.

He looks up and stares at me over the top of his glasses, his expression irritated. He nods.

"This is the divorce agreement, ma'am. "

If I weren't sitting down, I would have fallen. My ears are starting to ring and my chest is tightening; it feels like I can't breathe.

"Can you repeat that? "

This has to be a mistake. Adrian can't do this to me. Not like this.

"I am Mr. Blackwood's attorney, and as his legal representative, I am here to deliver this divorce agreement. Please read and sign it. "

He hands me the document, and his firm grip is steady in contrast to my trembling hand. I accept it with a dry mouth and my heart pounding in my throat.

"Why isn't Adrian here, facing the music with this. .. request? "

"Mr. Blackwood has better things to do. This is just a simple formality. "

A punch to the gut would hurt less. He's just made it clear how little I matter to the man I love, the man I thought I'd spend a lifetime with, an eternity.

How much had changed? When had it changed?

Was it all a lie the whole time?

I open the document and start reading, but by the first page my head is spinning and I close it again.

"This has to be a joke. Two years of marriage and all he intends to give me with this agreement is my. .. the ring I bought him. "

I let out a sob at the end. I can't believe it.

It's not that I've ever been interested in Adrian's money, but to leave me out on the street without even giving an explanation for why he's doing this? Just returning the ring that took me so long to save up for?

"It's humiliating. "

I swallow hard and look at the man in front of me, who hands me a cardboard envelope with what I assume is the ring inside.

I take it too, with a trembling hand.

And out of sheer courage I also reach for the pen, I look for the spaces where I must sign my name and without thinking, I do it.

Each of my strokes is a piece of my soul that I leave in Adrian's hands. It's a final goodbye, to everything we could have had, but which is now ruined.

And it's the goodbye he didn't have the guts to give me.

4 years later. ..

Lucas Sterling is a complete idiot. It's not enough for him to have me running around all day; now he expects me to organize his parties and do the work of an entire event planning and catering team.

"All for a damn bonus. "

"Evelyn, did you check what I told you about the valet parking? I don't want any unnecessary traffic jams when the guests start arriving. "

I roll my eyes as I stand with my back to him. I take a deep breath and put on my best fake smile before turning around.

"Everything is ready, Mr. Sterling. Two employees have been hired to manage each wing of the parking lot, and they have clear specifications regarding the types of cars expected at this event. "

Lucas's smile is pure arrogance. I keep my displeasure to myself, because he probably doesn't like it when I think he's ridiculous. He's my boss, after all.

"That's fine. My guests are high-profile; they expect nothing less from me. " He turns and takes the whiskey decanter from his bar. He pours himself a heavy tumbler with more amber liquid than a normal drink would hold and takes a long swallow before continuing with his nonsense. "Everything else? "

"Under control, sir. "

He nods again, takes another drink and looks me up and down before making a face.

"I suppose you're going to change your clothes, aren't you? I pay you quite a few bonuses so you can have a decent wardrobe and you always wear those. .. " He points at my clothes with distaste. "Rags. "

I tell myself that huffing and puffing in his face is disrespectful, so I bite my tongue before replying. He knows perfectly well that's how he always sees me, and that won't change. Damian made that perfectly clear.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't like to waste my money, and what I have meets the company's specifications. Tonight, I'll be inside with the organization; there's no need to wear anything fancy when I'll be busy with dishes and giving orders. "

Lucas squints his eyes in my direction; I can almost see him listing the reasons why I have to change; the first being that I look horrible.

But I already know that, you don't need to tell me.

"Can you at least take off those glasses? " he insists. He looks genuinely pained when he asks.

"If I do that, he'll be without an assistant, sir. " I hide the smile that saying that brings to my face.

Actually, I don't wear glasses; I don't have any vision problems. I only wear them because Damian Ashford himself recommended it. Something about his friend hating baggy clothes and thick-rimmed glasses. And since I don't want to be on the radar of a man who adores every woman who comes near him, I made sure to look as unattractive as possible.

I think I hear him snort, but he turns away and I don't confirm it. He takes another drink and straightens his shirt, getting ready to receive the guests.

"Did you call Bianca Hale? "

"Yes, she should be arriving soon, " I confirm, swallowing my pride at having to take care of even his lovers.