Chương 9
“I want to find Evelyn.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“I knew you would say that.”
“Then why are you surprised?”
“Because you are still hurt.”
“I am.”
“And hurt people sometimes chase answers because they think answers will remove the pain.”
I looked at him.
“Will they?”
“No.”
The answer was immediate.
“But sometimes they stop you from blaming yourself for the wrong things.”
That was the reason.
The real reason.
For three years, I had wondered what I did wrong.
What I lacked.
Why Julian looked at another woman and still expected me to understand.
Maybe the truth would hurt.
But at least it would be mine.
Daniel found information about Evelyn’s current location.
Not an address.
A company.
A small financial consulting firm outside Cleveland.
“She agreed to meet,” Daniel said.
I looked at him.
“How quickly?”
“Immediately.”
That bothered me.
“Why?”
Nobody answered.
I hated how often silence had become an answer.
The meeting was scheduled for the following afternoon.
Until then, I stayed at my father’s home.
I expected the waiting to be unbearable.
Instead, it was strangely normal.
Arthur made breakfast.
Not a chef.
Not staff.
Him.
He burned the toast.
I stared at the blackened piece of bread.
“You used to have people for this.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you making breakfast?”
He looked offended.
“Because people can make toast.”
“Not successfully.”
He looked at the toaster.
“I may have underestimated the machine.”
I laughed again.
A real laugh.
Small.
Unexpected.
He smiled.
The moment passed quickly.
But I noticed something.
My father was not trying to repair everything with money.
He was just trying to be present.
That was harder.
And maybe more meaningful.
Later that afternoon, the news coverage became worse.
Apex Group stock dropped.
Employees gathered outside the headquarters.
Reporters waited near the entrance.
Julian released a statement saying the company was cooperating with the investigation.
The statement was careful.
Professional.
Empty.
I wondered if anyone reading it knew the man behind the words.
That night, Julian called.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
“Hello.”
“I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else.”
My guard went up.
“What?”
“Evelyn contacted me.”
I sat up.
“When?”
“Today.”
“What did she say?”
“She said she wants to talk to you.”
I frowned.
“Why me?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s not true.”
Julian sighed.
“She knows about us.”
“What does that mean?”
“She knows you left.”
I looked toward the window.
“How?”
“I told her.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
The answer bothered me.
“You talked about me with her?”
“Yes.”
“While we were married?”
“Before.”
I closed my eyes.
Another hidden piece.
Another conversation I never knew existed.
“What did you tell her?”
Julian did not answer immediately.
“Julian.”
“I told her I married someone who reminded me of who I used to be.”
I stayed quiet.
The sentence was almost beautiful.
Almost.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I was lost.”
“And you thought I could fix that?”
“No.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“I thought you made me want to be better.”
The honesty hurt in a different way.
Because there was still affection there.
Just not enough.
“You don’t get to turn me into the good part of your story after making me feel like the unwanted part.”
“I know.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I do.”
I looked down.
“Why did you really marry me?”
The silence lasted longer than any answer.
Finally, he said, “Because you didn’t care who I was.”
That answer should have made me feel special.
Instead, it made me sad.
“Julian.”
“Yes?”
“I wasn’t supposed to be your escape.”
“I know.”
“I was supposed to be your partner.”
“I know.”
I ended the call.
The next morning, I met Evelyn Hart.
She was not what I expected.
There was no dramatic entrance.
No angry businesswoman.
No person who looked like she had spent years planning revenge.
She was sitting at a small table near the window of a quiet restaurant.
She wore a simple gray sweater.
Her hair was pulled back.
She looked tired.
Not defeated.
Just tired.
When she saw me, she stood.
“Clarissa Vance.”
I stopped.
“You know my full name.”
She gave a small smile.
“I knew before Julian did.”
That sentence immediately changed the air between us.
“Why?”
Evelyn sat down.
“Because I researched the person who changed his life.”
I studied her.
“You were in love with him.”
“Yes.”
The direct answer surprised me.
“And you?”
“I was married to him.”
She looked down.
“I know.”
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then Evelyn reached into her bag.
She placed a folder on the table.
“I did not contact you because I wanted revenge.”
I looked at the folder.
“Then why?”
“Because Julian is about to lose everything.”
“That sounds like his problem.”
Evelyn nodded.
“It is.”
That answer surprised me.
“But the person causing it is not who you think.”
I touched the folder.
“What is inside?”
Her expression became serious.
“Proof that Chloe Miller never came into Julian’s life by accident.”
I opened the folder.
The first page contained a photograph.
Chloe.
Julian.
And another person standing beside them.
Someone I had never seen before.
Evelyn watched my reaction.
“That man is the reason this started.”
I looked at the photograph.
“Who is he?”
She lowered her voice.
“Someone Julian trusted more than he should have.”
I turned the page.
And saw a name written at the top.
A name that connected Apex, Chloe, and the hidden deal that had started everything.
A name that connected Apex, Chloe, and the hidden deal that had started everything.
Marcus Vale.
I read it twice.
The name felt familiar.
Not because I knew him personally.
Because I had seen it before.
“Who is he?” I asked.
Evelyn looked at the folder.
“Marcus was Julian’s closest friend before he became his competitor.”
“Competitor?”
May you like
“He was there when Apex was created.”
I looked through the pages.
