Meanwhile, in the VIP room of the city’s most exclusive club, Martin sat slumped on the couch, downing drink after drink. []
His friends watched him, concerned. I
“Bro, it’s just a divorce. Plenty of women out there would kill to marry you. Why mope over one?” [
“Yeah, what about Stella? Weren’t you two getting close? Marry her and show Evelyn what she’s missing.”
The advice kept coming, but Martin barely heard it..
No matter how many women he met, none of them were Evelyn. []
He couldn’t deny it–he’d married Evelyn because she looked like Stella. But over time, he’d fallen for her.
The problem was, he hadn’t realized it until it was too late.
When Stella came back, he’d been blinded by old regrets. He’d lied to Evelyn, claiming work kept him away, while he flew to Switzerland to see Stella. | When
And when Evelyn needed him most–after the accident, after losing their child–he’d ignored her calls to watch the sunrise with Stella. []
“Evelyn… I was wrong. Please forgive me…”
In his drunken haze, he thought he saw her.
“Is that you, Evelyn?”
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The figure smiled softly, reaching out. “It’s me, Martin. Let’s go home.”
Go home?
Right, he was going home with Evelyn. [
He stumbled to his feet, tripping over himself as he tried to walk. [
His friends finally got him into a car, waving to Stella. “Take care of him, will you?
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“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Martin gets home safely.“[]
She nodded, soothing the restless Martin. [
In the car, he frowned, his lips brushing her neck.
“Evelyn, why are you calling me Martin? You used to call me ‘Uncle.“”
Stella’s eyes darkened, but she kept her voice soft. “We’ll talk at home, okay?” [
Satisfied, Martin leaned against her and passed out. []
Five months later, in France, Evelyn heard the news. [
Martin had married his first love, Stella, after she got pregnant. But on the wedding day, he’d run off, leaving Stella to deal with the fallout.
Steve glanced at Evelyn, but her face was blank.
“Why are you looking at me?” she asked.
He scratched his head, grinning. “Thought you’d be upset.” [
“Upset? Why would I be upset?” [
Steve just laughed, not answering.
Chapter 14
Evelyn shrugged, turning back to her data. [
“Martin and I are over. What he does now has nothing to do with me.”
The lab fell silent. Evelyn looked up to see everyone staring behind her. I
Martin stood in the doorway, still wearing his groom’s boutonniere. []
He’d heard her.
Evelyn didn’t flinch.
“Mr. Shelton, you’re our biggest investor, but you shouldn’t stay too long. It might disrupt the experiments.” []
Her tone was cold, her eyes avoiding his. [
Martin’s heart ached, but he spoke before she could dismiss him.
“Evelyn, can we talk? Alone.”
She hesitated, then followed him out.
The reason was simple: seeing the group of people in the lab gossiping, she felt that if this stalemate continued, they might be able to come up with a news story of their own.
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