Chapter 170

Evelyn recognized the man at the door instantly - Maxwell Lockwood.

His presence here confirmed her suspicions. He'd been searching the theater, returning to the VIP lounge repeatedly, only to find her gone.

Now the furious man had come to confront her.

He'd witnessed his lawfully wedded wife with another man, yet failed to catch them in the act. The humiliation burned through him, despite their marriage being nothing more than a contractual arrangement.

In Evelyn's mind, visiting the father of her children didn't constitute infidelity. But to Maxwell, seeing Dominic kiss her was undeniable betrayal.

"Eve, is this your friend?" Olivia stood awkwardly in the doorway, sensing the tension between them.

Evelyn remained silent.

Olivia knew all of Evelyn's domestic friends and colleagues. This stranger didn't fit either category. The only explanation - someone from Evelyn's time abroad.

But the man's murderous expression suggested something far more complicated than friendship.

"Would...you like to come in?" Olivia offered.

Maxwell ignored her, his gaze locking onto the white women's sneakers by the door. The memory of that intimate scene in the VIP lounge flashed before his eyes.

"Come in. I have things to say to you too." Evelyn's voice was ice as she turned toward the kitchen for glasses.

She placed two glasses of water on the coffee table.

Olivia stepped aside as the tall, imposing man entered. Compared to Dominic's refined elegance, Maxwell carried a dangerous, almost feral energy.

His designer suit seemed like a wolf wearing sheep's clothing.

"Here are slippers." Olivia retrieved a pair from the cabinet.

Maxwell frowned at the size. "These belong to Eve's grandfather," Olivia explained. "They'll have to do."

At this revelation, Maxwell slipped them on without hesitation.

The living room tension grew unbearable.

Sensing they needed privacy, Olivia excused herself. "I'll be in my room. Call if you need anything."

Evelyn nodded gratefully. Without Olivia present, she'd never have let Maxwell inside. The man who treated marriage like property rights didn't deserve private conversation.

Had Olivia recognized him through the peephole, that door would have stayed shut all night.

Now alone, Maxwell didn't sit. He went straight for the shoe cabinet, retrieving the white sneakers.

"What are you doing?" Evelyn followed as he carried them to the kitchen.

Maxwell turned on the gas stove. As the flames grew, he tossed the shoes onto the fire.

Evelyn lunged for them, but his strength overpowered her. A button tore from his shirt as she struggled, but the shoes were already burning.

"Are you insane? Go check into a psychiatric hospital!" Evelyn shouted.

Olivia, who'd been eavesdropping, burst into the kitchen. She turned off the gas, horrified, then doused the ruined shoes with water.

The acrid smell of burned rubber filled the air as she opened windows.

Olivia stared at Maxwell in shock. What kind of deranged person burns shoes?

"I must have been out of my mind to think we could have a civilized conversation." Evelyn trembled with rage.

Maxwell advanced on her, face dark.

Olivia jumped between them. "This is illegal! You can't destroy six-thousand-dollar shoes! You owe Eve an apology and compensation!"

Maxwell ignored her, his cold amber eyes locked on Evelyn. "Fulfill your wifely duties. Or face the consequences."

"More threats? First you kidnapped my grandfather to force marriage. Now what? Demand sex? A child?" Evelyn refused to be controlled.

But Maxwell had prison-hardened ruthlessness. He operated outside the law, unafraid of consequences. Evelyn wished for that same fearlessness, but she had too many to protect - her father, grandfather, Alexander and Isabella.

Would this cycle never end?

Olivia, caught between them, suddenly remembered Abigail's drunken revelation about Evelyn's marriage. This monster had kidnapped Evelyn's grandfather?

"You hurt an old man? You disgusting—" Olivia began.

Maxwell calmly pulled out his phone, recording her outburst. "Repeat that."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Olivia obliged.

He pocketed the recording.

"This is between us," Evelyn said firmly. "I'll have my lawyer handle the divorce."

She knew Maxwell was shameless, but the depths of his depravity remained unknown.