Chapter 457

Nathaniel turned, his gaze shifting. His brows knitted together instantly, his expression darkening.

Evelyn didn’t need to look behind her. Olivia and Nathaniel’s reactions told her exactly who had arrived.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. A group of women nearby blushed, their whispers carrying.

"That man is breathtaking!"

"Isn’t that the CEO of Blackwood Enterprises?"

"It’s Alexander Blackwood! I recognize him from the business magazines!"

Evelyn set her chopsticks down calmly, not sparing a single glance backward. "Olivia, Nate, let’s go somewhere else. I don’t want distractions."

Olivia shot Alexander a glare, fists clenched. "Fine. Let’s get out of here, Evelyn. Nate, come on."

Nathaniel stood, his eyes burning with quiet fury as they locked onto Alexander.

Evelyn grabbed her purse. When she turned, Alexander was already blocking her path.

Dressed in a sleek black leather jacket, he carried the chill of the winter night with him. But his eyes—usually so cold—were warm, almost tender.

"I know you don’t want to see me," he murmured. "But there’s something I need to say."

Evelyn glanced at Olivia and Nathaniel, forcing a smile. "Give me a minute."

Without waiting for Alexander, she strode outside, the icy wind biting at her skin. Under the flickering streetlight, her delicate features looked even more unyielding.

"Mr. Blackwood," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You always manage to track me down. What now? Here to accuse me of cheating again? News flash—I’m not your wife anymore. You lost the right to question me the moment you signed those divorce papers."

Her words were sharp, meant to wound.

Alexander remembered the last time he’d seen her with Nathaniel—laughing over street food, carefree. Back then, the sight had twisted something inside him.

Now, he understood.

It had been jealousy.

He hated himself for not realizing it sooner.

"Vivian," he said softly, using her new name. "I know you’d rather be Vivian Prescott than Evelyn Sinclair or Eveline Montgomery. Those names carry too much pain."

"Is that all?" Evelyn cut in coldly. "Alexander, stop wasting my time. If you’re so desperate for company, go visit Victoria in prison. After all, she was always the one you loved."

"The woman I’ve loved all these years was never Victoria," Alexander denied. He stepped closer, pulling a faded, colorful shell from his pocket.

Evelyn froze.

"You might not believe me, but it’s true. It’s always been you."

She laughed, the sound brittle. "Me?" Her voice dripped with mockery. "If love means destroying someone, then yours is truly extraordinary."

Her gaze dropped to the shell. Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"When I gave you this, I genuinely wished for your happiness," she whispered. "Now? I dream of you suffering."

The words struck like a knife.

Alexander’s chest ached.

Evelyn snatched the shell from his hand. Without hesitation, she hurled it into the busy street, where it vanished beneath passing cars.

Then she turned, walking away without a single backward glance.

Straight to Olivia and Nathaniel.

Where she belonged.