Chapter 469
The man's voice was quiet yet firm. There was an undeniable plea in his tone. His eyes were clouded, a strange mix of sobriety and intoxication swirling in their depths.
Evelyn regarded him with icy detachment. "I have no interest in anything you have to say. The sight of you disgusts me."
Her words were a blade, sharp and precise, slicing through whatever fragile hope he might have been clinging to. The resentment burning in her gaze left Alexander standing there, utterly paralyzed.
It felt as though his heart had been plunged into an endless void, the cold seeping through his veins until his entire body was numb.
He missed it—the way she used to look at him. Those sparkling eyes filled with adoration, warmth, and love.
Now, her gaze was colder than that of a stranger.
When Evelyn saw the dazed expression on Alexander's face, her resolve only hardened. "Alexander, if you don’t leave now, I’m calling security."
His body tensed at her words. Slowly, he lifted his heavy-lidded eyes. "I’ll go. But first, I need to tell you something."
A biting wind swept between them, sharp as the tension in the air.
Evelyn studied Alexander’s flushed face, then released her grip on the doorknob. Without another word, she turned and walked inside.
The small concession made something flicker in Alexander’s darkened eyes. A faint, desperate smile tugged at his lips as he followed her in, shutting the door behind him.
The warmth of the apartment melted the frost clinging to his coat, but it was her reluctant tolerance that truly thawed the chill inside him.
"Say what you need to say. Don’t waste my time," Evelyn snapped, her voice like ice.
Alexander drank in the sight of her—her rigid posture, the frost in her expression—yet his gaze burned with something far from sober. "Stay away from Sebastian. And don’t marry him. He’s not who you think he is."
Evelyn let out a sharp laugh, her lips curling in derision. "Alexander, who do you think you are to dictate my life? What are you to me?"
Her tone was mocking, her eyes filled with nothing but contempt.
"I don’t care what kind of man Sebastian is. All I know is that he genuinely cares for me. He respects me. He doesn’t humiliate me, hurt me, or strip me of my dignity the way you did. At least with him, I’m treated like a person."
Her words struck him like a physical blow. He stood there, lost, his expression twisting with remorse and pain.
"If that’s all you came to say, then you’re done. Get out. I never want to see you again."
When she turned to leave, Alexander moved before he could stop himself. In two strides, he caught her, his arms wrapping around her from behind.
"Don’t go."
His voice was rough, laced with fear—as if letting her walk away meant losing her forever.
Evelyn froze, his embrace trapping her in place. For a heartbeat, she didn’t move. Then, she stiffened. "Let me go, Alexander."
"No." His grip tightened. "I can’t. I won’t."
His breath was warm against her ear, his voice trembling. "I’m sorry, Evelyn. I was wrong. From the very beginning, I was wrong."
The apologies spilled from him, raw and desperate.
Evelyn listened, unmoved. There was only bitter amusement in her eyes.
"Give me another chance," he whispered. "Please."
His lips brushed against her skin, the faint scent of alcohol lingering between them. The contact sent an electric jolt through her—but it couldn’t reach the shattered pieces of her heart.
Alexander held her like a drowning man clinging to driftwood. Even if she never answered, even if she never forgave him—this moment, this touch, was enough. For now, it had to be.