Chapter 500

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the city.

Alexander had countless reasons to keep Evelyn close, yet he stood helplessly as she walked away with Sebastian.

Hours dragged by in agonizing silence. The moment dusk settled, he rushed to Diamond Boulevard, only to be met with the news—Evelyn had already left.

His heart lurched violently.

Without hesitation, he sped toward the preschool, but the teacher informed him that Evelyn had picked up Ethan earlier.

A cold dread slithered down his spine.

She was leaving him.

Panic clawed at his chest as he raced to her apartment, his knuckles whitening around the steering wheel.

The elevator couldn’t move fast enough.

He jabbed at the doorbell repeatedly, but only silence answered.

The air turned frigid around him. Darkness swallowed his vision, his lungs constricting as if the world had stolen his breath.

Lillian...

Do you despise me so much that you won’t even grant me one last glance?

Alexander slumped against the wall, his striking eyes dulled with despair. The fading sunlight painted lonely streaks across his hollowed features.

He had no one to blame but himself.

The golden hues blurred as moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes.

A memory surfaced—young Evelyn laughing as he chased her along the shoreline, her hair whipping in the salty breeze. He had abandoned her there, and now, history was repeating itself.

The elevator dinged softly.

Evelyn stepped out, cradling a sleeping Ethan in her arms. She froze mid-step.

Alexander Blackwood stood motionless outside her door.

His usual commanding presence had crumbled. He looked like a man stripped of all vitality, his gaze vacant, his posture slack.

She had never seen him so... broken.

Then his head lifted, as if sensing her presence. His eyes locked onto hers, everything else fading into insignificance.

"Evelyn."

The name left his lips like a prayer.

He strode forward, the shadows in his gaze dissolving into desperate relief.

His lips curved slightly when he noticed Ethan. "Let me carry him."

"I’ve got him," she said coolly.

But Alexander had already taken the boy from her arms.

Not wanting to wake Ethan, Evelyn bit back her protest and unlocked the door.

Alexander moved with surprising gentleness, tucking the child into bed before quietly shutting the bedroom door behind him.

When he turned, Evelyn was waiting, two crisp copies of divorce papers in hand.

"Since you’re here," she said, voice devoid of warmth, "sign them before you go."

His jaw tightened. "No."

A humorless laugh escaped her. She stepped closer, pressing a pen into his palm. "That’s what I said too. Remember what you did?"

"I’ve already told Ethan you’re leaving on an extended business trip. Sebastian and I are taking him to F Country. We won’t be returning." Her gaze, once filled with affection, was now colder than a winter storm. "Love me or hate me, Alexander—our paths end here."

She forced the pen into his grasp.

"Sign it," she whispered. "Let’s end this."