Chapter 100

"Damn it!" Isabella slammed against the marble pillar, a sharp gasp escaping her lips. "Nathaniel! Have you lost your damn mind?"

Nathaniel's grip on her wrist was ironclad, his knuckles white with barely contained rage.

Their heated breaths mingled in the charged space between them.

"Lies upon lies, Evelyn. Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" Nathaniel's voice was dangerously low, each word dripping with venom.

"What exactly did I lie about?" Evelyn's eyes flashed with defiance, tears pooling at their edges. "You never bothered to know me. Three years, Nathaniel. Three damn years I waited for you to ask anything about me!"

Nathaniel's jaw clenched, his pulse hammering against his skin.

"Do you know my favorite color? My childhood fears? The song that makes me dance when no one's watching?" Evelyn's voice cracked. "I memorized every detail about you while you couldn't even remember my birthday!"

The air between them crackled with unspoken accusations.

"You treated me like some forgotten trophy on your shelf," Evelyn continued, her voice raw. "Collecting dust while waiting for you to glance my way just once."

Nathaniel flinched as if struck, the color draining from his face.

Yes, he'd abandoned her first.

The memory of her tear-streaked face when he'd forced those divorce papers on her haunted him still.

She'd fought so hard to stay then. What changed?

"Your indifference was the wake-up call I needed," Evelyn said, her smile sharp enough to draw blood. "Now the only thing I want from you is distance."

Nathaniel felt the words like physical blows.

"Evelyn, look me in the eyes and tell me you don't still feel something."

"Save your breath."

"That thing with Dominic - it's just revenge, isn't it?"

"Dominic?" Evelyn laughed, the sound hollow. "At least he sees me. Something you never managed in three years."

Nathaniel moved closer, their noses almost touching. "You're lying."

Evelyn turned her face away. "Get therapy, Nathaniel. Preferably far from me."

But Nathaniel caught her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. "You hate me so much you'd fake a relationship just to twist the knife?"

"Hate you?" Evelyn's lips curled. "With Dominic, I'm finally breathing. With you? I was suffocating."

"You're unbelievable." Nathaniel's voice shook. "Marrying you was my greatest regret."

Evelyn went rigid, the words carving through her.

Thirteen years of love reduced to a single sentence.

How pathetic could one woman be?

Seeing her tears, Nathaniel immediately released her, regret flashing across his features.

The words had escaped before he could stop them.

"Mr. Kingsley? Ms. Sinclair?"

Mr. Bennett's sudden appearance shattered the moment.

Evelyn stepped back smoothly. "Mr. Bennett, I thought you were with Mr. Montgomery in the main hall?"

Mr. Bennett glanced between them nervously. "There's an issue with the performance. The headliner fell ill - vomiting, fever, the works. The stage is set, the guests are waiting..."

Evelyn's expression shifted instantly. "Leave it to me."

Nathaniel watched, stunned, as she transformed before his eyes.

Even now, she'd step up for his family.

"Where's backstage?" Evelyn was already moving.

As she disappeared with Mr. Bennett, Nathaniel's hand clenched at his side.

The garden buzzed with anticipation.

Mr. Montgomery sat surrounded by guests - Dominic, Adrian, even Genevieve. Only Arabella sat apart, her exclusion deliberate.

Her phone vibrated with a message from Victoria: [Opportunities don't knock twice.]

Arabella's grip tightened. She wouldn't be humiliated again.

"Where are Nathaniel and Evelyn?" Mr. Montgomery frowned.

Nathaniel took his seat beside Adrian, his expression stormy.

"Evelyn's probably lost," Dominic stood. "I'll—"

"No need," Nathaniel cut in coldly. "I know where she is."

Adrian nearly spilled his drink. The tension was palpable.

Then the curtains parted.

Gasps rippled through the crowd as a vision in sapphire silk took center stage, pearls glinting under the lights.

Nathaniel shot to his feet.

"That's..." Mr. Bennett whispered to Mr. Montgomery, pointing.

Every eye locked onto the radiant figure commanding the stage.

Nathaniel's heart pounded violently against his ribs.