The burn in her throat drifted to her chest as Eve clicked the "send" button on her phone. She stared at the screen for a moment, knowing that there was no turning back. The divorce papers had been sent. Her lawyer had told her this was the best decision for both of them, but deep down, her heart pounded with anxiety.
How would Nathan react? Would he be happy, relieved that she was finally leaving, allowing him to be free? Or would he be angry? There was no way he'd be sad—not Nathan. The only question was whether she'd regret it.
And she might. She might regret it forever, but this was a decision she had to make for herself.
The cool air outside did nothing to soothe her nerves so Eve began to walk down the hall. The distant hum of the party behind her faded into silence when she headed toward the exit.
"Going somewhere?" His voice was low and calm that echoed behind her. Eve froze, her muscles tensing as a cold shiver ran down her spine.
She tried to step around him, but Nathan was quicker. His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist with a force that made her wince. His grip was tight, possessive.
Nathan must have seen the message. That's why he came so quickly. He hurried here to confront her before she could leave.
"Let me go," Eve spat, trying to pull her arm free.
His fingers only tightened around her waist, pulling her closer like they were the most normal couple in the world. As if he had wooed her instead of married her to save his company from bankruptcy, as if he hadn't cheated on her, over and over again.
Eve struggled but his hold only grew tighter.
"Don't make a scene…Eve." He whispered into her ear.
"I really don't like waiting around for you. I really don't like you fucking another woman." Eve shot back, her eyes burning with fury.
Nathan's jaw clenched. "Watch your mouth," he growled.
Without another word, he dragged her down the hall, his grip bruising as he practically hauled her toward the terrace.
Eve struggled, trying to yank her arm free, but his hold was unyielding. Sometimes it felt like there was a scream trapped inside her, a scream that had been building for three long years, desperate to escape. But she swallowed it down, just like she had done so many times before.
They stepped outside onto the terrace. The night was cold, dark, the wind biting into her skin.
Eve let it, welcoming the cold frosty bite. It was better than the suffocating warmth of Nathan's presence beside her.
"Care to explain what this is?" His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
Eve turned to see him holding up his phone, the glow of the screen illuminating his face in the darkness. Her heart leapt into her throat. It was the photo—the one she had sent. The divorce papers.
This was it. One of those walls she had carefully built over the years was about to come crashing down.
"What is this, Eve?" Nathan's voice was low, but it carried a dangerous edge, one she had come to fear over the years.
"Divorce papers," she replied, crossing her arms and forcing her voice to stay steady. Yes, divorce papers. The final step. The moment she had decided to reclaim her life, for better or worse.
Nathan's eyes darkened, his face twisted in disbelief and anger. "Why do you have them?" His voice was barely restrained.
Eve met his gaze, unflinching. "For divorce."
"When did you plan this?" His lips curled into a snarl, his voice low and venomous.
"Since the day I married you." Her words cut through the night, sharp and true.
His reaction was swift. His hand landed across her face with such force that her head snapped to the side. The sting was immediate, and the taste of blood filled her mouth.
Eve stumbled back, too stunned to speak, the metallic tang mixing with the numbness spreading through her body.
"The things you make me do, Eve," Nathan growled, his voice cold and filled with disgust. "Do you think I want to hit you?"
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
She straightened, her cheek still throbbing, and met his gaze with defiance. "Marrying you wasn't my choice," she hissed. "But leaving you is."
His eyes blazed, the fury in them unchecked. Nathan stepped closer, his face inches from hers, and the scent of his cologne—a smoky, overpowering musk—filled the air between them. "Leaving me isn't your choice either."
Her heart clenched, shattering into pieces. "Then what's the point of staying in this marriage?!" Eve shouted, her voice trembled with fury. "You don't need me. Sign the damn papers and go marry your mistress."
"I wish I could," He threw a dark chuckle. "But, I'm not letting you slip away that easily, Eve," Leaning closer, he whispered into her ear. "You're far too valuable." His breath hot against her skin.
Eve recoiled, her breath coming in sharp bursts as the weight of his words sank in. "Why not?"
Nathan ran a hand through her hair, his fingers tangling in the strands, his touch both possessive and mocking. "Three years, Eve. Three years of pretending in public that we're the perfect couple. You want me to throw that all away?"
Her body stiffened, but she refused to look at him. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her being weak.
"As long as my business is thriving with you as my wife, why would I take the risk of letting you go?" His fingers tightened in her hair, pulling her head back slightly, forcing her to look at him. His eyes gleamed with something dark, something sinister.
Eve flinched, trying to push him off, but his hold was firm. "I'm not a damn possession you can use whenever you feel like it," she hissed.
Nathan released her hair, his lips twisted into a mocking smile. "Marrying you was the best business decision I ever made.
Eve's stomach churned. She shot back, glaring up at him. "That's all I ever was to you—a transaction."
Nathan chuckled darkly. "Isn't that what all marriages are? Transactions, negotiations, partnerships." He turned toward her, his gaze sharp. "But ours? It was far more than that."
"Stop playing games with me, Nathan," Eve snapped, her voice trembling. "If this is about the divorce—"
Nathan cut her off, stepping closer, his eyes glinting with malice. "You think this is just about the divorce? You think I've been keeping you around for some shallow reason, like your father's money or company?"
She froze. Her father. The mention of him always sent a wave of dread through her. "What does my father have to do with this?"
His lips curled into a twisted smile. "Everything."
Her blood ran cold. "What are you talking about?"
Nathan stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, dark and menacing. "Did you ever wonder why your father, would marry his precious daughter off to someone like me, a man whose company was on the brink of collapse?"
Eve had wondered—countless times—but her father had never offered any answers, and she had learned not to ask questions. "Because he wanted to save your company. It was a deal," she said, though her voice wavered. She didn't believe her own words anymore.
Nathan shook his head, laughing bitterly. "No, it wasn't just for my company. It was about saving himself."
She stiffened, "What do you mean?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
His eyes narrowed as he looked out over the city skyline. "Do you remember my sister? Rebecca?" His tone became sharp, cutting. "She was a reporter, a damn good one. And she found out some interesting things about your father—his dirty deals, his illegal business."
Eve felt the blood drain from her face. Rebecca Hathorne… the woman who had died in that tragic car accident. "What are you saying?" Her heart thudding louder in her ears as she pieced together the puzzle.
"It wasn't an accident," Nathan spat, his voice filled with venom. "Your father had her killed."
Eve stumbled back, feeling as if the ground had crumbled beneath her feet. Her head spun, and her breath came in shallow gasps. "No... that can't be true..." She shook her head, refusing to believe what Nathan was telling her. "My father… he wouldn't…"
Nathan's voice hardened, his jaw clenched as he stepped closer, his gaze unrelenting. "She was investigating your father's business deals—his illegal deals. She found out too much. She was going to expose him, and he couldn't let that happen," He continued, his voice cold and detached, as if he had rehearsed this story over and over in his mind. "He killed my sister, and then he negotiated with me. I had no choice but to marry you. It was the only way to make sure Rebecca's death stayed quiet, to make sure my company didn't collapse."
The world around Eve seemed to spin. Her father—her own father—had killed Nathan's sister? To protect himself? To protect his illegal deals? It was too much to process. For years, she had blamed herself for not being good enough, for not being the wife Nathan needed or wanted. But now, the truth was staring her in the face.
Her father was a murderer. And Nathan—he wasn't a victim. He was a monster too. He had used her, manipulated her, trapped her in a marriage built on lies and blood.
"How… how could you?" Eve's voice was barely a whisper. "How could you use me like that? For three years?"
His expression softened, but only slightly. "I didn't have a choice, Eve. My company was sinking, and your father… he held all the cards."
Eve felt her knees buckle, but she forced herself to stay upright. "All this time," she whispered, her voice trembling. "All this time, I thought it was me. I thought I wasn't enough… that you didn't love me because I wasn't worthy of it."
His eyes gleamed, a dark smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "I'm a businessman, Eve. You should've known that by now." He watched her expression change, enjoying the torment flickering across her face.
Eve blinked, barely able to see past the water in her eyes. "You let me believe it was my fault. You let me believe that I was nothing more than a mistake."
"Because it was easier," He blurted coldly. "It was easier to let you think that than to tell you the truth. Easier to let you play the role of the obedient wife while I dealt with the real problems."
Her chest tightened. The urge to scream was suffocating her. She had known her father was a cruel man, but this… this was beyond anything she could have imagined. And Nathan—he had become a monster in his own right. He had let his greed, his ambition, twist him into this.
Tears pricked at Eve's eyes, but she blinked them away, her anger bubbling to the surface. "You're a coward. You married me, lied to me, all for your own benefit. You didn't care about me. You didn't care about your sister's death. All you cared about was yourself."
He shrugged, indifferent. "Perhaps. But you're stuck with me sweetheart." His smile cold and victorious.
Then, Nathan stepped back, his hands slipping into his pockets as he turned away from her, leaving her standing there. Broken and alone on the cold terrace.
The wind whipped around her, biting into her skin, but it was nothing compared to the hollowness inside her chest.
Everything hurt. Everything was pain. God, she was tired.