Chapter 7
Evelyn stood frozen, one hand still pressed to her cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief.
The slap didn’t just hurt–it shattered her dignity.
“You hit me?” she spat, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and fury. “Over a damn necklace? For her?”
Elias’s chest was still rising and falling with anger, but the fire in his eyes was already starting to fade.
“You’re impossible, Evelyn,” he barked, dragging a hand through his hair. “I told you it wasn’t yours. You had no right to take it.”
Her eyes gleamed with indignation, the sting
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on her cheek now matched by a bruised ego. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said, voice low and sharp. “Tell me the truth–are you actually missing her?”
He flinched.
Love.
That word hit harder than her question. He scoffed, but the sound was hollow.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course not.”
But as soon as the words left his mouth, a familiar ache stirred in his chest–one he
couldn’t shake.
Evelyn stepped in closer, catching the flicker of guilt in his eyes. “You’re lying,” she said with quiet confidence. “You’ve been different ever since she sent that message. You’ve
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been distant, off. You think I haven’t noticed? So just say it. You want her back, don’t you?”
He stared at her. The woman he had once chosen. The one he’d thrown everything away for.
But now, all he could see was Sophia’s silence. Her final words. The absence she left behind that echoed louder than any fight.
Still, he forced the words out.
“I chose you, Evelyn,” he said, his voice flat.
She smiled slowly, pride flickering in her eyes. “Then prove it.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Kiss me,” she murmured, her tone suddenly sweet–almost smug. “If I’m the only one,
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then show me.”
He didn’t argue. He leaned down, pressed his lips to hers. But there was no warmth in it. No spark. Her perfume was too sharp. Her touch too familiar, too practiced.
In his mind, he was somewhere else.
He pictured Sophia. Her quiet laughter. The soft way she’d lean into him during a hug. The way she always hummed when she cooked. The look in her eyes when she used to love him for the man he was, not the things he gave.
He pulled back before the kiss could deepen, mumbling something about being tired.
Evelyn didn’t press. She looked satisfied.
The following days passed in a haze.
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They went on sleigh rides. Took selfies in the snow. Tried spa treatments and smiled for photos. But Elias wasn’t really there.
While Evelyn and Scarlett picked out designer gloves and sampled pastries, Elias wandered off to small shops, picking out quiet gifts for someone who wasn’t with them. A silk scarf. A little music box. A novel she had once said she wanted to read. Each gift felt like a wordless apology.
He even texted her.
“Picked something up you’d like. Thought of you.”
“Hope you’re alright.”
“I messed up.”
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No response.
No read receipts. No typing dots. Just silence.
On the fifth day, Evelyn brought up extending their stay.
Elias shut it down. “I have work. We’re going home.”
In the hotel lobby, bags packed and ready, Evelyn crossed her arms.
“Work?” she said, voice laced with sarcasm. “Or is this just about Sophia again?”
Elias looked away. “Let it go.”
“No, I won’t,” she snapped. “Ever since she sent that stupid message, you haven’t been the same. You’re distant, spaced out. And
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when you kiss me, it’s like your mind’s miles away.” Her voice wavered. “Be honest–you’re hurrying back because of Sophia.”
He turned sharply toward her. “I said it’s not about her. I have things to handle.”
Evelyn stepped up, eyes blazing. “Don’t lie to me. You sneak off every chance you get, buying crap she’d like. You’re chasing a woman who doesn’t want you anymore.”
His shoulders sagged slightly. “You’re wrong. This has nothing to do with her.”
But even he didn’t believe himself.
By the time the plane touched down, his fingers were already moving–sending Sophia another message.
“I got you something.”
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“I miss you. Your cooking. Your voice.”
He expected anger. Bitterness. A cold wall.
What he didn’t expect–was a locked door.
Elias hurried to the front steps, suitcase in hand, the chill of evening biting at his skin. His heart thumped. He was finally home. Ready to fix it all.
He punched in the code.
Red light.
Wrong password.
He tried again.
Still red.
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“What the hell?” he muttered, trying again and again.
Scarlett came up behind him, arms crossed. “Seriously? She locked us out?”
Elias shook his head, confused. “She wouldn’t…”
Then Scarlett snapped, “Where the hell is that useless bitch?”
“Watch your mouth!” Elias roared, spinning around. “She’s your mother!”
Scarlett froze.
It was the first time she’d ever heard him yell -especially for Sophia.
He pulled out his phone and hit call.
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Voicemail.
He called again.
And again.
Still nothing.
He banged on the door. Shouted her name. Pounded his fists until his knuckles throbbed.
Silence.
He finally called maintenance. After a bit of paperwork and persuasion, someone came to reset the digital lock.
When the door opened, the house was dark.
Still.
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Elias stepped inside cautiously.
No familiar scent. No light. No sound.
He ran up the stairs.
The bedroom was stripped bare.
Closet–empty. Drawers pulled out. Jewelry gone. No scent of her perfume anywhere.
“Scarlett!” he yelled. “Check the kitchen! The study–check everywhere!”
Moments later, her voice called out from downstairs.
“Dad… you need to see this.”
Elias stumbled down the steps, heart hammering.
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Scarlett stood in the dining room, unmoving.
On the table sat a beautiful cake, carefully decorated. The frosting read:
“Happy Divorce, My Husband!”
Beside it lay a signed stack of divorce
papers.
His wedding ring rested neatly on top.
Elias dropped to his knees.
He reached out with trembling hands, touching the ring like it was the last thing tethering him to her.
His voice broke in a whisper.
“No… no, no, no…”
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