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Eva’s words hit Adrian like a hammer, leaving him momentarily stunned. When he came to his senses, he found himself meeting her mocking, pained gaze. Before he could fully comprehend the shift in the air, Eva lowered her head and resumed packing. Her movements were deliberate but careless, shoving clothes into the suitcase without folding them.
Adrian couldn’t hold back any longer. He grabbed her wrist, his grip cold, and his voice was sharp, tinged with scorn. “Why are you moving tonight? Are you that eager?”
Eva froze, her back to him. His words carried an edge that cut through the tension. “Let me guess… Is it because of the lunch you had with Carter today?”
Her head snapped up, disbelief flashing across her features. “You don’t need to be sarcastic! You know exactly what my relationship with Carter is, don’t you?”
Eva tried to pull away, but Adrian’s grip tightened, preventing her from freeing herself. He sneered, his voice dripping with derision. “Did I say something wrong? If he’s not the reason, what made you decide to pack up your things today?”
He let out a hollow laugh. “You’ve felt trapped for these two years, haven’t you?”
Eva paused, her body tense as she stared at him. She then spoke softly but firmly, “Adrian, you’re the one who suggested the divorce.”
His face hardened, the words slipping out flatly, “It’s exactly when you want, right? You couldn’t wait to go out to lunch with him, and now you want to move out of our room too.”
Eva fell silent, her jaw tight. If she didn’t know about Adrian’s feelings for Vivian, she might have mistaken his words for jealousy. But now, she realized it wasn’t about love—it was about pride, his bruised ego.
She didn’t want to engage with him, not when it felt like he was speaking out of possessiveness rather than genuine concern. Instead, she quietly tried to pull her wrist free again.
Her silence only seemed to agitate him further. He sneered, his tone biting. “Why aren’t you talking? Did I hit the nail on the head? So, you’ve been waiting for me to bring up the divorce all along? Is that it?”
Eva couldn’t take it anymore. She spun around to face him, her voice cutting through the space between them. “What do you want to hear from me, Adrian? Don’t you want a divorce?”
For a moment, he faltered, his eyes narrowing as her question sank in. The truth of it lingered in the air between them.
Her words came out like ice. “Our marriage was fake to begin with. Don’t you remember what you said? You asked me to pretend for your grandmother, to play along.”
Adrian’s expression darkened, and the weight of her words hit him harder than he expected. “So, for these two years, you’ve just been acting along with me, is that it?”
Eva didn’t flinch. “Haven’t you been acting too?”
The silence that followed was heavy, charged with unspoken truths. Adrian’s grip slackened, and for the first time, he truly saw her, saw the woman standing before him. The coldness in her eyes wasn’t just from the words they had exchanged; it was the culmination of two years of pretending, of being trapped in a relationship that neither of them wanted to acknowledge.
Adrian loosened his hold, and Eva stepped back, not bothering to look at him. She resumed packing, her movements quieter, more final.
Irritated, Adrian tugged at his tie and muttered, “If you move to the guest room upstairs now, the servants will start asking questions.”
Eva’s voice was calm, but the resolve in it was unmistakable. “It wouldn’t hurt if they did. We’ll be getting a divorce soon enough.”
“And Grandma?” Adrian scoffed. “What if she finds out?”
Eva hesitated. “She won’t.”
Adrian’s eyes flickered with doubt. “How can you be so sure? What if the servants tell her?”
Eva’s shoulders sagged slightly, realizing that she hadn’t thought of that. But after a long pause, she finally spoke, her tone resigned. “Then we’ll wait until Grandma’s surgery is over.”
He sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “You seem so aggrieved.”
Eva responded coolly, “Not at all. I’ve been living like this for two years.”
“So, you’ve been miserable all this time?” Adrian’s voice wavered with a mix of frustration and something else, something darker.
Eva didn’t respond immediately. For the first time, she saw Adrian for what he was: a man driven by his own insecurities, unable to understand the depth of her exhaustion. She turned away, unwilling to keep explaining herself to someone who refused to see the truth.
There was no point in arguing with him anymore.
Adrian, growing increasingly irritated, scoffed, “Why the long face? If you don’t want to see me, I’ll stay away.”
With that, he turned sharply and stormed out of the room, leaving Eva standing alone.
As the door slammed behind him, Eva felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. She collapsed onto the bed, the weight of the confrontation finally sinking in.
When the front door clicked shut, Eva lowered her gaze. A few minutes later, George entered, his face creased with concern. “Madam, why did Mr. Blackwood leave in such a hurry? Did something happen between—”
George stopped mid-sentence when he saw Eva’s pale face. “Madam, are you alright?”
Eva forced a smile, not wanting to burden George with her emotional turmoil. “I’m just tired. Maybe a nap will help.”
Seeing her in such a state, George’s worry deepened, but he refrained from pressing further. He sighed quietly. “Please get some rest, then.”
Eva nodded, but her thoughts were far from restful. As George left the room, his gaze fell on the suitcases. His worry grew.
“What’s going on? Why is Mrs. Blackwood packing her things? Is that why Mr. Blackwood left so abruptly?” he wondered.
As he walked away, a memory surfaced—Vivian’s visit earlier that afternoon. George had been with the Blackwood family for years. He knew that Adrian owed his life to Vivian, and he’d respected her for that. But seeing Adrian’s recent actions made him question everything. Vivian had once been a distant figure in their lives, yet now she seemed to have a far greater influence than he had ever imagined.
Life had a way of turning things upside down. The Hansen family’s bankruptcy had changed everything. Adrian’s marriage to Eva had seemed like the right thing, yet fate had its own plans. George sighed again, his heart heavy with concern for the family he had always been loyal to.
