Chapter 286

Nathan's voice was hypnotic, smooth as velvet yet rough with emotion.

The intensity in his gaze was barely contained, simmering beneath the surface.

His words hung in the air like a blade, sharp and unyielding. Evelyn's face paled instantly.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Had she heard him right? He wanted—

Her? The man who had discarded her like yesterday's trash was now choosing her?

Evelyn's mind reeled, struggling to process his words. What game was Nathan Blackwood playing?

The silence between them grew heavier, gnawing at her composure.

Nathan studied her face, absorbing every flicker of emotion—disbelief, confusion, resistance.

But not disgust. That absence gave him hope. He stepped closer, fingers twitching with the urge to brush back a loose strand of her hair.

He wanted her to feel the truth in his touch.

But before he could, she flinched away as if burned.

Moments ago, she had stood unbothered by Adrian's proximity. Yet now, she recoiled from him like he was poison.

The rejection cut deep, but Nathan masked the pain with a practiced smile.

His voice was low, rough with restraint.

"Evelyn, I'm not joking."

"These past months have been hell without you. Maybe our divorce... was a mistake."

Her brows furrowed.

Then, realization struck. She turned to him sharply.

The raw longing in his eyes was unmistakable—a fire that threatened to consume her.

For a heartbeat, something inside her trembled.

Was that... regret in his gaze? Affection?

The stagnant waters of her heart rippled—not with joy, but shock.

But just as quickly, she steeled herself.

Her lips curved into a cold smile. "Mr. Blackwood, the mistake wasn't our divorce. It was our marriage."

The words landed like a blow. Nathan stiffened.

His expression fractured, the warmth in his eyes shattering piece by piece.

Evelyn held his gaze, unflinching.

If he had asked for money, power, anything else—she would have granted it without hesitation.

But love? She refused to walk back into that inferno.

"Evelyn, just give me one more chance. I'll—"

She cut him off, her voice icy.

"Don't tell me you're regretting the divorce now. That you've suddenly fallen for me?"

Nathan didn't hesitate. "Yes." The word scraped from his throat, raw and desperate.

He admitted it—she was irreplaceable.

He admitted that losing her had been agony.

He admitted that letting her go was the greatest regret of his life.

If he could turn back time, he would fight to keep her.

But Evelyn only smiled, delivering her verdict with chilling calm.

"Mr. Blackwood, whatever we had is over."

"I've moved on. You mean nothing to me now. So let's not pretend there's anything left to discuss."

She offered him an out—gratitude for saving her life, repayment through her family's wealth.

But Nathan didn't want money.

"You mean nothing to me."

Those words carved into him deeper than any blade.

A bitter taste flooded his mouth. The pain was suffocating.

Evelyn Sinclair was no longer the woman who had once loved him without condition.

And Nathan Blackwood had no one to blame but himself.