Chapter 43

Nathan Blackwood didn't even glance at Sophia's expression as he strode directly toward Evelyn Sinclair. His features were carved from ice.

"Was everything you just said true?" His jaw clenched so tight the words came out strained.

Evelyn's fingers twitched at her sides. She worried her lower lip between her teeth, uncertainty flashing in her eyes.

She'd been raised by distant parents while her brother grew up overseas. When Nathan returned to New York, he became a business prodigy, multiplying the Blackwood fortune tenfold. This success had made Sophia unbearably arrogant.

"Answer me!" Nathan's voice cracked like a whip when Evelyn hesitated.

A bitter laugh rang out behind him. He didn't need to turn to know it came from Evelyn.

"Mr. Blackwood, every word was true."

Gasps rippled through the crowd as Evelyn confirmed the accusations. The glittering socialites now regarded her with new eyes - beneath her polished exterior lay a past more tragic than any of them could imagine.

After hearing Sophia's revelations, their pity for Evelyn was palpable. The scandal following her divorce from Nathan suddenly made terrible sense.

Marrying into the Blackwood dynasty had clearly been no fairytale.

Nathan's body went rigid, his heart constricting painfully. Not only had his inner circle despised Evelyn, but his entire family had tormented her. And as her husband, he'd been oblivious.

During their three-year marriage, Nathan had rarely visited their home. Each appearance had been transactional - discussing Vanessa Holloway's health to coerce Evelyn into blood donations.

He'd leave her with polite small talk about finances before abandoning her with a black credit card. Nathan had actually believed he'd treated Evelyn decently. The realization of his self-deception hit him like a physical blow. The debt he owed her was immeasurable. Now, he couldn't even meet her gaze.

His fists balled until his knuckles whitened. Yet Evelyn merely laughed again - a melodic sound edged with frost.

"You could interrogate any staff member at Highland Estates to verify the truth, Mr. Blackwood. But what difference would it make now?" Her smile didn't reach her glacial eyes. "Your family's cruelty flourished because everyone assumed you approved."

Nathan was the guiltiest of all - he'd inflicted the deepest wounds. Under the chandelier's glow, Evelyn's beauty was lethal, her stare unforgiving. "If it's all true, what will you do? Force Sophia and Margaret to kneel in apology? Make them scrub my floors and cook my meals? Or will you just throw more money at your penniless ex-wife?"

The crowd murmured in shock. They'd expected tearful reconciliations, not this scorching indictment. Among elite circles, marrying for status rather than money was an unspoken rule - one nobody dared voice aloud.

This confrontation was spiraling dangerously out of control.

"Apologize? In your dreams!" Sophia's face flushed crimson. With so many witnesses, she'd never submit. "I'll never kneel to you! You're delusional!"

"Enough!" Nathan yanked Sophia back violently. She crashed into a marble column, tears springing to her eyes from the impact.

He didn't spare her a glance, his tormented gaze locked on Evelyn. He couldn't fulfill any of her demands except financial compensation - which she'd surely reject.

For the first time in his life, Nathan felt utterly powerless.

"Evelyn, I—"

"Save it, Mr. Blackwood." Her voice dripped acid. "If you can't act, don't pretend to feel guilty. Empty apologies are worthless. Are you fishing for sympathy now? How pathetic."