Chapter 2

Ignoring the mocking gazes around her, Evelyn stepped forward with trembling hands, placing the delicate dessert box on the glass table. "Nathan, I got the mousse cake you wanted," she said, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Nathan didn't even glance her way as he pushed the box toward Serena. "Here, darling," he cooed, his voice dripping with false sweetness. "Now you can have it."

Serena's cheeks flushed pink as she fluttered her lashes. "Oh, I only mentioned it in passing..."

The realization hit Evelyn like a physical blow. Her breath caught as she stared at the cake box - the one she'd waited in line for four hours to obtain, skipping lunch and enduring the summer heat. All for Serena?

"See how devoted Nathan is to you, Serena?" one of the socialites crowed. "He'd move mountains for you!"

"Go on, eat it," another chimed in. "Evelyn went through so much trouble to get it. Would be a shame to waste her... efforts."

Evelyn's nails dug into her palms, the pain barely registering over the humiliation burning through her veins. She'd never felt more like a pathetic fool in her life.

Nathan suddenly stood, his towering frame casting a shadow over Evelyn as he approached. His ice-cold gaze met hers without a flicker of emotion.

"The divorce papers are waiting on your nightstand," he stated flatly. "Sign them tonight."

"Divorce?" The word tore from Evelyn's throat as all color drained from her face. Her knees threatened to buckle beneath her.

Nathan's expression remained impassive. "I only married you to satisfy my father and protect Serena's reputation. Now that she's back, my obligation is fulfilled."

The truth sliced through Evelyn's heart with surgical precision. Their entire marriage had been a calculated ruse. She was nothing more than a disposable pawn in his twisted game.

A hollow laugh escaped Evelyn's lips, bitter and broken. She lifted her tear-filled eyes to meet Nathan's, a final desperate plea shining through. "Tell me honestly, Nathan... In all these years, did I ever mean anything to you? Or was I just... convenient?"

Cruel laughter erupted around them. "Is she serious? Does she actually think Nathan could care about someone like her?"

"Look at her! She's practically invisible!"

Nathan didn't even blink as he delivered the killing blow. "Yes."

The single word shattered what remained of Evelyn's heart. Tears spilled over as she felt something inside her break irreparably.

A strange calm settled over her then. With slow, deliberate movements, Evelyn nodded. "I understand," she whispered. "I'll sign them tonight."

The words tasted like ashes in her mouth.