Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Max’s Point of View

The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I stared at Eva, waiting for an answer that I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear. She didn’t flinch, her composure an infuriating mask of calmness that only added to the storm brewing inside me.

“Are you the one behind everything happening to Sara?” I asked again, my voice sharper this time, almost daring her to admit it.

Eva raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk that sent my blood boiling. She crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side as if weighing her words. Finally, she stepped closer, her heels clicking against the tiled floor, the sound echoing in the tense office space.

“What if I was?” she asked, her voice soft but laced with venom. Her question wasn’t an answer; it was a challenge, a deliberate provocation. “What would you do, Max? Punish me? Defend your precious Sara like you always do?”

Her words were like a slap, stoking the fire in my chest. “Eva,” I growled, taking a step closer, “don’t test me. If you had anything to do with this, you’ll regret it.”

She laughed, a bitter, hollow sound that filled the room. “Regret it? Do you think you scare me, Max? After everything you’ve done? After all the times you’ve humiliated me, made me feel worthless, you think I’m afraid of you?”

Her words hit like a punch to the gut, but I refused to back down. “This isn’t about us, Eva. It’s about what you did.”

Her eyes flashed with anger, and for the first time, the mask slipped. “What I did?” she hissed, her voice rising. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re here, accusing me, defending her like always. When have you ever stood up for me, Max? When have you ever cared about how I felt?”

The raw emotion in her voice caught me off guard. For a moment, I faltered, but my frustration quickly bubbled back to the surface. “This isn’t about feelings. This is about right and wrong.”

Eva took a step closer, her face inches from mine, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous whisper. “Right and wrong? Don’t lecture me about morals, Max. Not when you’ve spent our entire marriage trampling over mine.”

Her words stung, but I refused to let her turn this around on me. “So, you admit it then,” I said, my tone harsh. “You did it.”

She straightened, her smirk returning, but this time it didn’t reach her eyes. “And if I did?” she asked again, her voice calm but dripping with disdain. “What will you do, Max? Run back to her? Tell her I’m the villain in your little fairy tale?”

“I don’t need to tell her anything,” I shot back. “Your actions speak for themselves.”

Her laugh this time was colder, sharper. “Of course they do. Because in your eyes, I’m always the problem. It’s easier for you that way, isn’t it? To blame me for everything so you don’t have to face the truth.”

“And what truth is that?” I demanded, my voice rising.

“That you’re a coward,” she spat, her eyes blazing with fury. “A coward who can’t admit that he’s chosen the wrong side. That he’s been blinded by lies because it’s easier than facing reality.”

The tension in the room was suffocating now, her words cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. I clenched my fists, struggling to keep my composure. “Stop playing games, Eva. Just tell me the truth.”

She stepped back, her arms dropping to her sides as she exhaled sharply. Her gaze softened, but her voice remained firm. “The truth, Max? The truth is that I don’t owe you anything not explanations, not apologies, not loyalty. Not anymore.”

Her words hung in the air, heavy and final. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the door to her office burst open.

Josh.

He stormed in, his expression thunderous, his eyes darting between me and Eva. Without a word, he crossed the room in long strides, his presence like a force of nature.

“Josh, this isn’t....” Eva started, but he cut her off with a sharp glance.

“Is this what you call handling things?” he snapped at her, his voice low but brimming with anger. Then his eyes locked onto me, and his fists clenched at his sides. “And you,” he growled, taking a step closer, “what the hell are you doing here?”

“This doesn’t concern you,” I said evenly, meeting his glare.

“Doesn’t concern me?” he echoed, his voice rising. “You come in here, throwing accusations and spouting your self-righteous nonsense, and you think it doesn’t concern me?”

I took a step forward, unwilling to be intimidated. “This is between me and Eva. Stay out of it.”

“Not when you’re treating her like this,” he shot back. “You don’t get to waltz in here and act like you have any right to question her.”

“I have every right,” I said through gritted teeth. “She’s my wife.”

Josh laughed, a bitter, mocking sound. “Your wife? You mean the woman you’ve spent years disrespecting, ignoring, and humiliating? The woman you sent to jail to die? Don’t make me laugh, Max. You don’t deserve her.”

The words stung more than I cared to admit, but I held my ground. “This isn’t about you, Josh.”

“No, it’s about you being a selfish, arrogant...”

Before he could finish, his fist flew through the air, connecting with my jaw. The impact was sudden and sharp, sending me stumbling back a step. Gasps erupted from the few onlookers who hadn’t already scattered, and the room seemed to freeze in time.

Eva’s voice broke through the silence, sharp and commanding. “Josh! Stop!”

But he wasn’t listening. His fists were clenched, his body tense, and his eyes burned with a fury that mirrored my own.

I straightened, wiping the corner of my mouth where a thin line of blood had appeared. My heart pounded, not from the hit but from the emotions swirling inside me anger, frustration, and something else I couldn’t name.

“You don’t get to come here and do this,” Josh said, his voice trembling with anger. “Not anymore.”

I met his glare, my own anger flaring once more, but I forced myself to stay calm.