Chapter 3

In Azure Villa,

In Evelyn's bedroom,

RIIIINNNGGGG!!!

Putting her wedding photo aside, Evelyn wiped away her tears and answered the phone to the familiar voice of her best friend, Arvin. 

She tried her best to sound cheerful despite her hoarse voice. "Hey Arvin!" 

"Ev! How are you doing, my dear princess?" Arvin asked.

Evelyn's heart swelled with gratitude for her best friend. "I'm okay, just a little unwell."

"What's wrong?" Arvin questioned, his tone serious.

"I just caught a fever," Evelyn replied.

"A fever?! That's terrible. I'm sending my personal doctor over right now," Arvin declared.

"No, it's fine, Arvin. You don't have to," Evelyn protested. She sighed, unwilling to trouble Arvin but appreciated his care and concern.

Arvin's next question caught Evelyn off guard. "Where is your husband?"

Evelyn's voice trembled, "He's at work. He has an important meeting."

"What could be more important than his sick wife?" Arvin snapped.

Evelyn groaned inwardly. She didn't want to talk about her failing marriage, especially with Arvin.

"Let's not talk about him, Arvin," she pleaded.

There was a moment of silence before Arvin's voice brightened up. "Okay, I have a surprise for you!"

Evelyn perked up immediately. "What is it?"

"I can't spoil the surprise," he playfully teased.

"Are you coming back to the country?" Evelyn asked hopefully.

"You spoiled it!" Arvin complained.

Evelyn couldn't contain her excitement. The thought of seeing her best friend after so long made her feel better already.

"I can't wait to see you, Arvin," she said, a smile on her face, "It's been five whole years."

"I can't wait to see you too, Ev. I miss you." Arvin replied

"I miss you too." Evelyn chirped

"I'll see you soon, Princess. Bye for now." He said before ending the call. 

Evelyn sat on her bed, her thoughts consumed by her troubles. She knew she could always count on Arvin to make her feel better, but she didn't want to burden him with her personal issues. She decided to wait until he was back to confide in him.

__________

In TitanTech Industries,

Alaric sat in his large leather chair, staring out the window in his office. His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He picked it up without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello," he said in a cold, distant voice. Soon his voice softened, "I understand, I will visit you tonight." He added, "Alright, take care then," he said before hanging up the phone.

As he leaned back in his chair, the door to his office opened. He turned to see Bryan, his secretary, enter the room.

"Mr. Pritzker," Bryan said with a curt nod. "I just wanted to let you know that I dropped Mrs. Pritzker off safely at home from the hospital. Her fever is much better than before after taking the medication."

Alaric simply nodded. He felt a twinge of guilt and a small sense of relief, but he didn't want to show any emotion. "Okay," he said flatly.

Noticing Alaric's expression, Bryan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is there anything else you need, Mr. Pritzker?"

"As a matter of fact," Alaric said in a monotone voice, "I do have some work for you."

Bryan straightened up, waiting for Alaric to tell him what he needed.

"I want you to prepare divorce papers for me and Evelyn," Alaric said without a hint of emotion.

Bryan's eyes widened in shock. He had expected Alaric to ask for something work-related, not this.

"Mr. Pritzker," Bryan said carefully, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Alaric glared at him. "I don't remember allowing you to ask questions."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Pritzker." Bryan immediately corrected himself, "When do you need the papers?"

"By tonight." Alaric stated, "Also, Have the Helix villa neatly cleaned up."

"Are you expecting a guest?" Bryan could not help but be curious

Alaric paused for a moment, a bit irritated at Bryan's set of questions. However, Alaric sighed, answering, "Dianna will shift there tomorrow."

"Ms. East is back in town?!" Bryan's eyes widened in surprise

"Bryan, stop asking questions instead of getting your work done." Alaric growled in a low voice

Bryan didn't say anything, but he couldn't help feeling sorry for Evelyn. He knew that she loved Alaric, even if Alaric didn't return her feelings. Also, now that Dianna East is back, things are about to get even more messy.

"I understand, Mr. Pritzker," Bryan said. "I'll take care of it right away."

With that, Bryan left the room, leaving Alaric alone with his thoughts. 

Alaric couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing the right thing, but he couldn't deny that a small part of him felt regretful. However, he knew that he couldn't continue living a lie and that he needed to do what was best for himself – even if it meant hurting Evelyn in the process.

Meanwhile, in Azure Villa,

Evelyn sat alone at the small table in the corner of the dimly lit bedroom. Her slender fingers held the wooden spoon, which stirred the lukewarm porridge in the bowl in front of her. She had no appetite, but she knew she needed to eat something to regain her strength. The fever had taken a toll on her body, and she felt weak and dizzy.

As she lifted the spoon to her mouth, her eyes darted around the empty room. She started thinking about her first night of wedding. Alaric had made it clear that he did not love her, and he had been emotionally distant from her ever since.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she took another spoonful and choked on it. She gasped for air and coughed violently, still holding onto the bowl with her other hand. She felt helpless and alone, wishing someone would be there to care for her. 

"Why does he hate me so much?" she whispered to herself, her voice hoarse. "Why can't he love me even a little bit?"

She laid her head on the table, sobbing uncontrollably. The bowl of porridge spilled onto the table, forgotten. She could feel her heart breaking as she thought about how much she had tried to make Alaric happy, only to receive indifference in return.

Remembering how she fell in love with the cold hearted man at first sight, she wept bitterly. "I should have known better. Love cannot be forced but I love him too much to let go."

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, trying to regain her composure. She struggled to stand up, feeling lightheaded. 

_______

In the living room,

As Evelyn sat on the couch, she mindlessly flipped through the channels, trying to find something to distract herself from her own thoughts. Suddenly, she landed on a showbiz channel, and before she could even process what was happening, the screen lit up with the image of a stunning woman.

"And now, on to our top story," the female anchor said with excitement in her voice. "After a year of speculation and rumors, the one and only Dianna East is returning to the showbiz industry!"

Evelyn's heart dropped as she listened to the anchor's words. Dianna - her husband's ex-girlfriend - was coming back to the town. She tried to keep her composure, but her hands trembled as she gripped the remote tightly.

"The model, who had vanished from the public eye following an unknown tragic personal loss, has been spotted in the Starfall city shooting a new project," the anchor continued, her tone still expressing eagerness. "There was no word on what the project is, but we know that fans are excited to see her back in the limelight."

Evelyn felt a wave of nausea wash over her, and she quickly turned off the TV. She knew all too well how much her husband had loved Dianna. And now, with the news of her comeback, Evelyn couldn't help but feel like she was never going to measure up.

Evelyn sarcastically laughed a little to herself, feeling insecure and inadequate. "How could he ever love someone like me when he had someone like Dianna?"

_____

At midnight,

Alaric slammed the door shut as he walked into the silent house, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. With divorce papers in his hands, he made his way to the living room, where Evelyn was sleeping soundly on the couch, her chest rising and falling with the rhythm of her breathing.

He stared at her for a moment, her face so peaceful and innocent in her sleep, and felt a twinge of regret. Why did she have to be so beautiful and innocent? It just made her more of a nuisance to him.

He paused for a moment, taking in the serene sight in front of him. Evelyn's long, dark hair was sprawled over the cushions, her delicate features were relaxed, and her lips were slightly parted. She looked so innocent and beautiful that Alaric found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her.

As he stood there, he noticed that Evelyn was shivering. His heart softened at the sight of his sick wife alone on the couch. He had forgotten that she had a fever. The next moment, he shifted his gaze to the divorce papers in his hand.

He went to his room and put the divorce papers in his drawer. He came back with a blanket to cover Evelyn so that she wouldn't catch a cold. He gently draped the blanket over her, tucking it around her petite frame.

After he did so, he was angry and confused at his own actions because he couldn't help but feel like he was doing the right thing by showing concern for Evelyn. 

Alaric was about to walk away but then, he heard Evelyn murmur something in her sleep, and his heart skipped a beat.

"I love you, Alaric." Evelyn whispered in her sleep, with a smile, still completely unaware of her husband's presence.

It took Alaric by surprise, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt for wanting to leave her. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and turned to leave the room.

As he walked down the hallway, he couldn't help but feel angry at himself for feeling sympathy towards Evelyn. This wasn't him, and he needed to stay focused on his goal of getting away from her.

Entering his room, he opened the drawer and gave one last glance at the divorce papers inside, planning to give them to her the next day.