Chapter 3

Evangeline's alluring stance sent pulses racing.

Pop, pop, pop! Balls dropped into pockets with stunning precision.

Her skill was breathtaking. She was every bit Walter's equal, if not better.

A hidden gem, indeed.

Not just the onlookers, but even Walter's expression changed too. The sound of someone gulping was unmistakable in the tense silence.

Then there was the sheer fabric clinging to her body, barely there, which made Walter's face darken with anger.

His eyes, dark and predatory, did not miss a thing.

Who would have thought? His wife, the one who hardly left their home, had some serious secrets up her sleeve. Her skill at the pool table was not only a shock to the onlookers but to him as well—he had had no idea.

Walter's right-hand man, Hector, could tell things were about to go south and quickly ushered everyone out. However, Julia, blind to the brewing storm, stubbornly stayed put.

She had hoped to see Evangeline humiliated, but the tables had turned. It was Julia who ended up embarrassed.

When on earth had Evangeline learned to play pool like that?!

She had waited three long years for that moment. She would not rest until she saw Walter's signature on those divorce papers.

Instead, she found herself being hauled out by John Tucker, who did not hesitate to drag her away.

Before Julia was pulled out, Evangeline straightened herself and glared at her. "Julia, remember the cruise Walter booked for you tonight, the fireworks? That's all coming out of the marital assets we're splitting," she remarked. "Better transfer the money soon, or my divorce lawyer will be in touch!"

Julia was livid, her face turning a shade of green with rage. However, before she could get into it with Evangeline, John had her out the door.

The door slammed shut, leaving Evangeline and Walter alone in the room.

Evangeline, having just cleared the pool table in a smooth run, set down her cue stick and was about to speak. All of a sudden, she was yanked forward.

Her hands were pinned above her head, her body pressed against the pool table. Walter's breath, dangerously close to losing control, enveloped her.

Walter stood in his sleek black suit, the trousers whispering against her thighs as he moved. His black silk shirt was casually unbuttoned at the top, revealing a collarbone that exuded a nonchalant yet forbidden allure, his posture regal and his demeanor cool enough to make one's heart race.

He towered over her, his gaze piercing and dangerous, as if he could strip away her secrets with just a look.

"Who taught you that?"

Walter realized he had to reacquaint himself with Evangeline all over again. She was full of surprises.

"Does it matter where I learned it? We agreed that if I won, you'd sign the divorce papers!"

"Oh? Changed your mind about having kids?"

Evangeline's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her drunkenness spreading like fire through her body. She gave a bitter laugh, unafraid. "The world is full of powerful men. What does it matter who I have kids with? Just sign the papers, and tomorrow I can put out a call with a big reward for a child! I'm sure someone will take the offer. So, can you hurry up and sign, Mr. Walter Gordon?"

"Ha! You think you're going to use my alimony to keep a man? Keep dreaming," Walter sneered, his face contorted with disdain.

"Why should you care what I do with it?" Evangeline snapped back, her struggle against him fueled by the humiliations he had inflicted and the wounds he wreaked on her heart. She had been waiting for that moment.

She had moved on. What was left for him to be unhappy about?

"Get your hands off me, you brute! You're hurting me!"

Walter felt a fire ignite within him at her resistance.

In one swift move, he lifted her into his arms, her body pressed against his, making her all too aware of his physical presence. "So you think you need another man to handle you? So much anger, yet you dream of using my money to keep a lover?"

He wrapped her in her coat and carried her out of the private room, straight into an adjacent suite. He ignored the curious eyes of the onlookers.

Though the crowd had been asked to leave, many lingered, all of them eager to witness whether that tumultuous couple would end their marriage tonight.

Evangeline wished she could just disappear into thin air.

She had stormed out earlier, her temper flaring, barely covered by her cashmere coat.

Then, feeling the man's movements beneath her, Evangeline understood all too well—despite being drunk—what that sensation meant.

"Let me go, Walter!" Her head spun, but the flush of embarrassment was unmistakable.

This man was out of his mind!

Three long years had passed. She had tried to tempt him countless times without success, starting to believe he was incapable.

However, in that heated moment, she realized it was not that he could not. He simply chose not to touch her.

What had gotten into him today? Why was he suddenly responsive to her?

She had resolved to divorce him. She did not need this, did not need him!

"Go to your precious Julia!" Evangeline thrashed wildly, marking his pricey suit with the evidence of her defiance.

She was bold in her resistance.

However, in an instant, she was flung onto the bed. Walter loomed over her, his presence as chilling as a winter storm as he ripped off his tie and methodically removed his watch.

The dim light obscured his face, but the fury emanating from him was palpable, a rage that felt like it could set the world ablaze.

Evangeline fought the dizziness clouding her mind, trying to escape from the bed.

However, Walter's iron grip on her ankle pulled her back, folding her into a position of disgrace. The sound of his belt coming undone filled the room.

She was no match for him. If that had happened just yesterday, before she knew Julia was back, maybe she would have been elated.

It would never be the same at this point.

After witnessing all he had done for Julia, after being haunted by their shared history, everything had changed. Each harsh word pierced her heart like a dagger.

She was in disbelief.

Her blood, once boiling with rage, felt as if it had frozen, leaving her feeling as exposed and desolate as if she were standing naked in an endless snowfield, overwhelmed by a shame so deep it chilled her to the bone.

She heard Walter's voice, low and mocking at her ear, "Having a fit and wanting a divorce, is it just because you're feeling lonely? Alright, then. If I don't satisfy you today, then my name isn't Walter!"

Evangeline's gaze was icy as she stared at him. "Walter, you're a real piece of work! Do you even realize what you're doing? You're making me think you can't stand the thought of divorcing me!"

His arrogance seemed to vanish as if doused by a bucket of ice water.

Walter released her, his striking features then as icy and forbidding as a barren wasteland.

His eyes narrowed, a chilling sneer crossing his face as if he had heard the world's funniest joke, or felt a sting of truth. "I can't bear to?"

Evangeline shoved him away. "What else could it be? Forcing me to step aside for your precious Julia. That's what you've been after, right?

"You skip out on New Year's Eve to be with your dear Julia, just to spite me. Now that I'm ready to step back and give you what you want, you won't sign the papers, and you have the nerve to want to sleep with me!

"I thought you couldn't stand to touch me? Wishing I was out of your life for good, right? What's this, then? Are you just slapping your own face?"

Her words were like a spark to tinder, and Walter's expression turned stormy.

He gripped her chin harshly, his eyes a whirlwind of icy fury. "You've got it all wrong, Evangeline. It's not that I don't want to divorce, it's that I'll be the one to call the shots when it comes to divorce!

"Really, Evangeline? You think you can just take half of everything I own? Three years of marriage and you've barely left the house, living it up like a queen on my dime. You haven't earned a cent, have you?" Walter's sneer was as callous as the document he chucked out the window, watching it flutter into the ocean's embrace.

"Did you ever think to ask me when you cornered me with that marriage proposal? No, you didn't. So why should I jump when you say 'divorce'? Why should you get all the perks? Have these three years of luxury made you delusional?"

His face was a storm cloud as he methodically fastened his shirt buttons, his back to her. "You want a divorce? Fine. However, you're walking away with nothing. If that's not an issue, my lawyer will have the papers ready. Otherwise, forget it."