The apartment that was supposed to be their home was in ruins. Furniture was overturned, scattered among the wreckage of shattered picture frames and broken vases. The entire room was a scene of methodical, destructive fury.

The one responsible for this chaos, Evelina, was calmly packing the few intact items into boxes and suitcases, as if determined to clear the place out completely.

Julian stared at the destruction in disbelief before striding toward Evelina.

"Evelina, have you lost your mind? I was gone for a few hours, and you do this?"

He took a sharp breath, struggling to contain his rage. "You have one hour," Julian ordered. "Put everything back. Exactly the way it was."

Evelina took her time, carefully placing a vase into a box before slowly turning to face Julian. Her expression was ice.

With a mocking smile, Evelina said, "Julian, don't you get it? What's broken can't be put back together."

Julian's brow furrowed with impatience. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

How dare he question her? A man like Julian was probably incapable of seeing his own faults.

The only gentleness Julian possessed was reserved for the one woman he truly loved—Isabelle.

Evelina's face was blank as Evelina stared at Julian. When Evelina finally spoke, each word seemed to cost Evelina the last of her strength.

"You humiliated me on our wedding day. You walked out on me without a second thought, ignoring me as I begged you to stay. Did you ever once stop to think about how that felt? About me? And after all that, you think this is just a tantrum?"

As Evelina spoke, the pain she had locked away tore through her. Her eyes burned, but she held Julian's gaze without flinching.

For a split second, guilt flickered across Julian's face. But just as quickly, Julian brushed it aside.

They had been together for years. Julian'd upset Evelina plenty of times, and it had never been a big deal. Evelina always forgave him.

If Evelina could understand his good intentions before, she would get over this, too. He just needed to calm her down a little.

As the thought settled, the anger on Julian's face melted away, replaced by a placid, controlled smile.

"Evelina, I know you're upset. But you can't act out like this. Look at what you've done to our home."

Julian reached out, placing his hands on her slender shoulders. His voice was soft, placating.

"There. You've blown off some steam. Let's just put this behind us. We'll pick a new date. I promise, I'll make it up to you with an even bigger, more luxurious wedding. How does that sound?"

Evelina just stared at the smile on Julian's face. His words were honey-sweet, but his eyes held nothing but condescension. He was so sure of himself, so confident he could talk his way out of anything. He looked utterly certain she would agree.

After all, wasn't that how it always went?

A bitter laugh almost escaped Evelina. She had given him far too many chances, so many that he'd learned he didn't need to put in any real effort with her at all.

With that realization, Evelina's expression hardened. She jerked her shoulder, shrugging Julian's hands off.

"Don't touch me. You disgust me."

Julian stared at Evelina, stunned. She had never, ever spoken to him like that.

Evelina's voice was cold. "Julian, that wedding is over. I have no intention of having another. The only reason I'm here is to move my things out."

Julian was already annoyed Evelina'd pushed him away. Her words only deepened his scowl. "Moving out?"

Evelina nodded. "Yes. I'm moving out. Right now."

Julian looked at Evelina as if she'd just told the funniest joke he'd ever heard. "Moving out? And where, exactly, would you go?"

Julian knew better than anyone that Evelina was an orphan with no family. This apartment was all she had. She had nowhere else to go.

For five years, her entire life had revolved around him. He was certain she couldn't survive without him.

This whole "moving out" thing was just a ploy to get him to back down.

Julian shook his head with a sigh, about to say something else.

Suddenly, Isabelle's voice called out from the doorway.

"Julian? You said you were just grabbing your things. What's taking so long?"

Isabelle walked in. Her gaze fell on Evelina, and her eyes widened in poorly feigned surprise. "Evelina? What are you doing here?"

Evelina gave Isabelle a flat, dismissive look. "I'm sorry, is this not my home? I don't owe you an explanation. The real question is, what are you doing here?"

Isabelle's expression immediately crumpled, her gaze dropping to the floor as she adopted a soft, fragile tone. "I cut myself with a kitchen knife. Julian was so worried, he insisted I move in for a few days so he could look after me."

Isabelle paused, then raised a hand to her mouth in theatrical shock, as if just now noticing the boxes.

"Evelina, what is all this? You're not leaving, are you? Are you angry with me? Even if you are, you shouldn't throw such a fit. If something's bothering you, you can just tell me. I'll apologize, okay? There's no need to take it this far."

A cold smile touched Evelina's lips. She walked toward Isabelle, each step slow and deliberate. "You want to apologize to me? Really?"

Aware that Julian was watching, Isabelle had to maintain her performance.

Isabelle nodded pitifully. "Of course. As long as you'll stop being angry, I'll apologize."

"Alright. That works for me." A bright, sunny smile spread across Evelina's face, though Evelina's eyes held no warmth at all. "Since you're so sincere about your apology... I accept."

The next second, Evelina's hand shot out.

The sharp crack of Evelina's palm against Isabelle's cheek echoed in the tense silence.