She had fallen to her knees afterward, striking herself ninety-nine times, begging. Her face swollen, blood streaming from her nose, she swore to me through her sobs.

“Adrian Penn,” she wept, “If I ever betray you again, let ruin fall on me. I, Evelyn Chase, swear to remain loyal and devoted to you for the rest of my life.”

That vow still rang in my ears. Evelyn ordered every whisper buried, silencing anyone who dared mention the child. She knew the subject was my taboo. Neither of us ever spoke of it again, yet silently, we both prayed for the baby.

My focus back at present as I loosened my grip on Carter. Evelyn let out a small sigh of relief, her tone softening.

“Adrian, your temper—”

My blade flashed, driving straight into the bone above her brow.  And I smiled.

“Evelyn, those who betray true love must swallow a thousand needles. This is only the first.”

The knife tore in, then slid out.

Blood spattered hot across my face. I watched the proud mark above her brow vanish, replaced by a mangled wound. A twisted smile curved my lips—until Carter shoved me back with all his weight.

I staggered, then lifted my head to meet his furious glare.

“How dare you lay a hand on her?”

The next instant, I closed the distance between us, my fist smashing into his jaw.

“If you want to prove you’re anything more than a kept man, then show me. Stop living off her and stand like a man.”

I grabbed a fistful of his hair, slammed my boot into his knee and forced him to kneel before me, his eyes lifted up in pain and defiance.

“Either make me take you seriously—divorce Evelyn from me and become her next husband…” I bent down, my voice curling into a smile. “…or wait for the day I destroy you piece by piece.”

Carter’s eyes welled red, his body trembling like a dying fawn, yet stubborn fire burned behind the tears.

“Kill me, then!” he shouted. “If you don’t, I will never leave Evelyn’s side! I’ll be with her until the day I die!”

I froze.

Memories clawed back. I was sixteen again—my father ambushed, sinking into the sea, my mother sacrificing herself to push me to shore. The sunset burned crimson with blood. And there was Evelyn, waiting on the coast, fearless, a girl who carved a path through death itself just to drag me back to life.

Evelyn—her brow split open like a badge of honor, her back scarred from battle—had crashed into my heart that day with one desperate cry.

“Adrian! Run!”

Terrified and desperate, I had still rushed back into the sea of blood to survive with her at my side.

Now, she shoved me away with all her strength. Blood streamed from her brow, spilling down her lashes like scarlet tears that dripped straight into my chest.

“Adrian,” Evelyn winced, closing one eye against the pain, “you’ve disappointed me.”

“I’m not refusing divorce out of love.” Evelyn pulled Carter into her arms.

“It’s because,” she said, “your parents once saved me. Because you and I have bled for each other. But don’t test the last of my patience. If you do, Adrian Penn—I swear you’ll regret it.”

Carter collapsed into her embrace, sobbing.

“Evelyn! I don’t want to stay here anymore! I’m scared!” His fists knotted in her clothes, his cries hysterical. “I don’t want to live with this madman! He’ll kill me, he’ll kill me!”

The air went still.

For a moment, I saw my sixteen-year-old self again—wild, broken, shoving Evelyn away. Yet she had only drawn me close, whispering softly in my ear: Don’t be afraid. I’m here.

Now she held Carter the same way, stroking his back, soothing him with those same words. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Evelyn’s eyes locked on mine, sharp with warning. “I won’t let you hurt Carter. If you won’t yield, then don’t blame me for what comes next.”

The day Evelyn had all her things moved out, she took Carter with her to the West Indies. Carter said he wanted an island of his own and Evelyn—lavish and reckless with her affection—went out and bought him one outright.

She whisked him off to Iceland next, chasing the northern lights.

Carter showed off everywhere—posting pictures of the sapphire Evelyn had bought him, even snapping a star and writing a caption under it: 

“Whenever I look up at the sky, there will always be a star that belongs only to us. Chase and Pierce—a love story written across the heavens.”

That was Evelyn—her love always burned hot and wild. She never hid it. She wanted the whole world to know who she adored and right now, that person was Carter.

I stood in our half-emptied villa, staring at the bare rooms and at the simple silver ring Evelyn had once slipped onto my finger years ago, on May 20th, the day she’d sworn herself to me. My lips curled into something that was not quite a smile.

“Walter,” I said softly. The butler poured me a fresh cup of tea and leaned close. “Tell me, is it true that Evelyn’s largest supplier stays loyal to her because they’re indebted and bound by my parents’ goodwill?”

He nodded and immediately produced a contract, setting it down in front of me.

“You’re right, sir.” He pointed to the clauses. “Your parents spent their lives carving out this foundation. Every door you see open now, every bridge unburned—it was laid for your future.”

My eyes lingered on the inked words, but my mind drifted elsewhere: the sunsets Evelyn had shared with Carter on the West Indies, the aurora borealis she held him beneath, that ridiculous sapphire glinting on his finger. And that damned star.

My jaw tightened as I dialed Evelyn. Busy tone.

I tried a video call. Carter answered instead, half his bare chest filling the screen, red marks scattered across his skin.

“What do you want?” His smirk made my hands curl into fists. “Evelyn’s in the shower.”

He angled the camera just enough for me to catch a glimpse of fogged glass, steam curling through the bathroom door. Intimacy dripping through the pixels.

“I thought you’d have figured it out by now,” Carter said, settling back on the bed. “Evelyn’s made her choice. But you just have to keep clinging, don’t you? I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but hiding it now is pointless.” He leaned closer to the lens, lowering his voice. “Do you know why Evelyn loves me and not you, Adrian?”

My pulse thudded. The call cut before he could say it.

I froze. In the vast, almost empty living room, I sat alone on the sofa. The air felt thick, heavy, pressing in until every breath was a struggle and my heartbeat raced out of rhythm. Then, with trembling fingers, I unlocked my phone again and dialed another number.

Evelyn had thrown a banquet with Carter at her side, making it official. They were trending everywhere. Everyone said Carter had finally gotten what he wanted, finally secured his place beside her. No one dared call him Evelyn’s boy toy anymore. Now they bowed, called him Mr. Pierce with practiced flattery. Some even cooed, “Miss Chase, you two are a perfect match.”

At the banquet hall, under blinding flashes of cameras, Carter draped his arm around Evelyn as they walked the stage. They looked like something straight out of a storybook—prince and princess, glowing in the light, applause crashing all around them.

Evelyn’s gaze softened as she turned to Carter. Her voice, tender enough to make the crowd swoon, carried across the room:

“Tonight, with everyone here as witness,” Evelyn said warmly, gazing at Carter, “I want to introduce him to you all.”

“This is Carter—”

The doors burst open with a violent crash. Men in black poured into the hall, flooding the room. The leader slapped a debt slip straight across Evelyn’s face.

“Evelyn, isn’t it?”

Evelyn’s face twisted in confusion, fury spiking to its peak. She was just about to shout for security—only to realize that not a single one of her people was in the banquet hall.

“The debts you owe,” the intruder pressed the muzzle of a gun against the barely healed scar on Evelyn’s brow and sneered, “It’s time to pay up.”