I stood there, in front of everyone, enduring his accusations as he crushed me into the dirt.
It was at that moment I realized Eugene’s love for Sharon ran deep. Marrying me had never been about love. It was all for the Cook family fortune.
I let out a bitter laugh, looking at him as if he were the biggest joke I’d ever seen.
“Eugene, do you really think all of this is my fault? The plane was sabotaged by your rivals, and the parachutes were intentionally tampered with. Yet instead of blaming them, you’re blaming me. You’re nothing but a coward!”
With that, I turned and walked away, heading to the hospital alone to tend to my injuries.
From that moment on, my relationship with Eugene hit rock bottom. He never missed a chance to belittle me in public, cutting me down whenever he could.
But now, here I was, with Evan, the friend I’d grown up with, who treated me so gently, as if afraid to hurt me. His touch was light and careful as he dressed my wounds.
Taking a deep breath, I forced my voice to sound steady.
“Thank you, Evan.”
He suddenly looked up, his hand resting on my ankle, his expression serious.
“Opal, maybe you and Eugene aren’t meant to be. But the engagement between the Shaw and Cook families can still continue.”
I stared at him, shocked.
“Evan, what are you trying to say?”
He pulled back his hand abruptly, slipping my shoe back on and avoiding the topic entirely.
“Nothing. Let’s get you home, all right?”
I hesitated, my chest tight with conflicting emotions. Deep down, I knew I didn’t want to go home.
My parents’ marriage was nothing more than a calculated merger, a strategic partnership that led to my existence. But after I was born, they each went on to find their real soulmates elsewhere.
Though they both agreed to leave the family assets to me, neither of them showed me any real affection.
As for Eugene, in my previous life, after we married, he never once introduced me at any formal occasion. He wouldn’t even touch me. When others asked about me, he would mock me with disdain.
Eventually, after fully taking control of both companies, he cut me off completely—no dividends, no shares, not even a monthly allowance.
So now, as Evan carefully tended to my wounds, I couldn’t resist tugging on his sleeve and whining softly.
“I don’t want to go home. Can I stay with you for a few days?”
When he didn’t immediately respond, I looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, putting on my best pitiful expression.
In my previous life, Evan had left the country not long after this, and we hadn’t had much contact. But when he found out I was getting divorced, he returned without hesitation to help me.
Whether it was in that life or this one, he had always been there for me.
Seeing my pleading expression, Evan suddenly leaned in, his intense gaze locking on mine. His breath warmed my ear as he murmured, “Are you sure? Staying with me comes at a cost.”
Startled by the sudden closeness, I instinctively stepped back. But the crisp cedarwood scent clinging to him was so intoxicating that I felt slightly dizzy.
“Yes, it doesn’t matter what the cost is.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
I met his gaze with determination, my tone resolute.
At that, a smile broke across his face.
For a moment, the atmosphere felt charged, almost intimate, and I thought we might actually kiss.
But then he suddenly pulled back, gently ruffling my hair.
“Remember what you said.”
“Alright.”
In the end, though, I still went home.
The car sped along the road, but as we passed a gas station, I tugged on Evan’s hand, playfully asking for ice cream. That was when I saw Eugene with the rescue team he had organized.
“Opal, it’s really you! Are you okay?”
When Eugene saw me, disbelief flickered in his eyes before being replaced by obvious relief and joy.
However, I gave him only a cold glance, keeping my grip on Evan’s hand firm.
“What could possibly happen to me?”
Eugene stared at me in shock, clearly struggling to comprehend how I had survived a fall from thousands of feet in the air.
