I felt a bit dazed–six years ago, that night?
His voice trembled as he began to speak.
“That year, you were a junior in college. You went out drinking with your roommates that night.
“My rival company knew you were my girlfriend, so they sent people to humiliate you, just to get back at me.
“You drank too much, you don’t remember any of it, but I saw the photos. I saw those… intimate pictures.
“I felt so guilty about it, but at the same time, I…”
His words caught in his throat, but I understood instantly. “You thought I was tainted, thought I wasn’t good enough for you, didn’t you?”
He buried his face in his hands in agony. “Elira, I really didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t control my instincts.”
A bitter, helpless smile tugged at my lips.
“Evan, that night was just a class get–together. My professor arranged for the guys to walk the girls back to the dorms.
“I only had a little to drink. I’m sure I got back safely–Darian Venn, the guy who walked me home, and my room- mate can both vouch for me.”
“What about the photos?” His eyes flickered with shock and unease.
I grabbed the vase by the door and smashed it over his head. Blood trickled down, but he didn’t even flinch.
Fighting back humiliation and anger, I glared at him.
“Evan, you were never worthy of me.
“No trust, just suspicion. You branded me with a scarlet letter because of your own arrogance.”
“Let me make this clear–even if something had happened that night, it still wouldn’t have been my fault.
“You’re the one who’s never been good enough.”
I slammed the door in his face, finally unable to hold back my sobs.
I knew I didn’t love him anymore, but all those years of resentment and struggle, all the times I forced myself to make peace–ended up being nothing but a lie.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
But this time, I wasn’t crying for him–I was crying for myself.
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Chapter 7
288 Vouchers
Evan stumbled home in a daze. Aveline was curled up on the couch, her eyes red from crying.
She looked at him with her usual frightened expression, but all Evan felt was disgust. His mind was filled with images of her tangled up with other men.
“Evan, I was forced… I never wanted any of that.” Aveline grabbed his hand and pressed it to her stomach. “This real- ly is our baby. Elira’s gone now–can’t we just start over, the two of us?”
A wave of nausea hit Evan. He yanked his hand away and rushed to the bathroom. The sound of running water and disinfectant filled the air.
Aveline sat on the couch, choking back sobs. She was still too young to realize that fate had already set a steep price for everything she wanted–one she could never afford to pay.
When Evan finished washing his hands, he walked coldly into his study. His assistant had already sent over the re- sults of the investigation.
“Mr. Corven, the photos have been confirmed as digitally altered. The work is meticulous, but after professional anal- ysis, they’re definitely composites.
“We’ve also contacted Mrs. Corven’s classmates and roommate. Even though it’s been six years, their class didn’t have many gatherings, so everyone remembers clearly.
“Darian had a crush on Mrs. Corven, so after walking her back to the dorm, he waited downstairs for two hours until lights out.”
“Her roommates also said Mrs. Corven never went out at night and always went to bed early.”
Listening to his assistant’s report, Evan felt his blood run cold.
A hollow, miserable laugh escaped him.
So what had he really been doing all these years?
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