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17
At this point. Reuben suddenly thought of something.
Since Evelyn left, he hadn’t once been to her room.
Reuben staggered toward it, only to find it empty too.
The window stood wide open curtains fluttering in the breeze.
Sunlight flooded the room, bright and warm, yet the one person he yearned for was nowhere to be found.
Why?
Why was that?
Their photos and the gifts he’d given her were all gone!
A dull, stabbing pain pricked at Reuben’s heart, sharp and persistent.
He ransacked the room frantically, scouring every corner for proof that she’d loved him, refusing to miss a single corner
Their engagement ring, their anniversary gifts, her birthday presents
Reuben knew Evelyn had always cherished whatever he gave her.
Even trivial things, bought on a whim, would make her beam and tuck them away carefully.
But now, there was nothing.
Staring at the empty room, a wave of overwhelming panic crashed over him.
Reuben had married Evelyn out
autof a sense of responsibility.
He’d known she’d done so much for him, and wanted to repay her with marriage.
Back then, Addison was long gone, and his heart held only Evelyn.
He’d thought spending his life that way wouldn’t be so bad.
But no one could have foreseen that Addison would return, alive.
Back then, he’d been unable to resist dwelling on her, longing to make up for their lost time.
He’d never imagined Addison would grow so intolerant of Evelyn, crossing so m
many I
lines.
His eyes stung, and somehow, a raw ache spread through his chest.
“Evelyn.. where are you? I’m here. Please don’t hide from me. I’m back for you”
Reuben wandered through every room, praying Evelyn would appear, laughing and saying it was all a prank.
They could start over.
Hed cast Addison aside, ignore everyone else.
He’d cherish her, atone for everything.
He thought, “Evelyn loves him so deeply. She won’t truly leave. She must be hiding, waiting for me to find her!”
Reuben made
up
his mind, calling Simeon to retrieve all home surveillance footage.
The clips arrived quickly on his phone.
Three months of footage, playing in fast–forward.
Days and nights blurred past, harsh and unforgiving
He fixated on Evelyn in the footage.
Her silence, her solitude, the loneliness clinging to her, and a sharp pain lanced through him.
He realized she’d always been treated with such coldness
Reuben reached out, gently brushing the screen where Evelyn lay on the table in the video, thinking, “Was it at this moment you first thought of leaving
mer
He couldn’t bear to acknowledge the answer.
Evelyn loved him so deeply, and he’d finally woken to his own feelings
But she had already left..
Despair welled up in his chest.
In his mind Evelyn would never leave.
She’d always stand by him, loving him fiercely, unconditionally.
That’s why he’d let Addison stay, clinging to the past while taking Evelyn’s kindness for granted.
He’d assumed she’d wait, as she always had.
But when had it all changed?
He stood there in pain, silent for a long time.
It turned out Evelyn never lied.
He just refused to believe her.
The memory of Evelyn’s shattered expression by the oil por.
Her tears, her pleas for mercy, sent a surge of guilt crashing through him, quickly overshadowed by a blazing fury at Addison.
He thought, “How dare Addison?
“How dare she target Evelyn?
“And I, I believed Addison’s lies, took her side against Evelyn. If not for Addison, Evelyn would never have grown so disillusioned that she would leave!” His gaze turned icy.
Before he found Evelyn, he’d make sure Addison paid for every ounce of pain she’d inflicted.
