Chapter 9
Adrian didn’t stay to see the wedding end.
I had no idea what was going through his mind.
Maybe he didn’t, either.
In our past life, he’d faked his own death for Lillian-
abandoning his inheritance, his name, everything, just to be with her.
Now, I had married someone else.
The path was finally clear for him and Lillian.
And yet… he looked like a man who’d lost something vital.
Back home, he sat alone at the garden table, silent.
It wasn’t long before Lillian found him.
She curled up beside him, voice sweet and syrupy:
“Adrian, no one’s standing in our way anymore. Isn’t it time we set a wedding date?”
He looked at her forced smile and pulled up the corners of his mouth–barely.
It’s fine, he told himself. It’s what I wanted. Everything is… fine.
“You’re right,” he murmured. “We should get married soon.
Just in case Evelyn changes her mind and comes back–that’d be trouble.”
Lillian’s eyes lit up instantly.
But days passed.
And Adrian… did nothing.
No rings. No calls to her family.
Not even a proposal. ·
It was like he was waiting.
Because in his delusion, in the lies he told himself over and over again–he thought that my marriage to Blake wasn’t real, that sooner or later I would come back, like I had in my previous life–waiting for him obsessively for the rest of my life, even if he betrayed me.
Until word reached him:Blake and I were heading south–for our honeymoon.
That finally broke him.
The morning we left, he stood in front of my car.
His face was pale and cold, like midwinter frost.
“Evelyn,” he said quietly. “You better think this through.
If you leave now… even if you come crawling back to me one day, begging for a second chance,
I won’t say yes.”
I almost laughed.
5.9%
Chapter 9
Blake and me, we were legally married.
There’d been press releases, official photos, a televised ceremony.
And he still thought I was bluffing?
Before I could answer, Blake stepped between us, his tone cool and deliberate.
“Adrian,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips–but it didn’t reach his eyes.
You’re standing here staring at a married couple, and you can’t even offer a simple congrats? Manners, man.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“Don’t start,” he growled.
Blake chuckled lightly. “I’m not starting anything. I’m just reminding you who she belongs to now And who’s just… a leftover chapter.”
That landed like a nail driven straight into Adrian’s chest.
He looked at me, eyes sharp, searching for something.
“Evelyn,” he asked quietly, “is that how you see it too?Do you want me to congratulate you? To apologize?”
I looked at Blake, standing protectively between us as he always did-
never loud about it, never making a scene, but constant. Steady.
And just like that, I felt calm.
I nodded. “Blake’s right. He’s my husband now. And speaking to me like this–you’re disrespecting our marriage.At the very least, a ‘congratulations isn’t too much, is it?”
Adrian froze.His throat bobbed–once, twice.Like he was forcing down something bitter and sharp.
Then, finally, he lowered his eyes-
like reality had finally caught up to him and slapped him across the face.
“…Sorry,” he muttered. “That was out of line.”
He looked up again, voice barely audible.
“In three days… I’ll be proposing to Lillian.If you’re free–you’re welcome to attend our engagement party.”
Then he turned and left, walking fast.
