Chapter 3
My hands were shaking as I called Samuel, barely managing to ask where he was.
He told me he was at the Starlight Gala with his colleagues, celebrating. "Evelyn, don't bother coming. You should take it easy."
Back then, he'd always invite me to join him whenever he celebrated.
He used to say he wanted me to witness every one of his shining moments.
When did he start changing?
I pushed open the door to the room and walked in on a scene of cheers and laughter. Samuel was smiling tenderly at Nicole, then kissed her on the forehead.
I stood there, shocked.
So, that gentle, devoted gaze he once gave me, he could give it to someone else, too.
"Evelyn, how come you're here?" Mike shouted, his voice tinged with panic.
Samuel suddenly looked panicked when he saw me.
Everyone exchanged awkward glances, and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Nicole was the first to laugh, turning to me with a bright smile.
She said, "Samuel only kissed me because he lost a dare. It was just a drinking game. Surely you won't mind, right?"
Her eyes glinted with smug satisfaction as she stayed close to Samuel, clinging to him.
She acted so fearless, like she owned the place.
Clutching my bag, I sneered, "Of course not. After all—"
I stepped right up to her. "To Samuel, you're just a bit of fun."
Her face fell, and she shot to her feet.
Samuel hurriedly stood up and dragged me over to the doorway.
He lowered his voice and said, "Nicole's a bit tipsy and doesn't know her limits right now. Just don't get into it with her."
A chill crept through my heart.
"Samuel, this is the first time you've ever stood up for another woman in front of me," I said, my tone icy.
He looked startled, stumbling over his words. "You've got it all wrong. I'm not defending her. Let's not make a scene at the party."
After all that, he grabbed my shoulders.
He said, "You really don't have to worry. Nothing is going on between Nicole and me, okay?"
I let out a cold, mocking laugh, unzipped my bag, ready to pull out the old phone and expose him right then and there.
But at that moment, a gentle, lingering female voice filled the room.
"Later, I finally learned how to love..." Nicole had taken the stage and started singing.
Samuel's eyes widened.
Most of the old videos on his phone were of him singing for her. The only exception was one where she was softly humming "After Us".
She sang, "If only we hadn't been so stubborn back then, maybe we wouldn't have so many regrets now."
As she sang that line, Nicole lifted her gaze, her eyes slightly reddened.
Her eyes met Samuel's, right at that moment.
The memories of their youth seemed to echo perfectly in that song, in those very lyrics.
It hit Samuel like a tidal wave, and before he knew it, he was moving toward her, almost against his will.
I yanked him back. "What, did her singing get under your skin? Feeling sorry for her now, are you?"
He stopped in his tracks. After a long moment, he finally murmured, "No, Evelyn, you're reading too much into it."
As the song played on, his eyes grew misty and red-rimmed, and his fists clenched and started to shake.
Watching him look so torn up and trying to hold it together, I couldn't help but find it ridiculous.
Nicole sang, "It'll never come back again. There was a boy who loved that girl."
By the time she reached the last line, Nicole's voice was thick with tears.
She lowered her head as she stepped off the stage, stumbled, and fell hard to the floor.
She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Nicole!" Samuel yelled out, panic written all over his face.
He roughly yanked his hand free from mine and rushed toward her.
I'd never seen him this frantic before.
He was so focused on her that he didn't even notice I'd lost my footing and crashed to the floor when he shoved me away.
I hit the floor hard, pain radiating through me.
All I could do was sit there in a daze, watching as he clung to her, tears streaming down his face, desperately whispering anything he could think of to calm her down.
Everyone else rushed over to them in an instant.
In a forgotten corner, where nobody even glanced my way, I forced myself up, biting back the pain as I steadied myself against the wall.
Pain stabbed through my palm.
I glanced down and realized there was a gash across my palm, blood oozing out.
I must have cut it on some sharp decoration on the wall when I fell earlier.
In the glow of the lights, Samuel held Nicole's face in his hands, gently brushing away her tears.
The look on his face was more sincere than when he promised forever to me at our own wedding.
It finally sank in, painfully clear that my husband was hopelessly in love with someone else.
When my eyes grew blurry, I finally realized tears were streaming down my face.
The strength to question or be angry had long since left me; I was just hollow inside.
My love was never truly mine. It was a hand-me-down from Nicole, something she tossed my way out of pity.
At this moment, it was simply returning to its rightful owner.
I stumbled back to my car, feeling completely lost. I pulled out both phones and started punishing myself by reliving their memories, scrolling through every photo and message.
It was clear that Samuel bought the new phone after Nicole returned.
It was packed with evidence of their rekindled romance over the past year, countless calls, photos, and videos.
When I opened up their chat history, I finally saw the truth. Samuel claimed he was on a business trip, but he was actually at Nicole's apartment, cooking for her, spending the night together.
All their lovey-dovey texts made me sick to my stomach.
I scrolled like crazy, unable to stop myself.
Suddenly, I came across some photos and documents that made my blood run cold.
It was a picture of a property deed.
Nicole was listed as the owner, and then there was Samuel's name, too.
And the address was the exact same house where Nicole had thrown her housewarming party.
So, it wasn't just Nicole's new home.
It was their love nest.
Right below the photo, there was a voice message from Samuel to Nicole. His voice choked with emotion.
He said, "Nikki, I finally made my sixteen-year-old dream come true."
Fury exploded inside me, my mind a chaotic mess.
I clicked open the file. It was the purchase contract, and it spelled it out, plain as day: every last cent of that came straight from Samuel's account.
He really went all out. He wouldn't even let her pay a dime.
No way. My eyes flew wide open.
The signing date was January 18th.
At the start of the year, Samuel begged me for money to help with the development of Quest of Legends, saying he was running out of cash.
And the day I wired him the money was January 18th.
It was the very day he bought their house.
A cold, bitter laugh escaped me.
I spent two years saving up that money, planning to open a boutique in another city this year.
But just to bail out Samuel's company, I put my business plans on ice again.
And he tricked me into buying their cheating nest.
Nicole spared no expense when it came to decorating the place. She only went for the priciest options.
From buying the penthouse to finishing the renovations, the total came to a jaw-dropping 4.7 million.
And every last dollar was mine.
Samuel, you went way too far.