Chapter 6
I caught Alexander's hands and removed his arms from my waist.
"I went to Rosemere today."
He froze.
The bedroom fell silent.
Alexander released me. His gaze moved first to the suitcase beside the bed, then back to my face.
"When did you find out?"
Even then, he didn't ask what I had seen or deny that the wedding had taken place.
I turned to face him.
"When I came home, I found the divorce judgment and your marriage certificate."
Alexander slowly exhaled, as though something he had delayed for too long had finally caught up with him.
"I was going to wait until you came home from your trip and find the right time to tell you. The Laurents kept pushing, and they chose the wedding date."
"So you ended our marriage first and planned to tell me afterward."
"Things had already gone too far. I had to deal with the immediate problem."
He tried to make me sit down while he remained standing beside the bed and explained why Camille had needed this marriage.
She had left him years ago because of pressure from the Laurent family. Now that she had returned, her family had once again made marriage a condition of their support. Vale needed access to their European retail network, and he refused to leave Camille in a relationship with no official status.
Alexander spoke for a long time.
Every explanation was about why Camille needed to become his wife.
When he finally spoke about me, he said everything had already been arranged.
"The house on the east side has been empty for months. You can move there for now. Your shares, your position, and your design team at Vale won't change. Your life doesn't have to change at all."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Evelyn, we've been together for seven years. You should understand that Camille getting a marriage certificate doesn't mean she can replace you."
I stared at him.
"And how do you plan to explain me to her?"
Alexander frowned.
"I'll handle it."
"The way you handled me?"
His expression darkened.
"I know this is difficult for you to accept, but don't make it sound uglier than it is. I never planned to throw you out, and I'm not trying to mistreat you."
In his mind, a house, a job, and enough money meant that he hadn't abandoned me.
He believed he had preserved my place in his life.
I closed the suitcase.
Alexander grabbed the handle before I could take it.
"Take a few days to calm down. We still have the company. We still have this home. You can't throw away seven years because of one wedding."
"One wedding?"
His expression stiffened as soon as the words left his mouth.
I pulled the suitcase from his grip.
"You're married, Alexander."
He looked at me, his voice dropping.
"If you're willing to stay, we can still live exactly as we did before."