Chapter 95 The Flash Drive.
Nathan swallowed hard, his throat moving visibly.
“Evelyn…” he started, his voice rough.
He scratched at his neck again, harder this time, the skin already breaking out.
Her grip tightened around her bag.
“I know I did you wrong,” he said. “I know that. I messed everything up.”
His words came unevenly.
“I have a lot to say… but just—just hear me out. Even if you don’t believe me…”
He suddenly hit his head hard.
Evelyn flinched.
“Nathan—”
“I—” He struck his head again, more forcefully.
Her eyes widened. “Nathan!”
“No, listen to me!” he shouted suddenly, his voice cracking with hysteria.
His eyes were wild now.
“Evelyn… ever since we met… when you were nineteen…”
His breathing grew uneven.
“You were always cold,” he said. “You didn’t talk to anyone. You barely talked to me.”
His voice softened.
“But I liked you. I really liked you.”
Tears streamed down his face.
“I tried… I tried to get close to you. And then we got engaged when you turned twenty…”
A broken laugh escaped him.
“I was so happy.”
He hit his head hard again.
“I swear, I didn’t get involved with Maya at first,” he said quickly. “I don’t even know how it happened. You remember, right? I never liked her in college.”
Evelyn’s expression wavered.
Memories flickered through her mind.
He hadn’t been cruel to her. Not in the beginning.
Even after everything… she hadn’t been able to completely destroy him when she had the chance.
Nathan suddenly dropped to his knees.
His body shook slightly, like he was losing control.
“Nathan—what are you—” Evelyn’s voice trembled.
He raised his hands quickly, cutting her off.
That was when she saw bruises around his wrists.
Her breath caught.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me,” he said hoarsely. “Maybe this is my punishment.”
He let out a broken laugh.
“I regret it. Everything.”
His voice lowered.
“I regret thinking you didn’t love me… just because you wouldn’t… because you didn’t let us—”
He stopped himself, shaking his head violently.
“I listened to Maya,” he continued. “She said you were just tolerating me… that you didn’t really care.”
Evelyn clenched her fists.
Tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Stop,” she said, shaking her head. “Stop.”
Her voice broke.
“Nathan, stop.”
She took a step back.
“I was with you since I was nineteen,” she said, her voice trembling. “We got engaged when I was twenty. You think I didn’t see you? You think I didn’t know you?”
Her breathing grew uneven.
“I wanted revenge,” she admitted. “I really did. But I couldn’t do it.”
Her eyes reddened further.
“If you and Maya hadn’t pushed everything online… nothing would have come out. Because I couldn’t do it myself.”
Her voice cracked.
“You think that was easy for me?”
She wiped her tears quickly, forcing herself to steady.
“I’m not doing this with you,” she said, her tone hardening. “Don’t try to act like the victim now.”
She turned, ready to leave.
Nathan didn’t move.
He remained on his knees, his head lowered, his voice barely audible.
“If you leave…”
Evelyn’s steps halted.
“…I’ll die.”
A heavy silence fell.
Evelyn stood there, completely still.
Her head snapped back to him, eyes wide.
“W-what?" she asked quietly.
Nathan slowly lifted his head. His eyes looked even worse up close, red and swollen, as if he hadn’t slept in days.
“Evelyn… my—my—Maya—”
Before he could finish, hurried footsteps sounded outside the restroom, followed by urgent voices.
“Where is he?”
“Did you see him come in here?”
“No. Only Mr. Sinclair’s lady went in.”
The voices were close.
Nathan's face went white. His hands flew to his pockets, fumbling frantically.
Evelyn watched him, her heart pounding. Those people outside—they were looking for him.
He pulled something out and held it toward her, his hand shaking.
Evelyn's brows furrowed. "What is that?"
She hesitated.
“A flash drive,” he said quickly.
"Flash drive?" Her frown deepened. "What does it mean?"
“Just—take it,” he said, his voice breaking.
Nathan swallowed, his hand moving to scratch at his neck. His nails dug in, drawing thin red lines across his skin.
Evelyn inhaled sharply.
"Nathan! What is wrong with you?" she demanded, her voice rising despite herself. “If you don’t explain, I’ll have no choice but to call emergency services or your family. What is going on?!”
“I—I can’t explain everything,” he said, his words tumbling over each other. “Just take it.”
Evelyn hesitated for only a moment before grabbing it from his hand. “Fine,” she said, her brows knitting together. “But what is this? What am I supposed to do with it?”
“It’s the only recording I could get from the facility,” he said hurriedly.
“Recording? What facility?” she pressed immediately.
He didn't answer. His breathing remained uneven.
Evelyn's chest tightened. "Nathan. What facility?"
His eyes darted toward the door. The voices were getting closer.
“Evelyn…” he said desperately. “My uncle… he was a doctor. He has a good reputation. I don’t know if he can help me, but—”
His voice cracked. "Please. Ask him. Please help me. It's one of the reasons I needed to see you.”
Evelyn stared at him, completely lost. “What does Roman have to do with any of this?”
“I don’t know!” he shouted, dragging a hand through his uneven hair. “They just kept saying something about me being his nephew… Roman is the only uncle I know with a medical background.
He looked at Evelyn desperately. “So he could only be the one connected to those people. I don't—I don't understand, I just—”
The bathroom door burst open.
The sound echoed sharply through the restroom.
Nathan flinched.
“Please,” he said quickly, almost breathless. “Just ask him. Ask my uncle if he can help me.”
Footsteps rushed in.
“Don’t move!” one of the security guards shouted.
Another guard quickly moved toward Evelyn. “Madam, are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
Evelyn shook her head, her eyes still fixed on Nathan. Confused.
They grabbed him.
"Don't—" she started.
Nathan shook his head at her. ‘Don't interfere,’ his lips mouthed.
She stood frozen as the guards folded his arms behind his back, pulling him toward the door.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She could only stare as they dragged him out of the restroom.
The door closed again, and everything fell quiet.
Evelyn remained still for a moment, her heart pounding in her chest as if trying to catch up with everything that had just happened.
Then she looked down at her hand.
The flash drive was still there. Her grip tightened around it.
“What is going on…” she murmured under her breath.
Her mind replayed his words over and over again.
‘Roman? Facility?’
Nothing made sense.
“…What does Roman have to do with all this?” she whispered.
She didn’t wait any longer. Turning quickly, she left the restroom, and walked back toward the private boutique suite. Her steps unsteady despite her effort to stay composed.
The calm, quiet atmosphere that had felt refined earlier now only made her more uneasy.
Roman wasn’t there.
The lounge area was empty.
The racks were still filled, the packaged items neatly arranged, the staff moving about as usual—but he wasn’t there.
Her breath hitched.
She reached out suddenly, catching the arm of one of the attendants who had been assisting them.
“Excuse me—where’s my husband?”
The staff straightened immediately, offering a polite smile.
“Mr. Sinclair is still in the fitting suite, Madam.”
Evelyn froze.
“…Still?”
The staff nodded. “Yes, Madam.”
Evelyn slowly released her grip.
‘Still in the fitting room…? Since?’
Her heart skipped.
Nathan’s face flashed through her mind. His words, his panic, and how Roman was connected to his plight.
A sudden unease spread through her chest, tightening until she could barely think straight.
Without another word, she turned and walked straight toward the fitting suite.
She reached the door and pushed it open without hesitating.
Roman stood inside, one hand holding his phone, his voice low as he spoke into it.
“…handle it tonight. I don’t want delays.”
He turned at the sound of the door.
His gaze landed on her immediately. His brows drew together slightly.
Evelyn stood there, her breathing uneven, her chest rising and falling faster than it should.
Roman paused mid-conversation, his eyes scanning her face.
He lifted his free hand slightly, gesturing.
What’s wrong?
She didn’t answer.
The moment she saw him— standing there, calm, untouched, completely fine, something inside her loosened all at once.
Evelyn crossed the distance between them without thinking.
And threw herself into his arms.
Roman stilled.
The phone was still at his ear, the call still ongoing, but his body reacted before his mind caught up.
His arm came around her instinctively, steadying her as she held onto him tightly.
Evelyn buried her face against his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt.
Her breath came out in a shaky exhale.
She felt pure, overwhelming relief.
Roman’s gaze darkened slightly as he looked down at her.
“…I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone, his tone calm but firm.
He didn’t wait for a response before ending the call.
Silence settled in the room.
His hand moved to the back of her head, fingers brushing lightly through her hair.
“What happened?” he asked quietly.