Chapter 49: Chapter 49

“Ah… I can’t talk to you right now,” Evan finally replied, turning toward her and taking her hand.

“By the way, this is my wife, Merri,” he introduced, and she froze, staring at him in shock. She hadn’t expected that.

Elaine frowned, disbelief flickering in her eyes.

“Your wife? I thought she was your secretary,” Elaine exclaimed, her voice a mixture of surprise and indignation.

“She is my secretary… but she’s also my wife,” Evan said coldly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“I have work to do in my office, so if you don’t mind, we need to go upstairs,” Evan added, holding her hand firmly, guiding her away.

“Wait… so the rumors were true? I thought you were just trying to make me jealous, Evan. And now that I’m back, it seems you succeeded. Could you please let her go and let us talk… just us?” Elaine’s voice softened, almost pleading. She likely feared that the people around them would overhear her desperation.

As a woman, she felt a pang of pity for Elaine, she could understand the longing and heartbreak, but as his wife, she could never simply hand her husband over to his first love. Her grip on his hand tightened slightly, a silent assertion that he was hers.

Evan stopped walking, but he didn’t turn around.

“We have nothing to talk about, Elaine. You should go home. I have more important things to do, and no time for this,” he said coldly, then tightened his hold on her hand and pulled her toward the elevator.

Elaine kept calling Evan’s name, again and again, but he ignored her completely. He didn’t even glance back. He just continued walking, guiding her with him until they stepped inside the elevator.

Silence wrapped around the small space the moment the doors slid shut.

She didn’t know how to break it, and it seemed Evan had no intention of speaking either. He let go of her hand, leaning back slightly, his expression unreadable.

A sting settled in her chest at the sudden distance.

Was he having second thoughts?

About them?

Now that he had finally seen Elaine again… was he reconsidering everything?

Fear gripped her heart. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing him now, not after she had slowly learned to love him, and to cherish what they shared.

“Merri, we’re here.”

She blinked, startled, as Evan’s voice reached her, his hand brushing against hers. She glared at him, trying to read his expression, but his face was unreadable, an opaque wall hiding his thoughts.

“Is something bothering you? If this is about what Elaine said, just forget it,” Evan said, squeezing her hand gently.

She studied his face, searching for a clue, something, anything, that might reveal what he was feeling.

Should I really just ignore her? And what she said… Evan? Her mind whispered the words she longed to speak, but her courage faltered. So instead, she stayed silent and nodded.

Merri thought Elaine would give up after that day. However, when morning came and she returned to her duties as Evan’s secretary, Elaine showed up.

“If you’re here to see Evan, he’s not here,” she said immediately as Elaine walked into Evan’s office and found only her.

Elaine’s eyes roamed the room. “I know he’s not here. I came to talk to you, not him.”

Her mouth parted. Why? Why would she want to talk to me?

“Why? Are you surprised that I want to talk to you instead?” Elaine said, smirking.

Merri shook her head. “What do you want from me?”

“Simple. I want you to leave him. I know your relationship with him is probably fake. After all, you were just his substitute bride, and now his rebound wife. Evan only keeps you to hurt me and make me realize what kind of gem I lost, and he succeeded. So, the drama is over,” Elaine said seriously, glaring directly into her eyes.

Merri swallowed. She didn’t know how to answer or react, since half of what Elaine said was true.

“Oh, and don’t worry,” Elaine continued after a pause. “I can triple the price he offered you. Just leave him, divorce him, and I’ll recommend you to the best company. If you don’t want to lose your job, just return him to me.”

Merri clenched her fists and closed her eyes tightly. The thought of giving Evan back made her heart ache unbearably.

“I-I’m sorry, but what you want is impossible. Where did you get the idea that our relationship is fake? It’s real. We love each other,” the words slipped out before she even knew it.

“Besides, Evan is not a tool or some object I can just return, or something you can simply take back. He’s a human, with his own mind and feelings. If he wanted you, he would probably come after you. But as you can see, he no longer wants you, not even to talk to you,” she added, watching Elaine fall silent. Clearly, Elaine hadn’t expected her to refuse so outright.

Elaine laughed in disbelief. “Wow. Just wow. Just because Evan is choosing you now doesn’t mean he doesn’t love me anymore. And he loves you? He’s only doing it because I hurt him, and he’s using you to torture me.”

Those words hit her, but she didn’t let it show. Even though Evan never said he loved her, he also never said he didn’t. She still had hope that he was slowly opening his heart to her. They had overcome so many obstacles together. She believed in their relationship. She shouldn’t listen to Elaine’s words.

“See? I was right. You went silent because I was telling the truth. Evan probably hasn’t said he loves you, has he? It’s because he hasn’t moved on from me. He still loves me,” Elaine said confidently.

She held her hands on the edge of her desk, trying to suppress the emotions inside her.

“He did say he loves me. So don’t ever think of winning him back,” she stated, even though she wasn’t entirely sure if what she was claiming was true. The most important thing right now was to shatter Elaine’s hope.

“Really? Don’t make me laugh. I can tell you’re lying,” Elaine said, laughing.

She swallowed. “You should leave. I have a lot of things to do and don’t have time for this,” she said, turning away.

“Oh, are you running away because you’re afraid the truth will come out?” Elaine snapped, grabbing her hand.

She took a deep breath and tried to pull her hand free.

“How about we make a bet? Who would Evan believe if something happened to me? You or me?” Elaine said suddenly, smiling like an evil witch.