Chapter Three
1140 Words
EVERLY'S POV
I stared at the screen until the words blurred.
He was two-timing you back then, and he's doing it now. Wake up, Everly.
I didn't reply. My thumb hovered over the keyboard, but my mind was spinning too fast to form words. I shoved the phone into my purse, forcing myself to think, to make sense of any of it.
The ride back to the penthouse was silent. When we pulled up to the gate, I got out without a word and walked inside.
Kian was in the living room when I came in. He was sitting on the couch with his phone in hand. He didn't look up as I walked in.
"Did you get everything?" he asked.
I stood there for a second, my hands still gripping the grocery bags, my heart still racing from the messages—from the photo of him and Chloe, and how they looked together today
One of the maids was there, her eyes wide, her hands shaking as she wiped down a counter that was already clean.
"Mrs. Sterling," she whispered. "Is… is everything okay?"
I looked at her. "Yes."
She swallowed. "Okay, ma'am."
I walked straight to my room, locking the door behind me. But I couldn't sit still. I wanted to know the truth right now. I waited. I sat in the dark, watching the minutes tick by on my phone, waiting for when the staff finally retired to their quarters.
At midnight, I stepped out into the quiet hallway. The house was cold and dark, but there was light over the dining area. Kian was sitting at the table.. I walked over and stood in front of him. A half-finished cup of black coffee was beside him.
"Kian," I said.
He didn't look up.
"Kian," I said again, louder this time.
He let out a long sigh, slid his chair back, and walked right past me toward the f*******n wing of the house—his private quarters. I followed suit. He didn't even glance back. Just kept walking, his long strides eating up the distance down the hall.
I matched his pace, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.
"Kian," I said again, my voice shaking. "I need to talk to you."
He reached the door at the end of the hall, stepped inside, and slammed them shut right in my face. The thud echoed through the corridor.
I didn't hesitate. I grabbed the brass handle, turned it, and pushed the door opened. I was his wife. I had every right to demand answers.
His face hardened the moment he saw me. His stormy gray eyes glared. Disgust curled his lip.
"What do you think you're doing?" he warned, his voice dangerously quiet.
I didn't answer. I just stepped further into the massive room. It was cold, dominated by charcoal walls and floor-to-ceiling windows. A bed so perfectly made there wasn’t a single wrinkle on it. Everything smelled like him. Sharp, expensive, and suffocating. I turned around and crossed my arms tightly over my chest to hide the tremble in my hands.
“Get out,” he said quietly.
The edge in his voice could cut glass.
I didn’t move. “I Just want us to talk, please.” I whispered
His eyes narrowed. Then he checked his watch and let out a short sigh.
“Fine. You have thirty seconds.”
I swallowed. "Who is Chloe?"
His eyes didn't change. "What?"
"Chloe," I said, my voice cracking. "Who is she to you? Why was she here yesterday? Why did she touch you like that? Why did you tell me to apologize to her?"
He didn't answer. He was staring at me like I had lost my mind
I stepped closer, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "Why are you treating me like I'm a servant? What did I do to you, Kian? What did I do?"
He still didn't answer.
I felt the tears rising, hot and fast, but I refused to let them fall. "Please... just answer me. “ Why are you doing this to me? Why did you marry me, Kian?"
He leaned back against the wall, his eyes cold, his face a mask.
I took a step closer. "Do you even love me?"
The silence stretched
Then a small, cruel smile touched Kian's lips, and he let out a quiet, mocking laugh
"You don't get to ask me questions, Everly," he said, his voice low.
"Why?" I demanded.
“You’re a name on a contract, Everly,” he said, his smirk widening. “Know your place.”
"What? A contract?" My voice barely came out. I stared at him, my whole body shaking. "Everything we had was a lie?"
A single tear slipped down my cheek. I wiped it away immediately. “Were you with Chloe all this time?”
He folded his hands, his expression unreadable.
"Being with Julian is a thousand times better than being with you” The words tumbled out before I could stop myself.
His smirk disappeared instantly.
“What did you say?” His voice dropped so low, but it carried a lethal weight.
“I wish I was with Julian, and not you!” I shouted. "You're pathetic. Just because you are wealthy now, you think you are worth something?"
I held his terrifying gaze, letting out all of my anger. "No matter how many billions you make, Kian… you're still that boy who used to fix my father's boilers."
His gaze locked on mine with a heavy, suffocating weight.
He stalked toward me so fast. I instinctively took a step back as my bare feet slipped on the smooth marble floor. Before I could fall, he stopped mere inches from me, his hand pressing against the wall right beside my ear. He leaned in until his breath was hot against my skin.
"Don't you dare speak to me like that," he growled, his voice as dark as I'd ever heard it.
I opened my mouth to respond
His fist slammed into the wall beside my head.
I shrieked, pressing hard against the wall. I couldn't feel my legs. The tears I had been fighting fell freely.
Slowly, Kian stepped back. Splinters of plaster clung to his knuckles. Blood slid over his fingers, dripping onto the marble. He didn't even look at his hand. He turned his back to me, and strode over to the massive windows.
"Leave," he commanded. His voice had returned to that flat, terrifying calm.
I forced myself to my feet and turned to the door, ready to run when his voice stopped me.
"And Everly..."
I turned around, my breath catching in my throat.
"Don't you ever compare me to Julian again."
I pulled the door open and ran. Behind me, I heard nothing.
- Writer
