“Stop talking nonsense! It’s bad enough you’re unreasonable with me—now you insult Sophia’s character? You owe her an apology. Otherwise, how is a young woman supposed to face the world?”
“And that dress is one of a kind. How could Sophia afford it?”
Of course she couldn’t. But Ryan could. Otherwise, how else could he have secretly kept her for nine years?
I ignored them and turned upstairs, desperate to pack my things and leave that filthy house.
The air froze. Sophia rushed forward, clutching my hand and falling to her knees.
“Evelyn, it’s my fault… I just wanted to see how I’d look in the dress. It had nothing to do with Ryan. Please don’t be angry with him, okay?”
Ryan let out a sigh of relief and pulled me into his arms with a smile.
“Evelyn, I swear on everything—I haven’t betrayed you. Now that we’ve cleared it up, and Sophia has admitted her mistake, how about I dock her bonus to make it up to you?”
I laughed coldly, staring into his eyes filled with fake tenderness. Then I pulled free of his embrace, snatched up the dress, and tossed it at Sophia.
“Why don’t you explain the bloodstains and the white residue on this dress? Or should I just take it to the hospital lab for testing?”
Ryan froze for a moment, then his voice turned impatient.
“She was on her period. The blood is nothing. She’s just a naïve young girl. Do you really have to be so harsh? Can’t you show some grace as the boss’s wife?”
“Oh—so should I be thanking Sophia for also helping my husband with his other ‘needs’?”
“Enough! I promised to buy you the rings, I gave you the gifts—what more do you want?”
I lifted my head, met his sharp, cold eyes, and spoke each word clearly:
“What do I want? Forget the rings. I want my merger proposal back. How else could Hayes Corporation possibly reach IPO status if not for me, the housewife who stayed up writing it?”
His face turned dark instantly. He flung my hand away, and I stumbled, slamming my abdomen into the table’s edge.
Pain shot through me, but I bit down on it, tears spilling uncontrollably.
“Evelyn Lane… how dare you even mention your so-called proposal? Because of that, Sophia almost died at a business dinner. If I hadn’t arrived in time, you’d be her murderer!”
“If it weren’t for Sophia begging me to let you stay, you wouldn’t even still be here as Mrs. Hayes. And you dare to ask for your plan back? You really don’t know your place.”