Ditching the Father and Son

Echoes of that cruel future still lingered, heavy and raw. Even though those exact words had not yet been spoken in this timeline, merely remembering them sent a sharp ache straight through Evelyn's chest, as if her heart were being ripped right out of her body.

*In my last life, I poured out every ounce of love and care I had just to beg for a scrap of affection from my own child. And all of it amounted to nothing.* A bleak realization settled deep inside her.

*Since fate granted me a second chance, I'm going to live solely for myself this time around,* she resolved silently. *I am completely done trying to thaw people whose hearts are made of stone. I'm finished with the pair of them. Neither Damon nor Lucas means a thing to me anymore.*

Even so, as she watched Lucas lift his fork and take a big bite of the cake, a mother's lingering instinct pulled briefly at her chest. Evelyn forced the impulse down and averted her gaze. Drawing in a slow, steadying breath, she looked straight at Damon and stated clearly, "I want a divorce."

Damon had just taken a plated slice of cake directly from Camilla's hands. At Evelyn's declaration, his expression frosted over instantly. "Evelyn, all this over a piece of cake? Do you really have to throw a tantrum right now? Today is Lucas's birthday. Are you determined to humiliate us in front of the entire room?"

A wry, joyless smile curved Evelyn's lips. Shifting her gaze toward Damon's parents, she spoke in an even tone. "Your grandfather was the only one who insisted on this marriage. Now that he has passed away, there is no reason for you to keep dragging this out."

"I am well aware that your parents view Camilla as the ideal daughter-in-law, and in your eyes, she is the only right wife for you. Since Lucas prefers her too, I will gladly vacate my spot and give all of you exactly what you want."

"Tomorrow morning, we can finalize the divorce at the courthouse. Be there at nine," she added. Dropping the faint smile from her face, Evelyn turned on her heel and headed toward the exit of the private suite.

"Evelyn, wait, you have it all wrong! There is nothing going on between Damon and me. Please trust me, or I won't even be able to look him in the eye anymore!" Camilla's tear-choked voice rang out from behind her, immediately joined by Judith's shrill, angry reprimands.

Evelyn tuned them out completely and kept walking, only for Damon's enraged voice to slice across the room a second later. "Evelyn, get back over here right now. Stay in this room and see Lucas's birthday through properly, and I will let today's outburst slide. Keep acting like a spoiled brat, though, and you know very well what the fallout will be."

Evelyn had heard that exact warning countless times in her previous life. Back then, she had cared far too deeply and lived in constant terror of losing Damon. No matter how badly she had been wronged, the moment his temper flared, she had always been the one to fold.

On the rare occasions when the hurt pushed her to fight back, Damon had weaponized their son against her. He knew every single pressure point to keep her in line because he knew how fiercely she loved them both. Time and again, he had trampled all over her feelings, turning her own devotion into a leash.

As those memories flooded back, a hollow chill spread through Evelyn's chest. The clearer the recollections became, the deeper the cold sank, settling into her very bones like the dead of winter.

Yet the only reason his manipulation had worked before was that she had still loved him. Now, that love was completely dead. His threats held zero power over her anymore.

Seeing Evelyn's footsteps slow to a halt near the door, Damon let a smug, self-assured look cross his face. He had no doubt that once he showed real anger, she would cave in just as she always did.

Evelyn didn't even bother looking back over her shoulder. "Damon," she said, her voice ringing clear and icy across the quiet room, "I don't want you or our son anymore. What fallout could possibly frighten me now?"

"Tomorrow afternoon at the courthouse. Don't be late." Leaving those final words behind, Evelyn didn't pause for a single second. She pushed the heavy door open and stepped straight out of the private room.