Chapter 497: Chapter 497

469 words

<html><head></head><body>Evelyn's gaze lingered on Nathaniel for a moment longer than necessary. Curiosity gnawed at her, and before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Just now, you—" "We're running out of time." He cut her off sharply, turning on his heel and striding toward the lobby before she could finish. She watched his retreating figure, her lips curling into a bitter, self-deprecating smile. What had she been expecting? For Nathaniel to beg her to stay? For him to suddenly regret the divorce? She needed to wake up. Eleanor, the only obstacle standing in their way, now knew the truth—and had even given her blessing. There was nothing left to stop this from happening. With a quiet exhale, she schooled her expression and followed him inside. The divorce proceedings took barely ten minutes. Now, clutched in her hands were two certificates—one that had once bound them together, and another that severed it all.  Three years of marriage, reduced to this. How laughable. But at least it was finally over. She shoved the papers into her bag and glanced at Nathaniel. His strides were so brisk she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of his expression. She trailed behind him, only for a suited man to intercept her. "Ms. Evelyn Carter? I’m the lawyer representing Mrs. Whitmore. This is the property settlement agreement. Please sign it."  She barely glanced at the document. "I don’t want it." "Ms. Carter, if you refuse, I won’t be able to complete my task." Reluctantly, she scrawled her signature and snatched the papers. "I’ll give them to Nathaniel myself. You can go." The lawyer’s eyes flickered toward Nathaniel, whose stormy expression was impossible to miss. Wisely, the lawyer nodded and retreated. Once he was gone, Evelyn hurried after Nathaniel, waving the agreement. "Wait!"  He stopped beside his sleek sports car—just as a stunning blonde approached him, phone in hand. "Hey, can I get your number? I think we’d hit it off." "I just got divorced," he replied, voice icy. The woman smirked. "Congratulations on being single again. How about dinner to celebrate?" She shot Evelyn a challenging look. Evelyn froze, an uncomfortable heat creeping up her neck. Right. This was Nathaniel Whitmore.  Wealthy, devastatingly handsome—irresistible to women. Then, his gaze slid to Evelyn before he answered flatly, "I’ve given everything to my ex-wife. All I have left is debt. This car? Getting sold to pay it off." The blonde’s smile faltered. "Uh… never mind." Evelyn bit back a laugh as the woman scurried away. Bold, these days. She met Nathaniel’s eyes and lifted the agreement. "I signed, but you don’t have to." "I can afford it." His tone brooked no argument. "It’s not about the money." Before he could reply, a sharp honk cut through the air. She turned to see Julian’s car idling at the curb.  </body></html>