The Wife He Left Behind While He Built a World for Another Woman Chapter 09

The Wife He Left Behind While He Built a World for Another Woman Chapter 09

Three years passed in the blink of an eye.

During that time, Vincent sold off every asset tied to the subterranean enclave and placed Rinaldi Group under professional management.

He moved to the remote hills outside the city and built a small cabin beside the warehouse ruins.

Every day, he sat before the wreckage and talked to Evelyn and their unborn child.

He would sit there from morning until night.

He quit smoking and drinking. He stopped seeing people.

He simply kept vigil beside the ruins, carrying his guilt and longing for Evelyn in silence.

He often dreamed of Evelyn walking toward him in her white wedding gown, smiling.

But whenever he reached out to hold her, she vanished.

He would wake alone in endless darkness.

One day, Vincent went into the city to buy Evelyn’s favorite white roses, just as he always did.

As he passed through the downtown plaza, he noticed a live broadcast of a business launch event playing on a massive outdoor screen.

A woman in a black suit stood onstage, calmly and confidently introducing her company.

Her features were cool and aloof, her presence striking, and she looked exactly like Evelyn.

The white roses slipped from Vincent’s hand.

He stared at the screen, every drop of blood in his body seeming to freeze.

It was her.

It was Evelyn.

She was alive.

He ran toward the event like a man possessed, forced his way past security, and burst into the venue.

The presentation had just ended.

Evelyn was shaking hands with a business partner in farewell when Vincent rushed inside.

She showed no surprise when she saw him.

She merely glanced at him, her eyes as cold and indifferent as though he were a stranger.

“Evelyn!”

“Evelyn!”

Vincent rushed toward her, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

“You’re alive. You’re really alive.”

“Thank God. Thank God.”

He reached for her, but Evelyn stepped aside before he could touch her.

She adjusted her suit jacket and spoke without emotion.

“Mr. Rinaldi. It’s been a long time.”

“But I believe you’ve mistaken me for someone else. My name is Audrey Lane, not Evelyn Hart.”

“No. You’re Evelyn.”

Vincent stared at her, his expression caught between unbearable joy and pain.

“I could never mistake you for anyone else. Your eyes, your voice, everything about you. I remember it all.”

“Evelyn, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong. I really do.”

“Please come back.”

“I’ll treat you right from now on. I’ll never hurt you or make you suffer again.”

Evelyn looked at him, and a mocking smile touched her lips.

“Do you hear yourself, Mr. Rinaldi?”

“Three years ago, you caused my child’s death. You watched me being driven away by my kidnappers and did nothing.”

“Even after you believed I was dead, you continued living happily with the woman responsible for everything that happened to me.”

“And now you expect me to believe that you’re sorry?”

“I know I was a bastard. I’m a monster.”

Vincent suddenly dropped to his knees before her, tears streaming down his face.

“Evelyn, I’m begging you. Give me one chance to atone.”

“Hit me. Yell at me. Do whatever you want.”

“I’ll do anything if you come back.”

“I’ll give you Rinaldi Group. I’ll give you everything I own.”

People nearby began gathering around them, whispering and pointing.

Evelyn’s assistant hurried forward to pull Vincent away, but Evelyn stopped them.

She crouched in front of him and met his eyes without the slightest emotion.

“Vincent, do you think I came back for your money?”

“You’re wrong.”

“I came back to reclaim what belongs to me and to make sure you live with your guilt for the rest of your life.”

She pulled a divorce agreement from her bag and tossed it down in front of him.

“Sign it.”

“Our marriage ended in that warehouse three years ago.”

“So did my love for you.”

“There is no going back.”

Vincent looked down at the divorce papers, then up at Evelyn’s cold eyes.

He finally understood that she would never forgive him.

He picked up the pen and signed his name with a trembling hand.

His tears fell onto the pages, blurring the fresh ink.

Evelyn collected the papers, turned, and walked away without looking back.

Vincent remained on his knees, watching her until she disappeared into the crowd.

Only then did he lower his head and let out a broken, hopeless sob.

From that day forward, Evelyn ceased to exist.

There was only Audrey Lane.

Audrey founded a children’s foundation dedicated to helping children who had lost their parents. It was her way of honoring her unborn child.

She lived freely and on her own terms.

She never saw Vincent again.

Vincent continued living beside the ruins.

Every morning, he gathered a fresh bouquet of white roses, placed it before the ruins, and whispered, “Evelyn, I’m sorry.”

At sunset, golden light washed over the wreckage and his solitary figure.

He knew he would remain there for the rest of his life, spending every day he had left repaying what he owed.

In the end, their love became his one-man show—his alone to mourn, his alone to atone for, and his alone to carry to the end of his life.