He Stole Our Future to Fund Her Wedding, So I Ruined Him Chapter 07

Evan came looking for me sooner than I’d expected.

The video spread all over the internet. His reputation and Claire’s family’s reputation were ruined.

He had the legal notice in his hand when he found me.

He looked exhausted and full of regret.

The night before I saw him, he’d stood outside my building until morning.

He’d smoked eight cigarettes.

He wore only a thin coat, though the temperature in Boston had dropped below freezing.

He stood there all night.

He didn’t text me, come upstairs, knock, or tell me he’d arrived.

He waited in the cold, the way I’d waited for him over those three Thanksgivings, the way I’d waited five years

for him to marry me.

Maybe the cold had finally cleared his head.

When Evan looked at me now, the old certainty and indifference were gone.

He had begun to regret what he’d done. He finally believed I’d really left him.

His eyes and nose were red from the cold.

He hadn’t shaved, and his hair was a mess.

He hardly looked like Evan. He looked wrecked.

Holding the notice, he came toward me.

He stopped two steps away.

“When did you start putting this together?”

I kept my voice level, the way he used to when he told me “next time” or said I was making too much of

things.

“The day I found the money gone.”

Evan nodded and fell silent.

I spoke again.

“Did you come to blame me? Or to ask me to drop the case so it doesn’t hurt you and Claire?”

He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words. Finally, he shook his head.

After a while, his voice came out hoarse.

“Nora, I thought you were just angry.”

“I thought you’d forgive me eventually. If I replaced the money in time, I thought we could go back to how we

were.”

I gave a short, bitter laugh.

“Evan, that’s what you always thought.”

“You were so sure you knew how I felt that you made every decision for me.”

“You never tried to see this from my side.”

“If you had, you’d know how badly you hurt me.”

“But you didn’t. Every time you said ‘I thought,’ you were only thinking of yourself.”

I didn’t raise my voice.

Still, my words seemed to make him fold in on himself.

His shoulders hunched, and he covered his face with both hands.

Evan cried. I didn’t know if it was because of the lawsuit or because he’d finally understood what he’d done to

It didn’t matter anymore.

He pulled himself together quickly.

When he straightened, his eyes were redder than before.

His voice was rougher too.

“Nora, I was wrong. I screwed up everything.”

“I don’t expect you to take me back or give us another chance. I just want you to forgive me.”

I met his pleading eyes, gave a quiet laugh, and shook my head.

“Evan, you don’t get to ask me for forgiveness.”

“You kissed Claire at the restaurant. You lied about being on a team retreat in Miami.”

“You had plenty of chances to stop before it went this far. You passed up every one.”

“You could’ve made things right. Instead, you kept going.”

Evan said nothing. His hand went toward his pocket for a cigarette, then stopped.

He looked close to tears again, but held them back. In the end, he gave a bitter smile.

“Nora, it’s cold. Dress warmly.”

“I left some gifts outside your door.”

“I haven’t come to see your parents with you in three years. I wanted to make up for that.”

“I won’t hire a lawyer for the hearing. Whatever damages you ask for, I’ll accept.”

I didn’t respond. I turned and went upstairs without hesitation.

There were several gift boxes outside our door.

I left them where they were. I didn’t even look at them.

Three days later, the building custodian would clear them away.