Chapter 33
Evelyn
I'd lost count of which stop this was on our trip around the world.
Paris, Florence, Kyoto, Buenos Aires, Cape Town—Victor had handed off most of his business to Julian and Luca, then dragged me across every corner of the globe with an almost stubborn determination. He called it our belated honeymoon.
But our honeymoon had lasted way too long.
Luna stayed in New York, looked after by Alexander and Julian in shifts.
I'd cried for hours holding her before we left.
Victor stood beside me, waiting patiently until I was done, then handed me a tissue and an itinerary.
The itinerary was crammed with every destination and its corresponding signal strength, with notes in the margins that read "video calls available anytime. "
That was Victor's version of "I know you'll miss her."
And now we were on some small island Victor planned to develop.
Nothing here but white sand, turquoise water, barely any tourists—just a few wooden cabins still under construction in the distance. Quiet enough to hear every syllable of the waves hitting the rocks.
I stood at the water's edge, barefoot in the warm sand, wind whipping my dress around me. Victor's footsteps came up behind me, unhurried, and then his arms wrapped around my waist.
"Hold on," he murmured against my shoulder, voice low with that particular tone I knew all too well—calm and up to no good. "This beach is pretty empty. We could—"
"No."
"I didn't finish."
"I know what you're going to say." I elbowed him. "Victor, broad daylight. No."
"Sun's almost down."
"Still no. Pervert."
Victor went quiet for two seconds, seemingly weighing whether to keep pushing, then let go with suspicious ease. Not that he'd been convinced—I knew this man too well—he was just making a tactical retreat, waiting for his next opening.
I rolled my eyes and changed the subject.
"I miss Luna," I said. "Let's head back early. This island's pretty, but there's really nothing to—"
The words died in my throat.
At the other end of the beach, a woman lay on a folding chair, sunbathing. She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and a crisp white swimsuit, sunglasses covering half her face, but that bone-deep elegance and refinement, and the curve of her jawline when she turned her head slightly—
I recognized her.
Caroline.
My smile vanished instantly.
Given Caroline's relationship with Julian, her presence on a Moretti Group island made perfect sense.
It had been over three years since I'd last seen her, but the pain she'd caused still haunted me. She'd nearly killed me and Victor. I could choose not to think about it, but that didn't mean I'd forgotten.
And now I was Victor's actual wife. Whatever had been between Caroline and Victor—that was all in the past.
This was my honeymoon. I didn't want to run into her here.
I grabbed Victor's wrist and turned to leave.
"Let's go. Bad day for the beach."
Victor blinked at my sudden movement. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just realized the UV index is way too high today. Bad for the skin. Let's head back."
Victor glanced at the sun, mostly hidden behind clouds, then at me, clearly not buying a word. But he didn't push it, letting me pull him away.
Then a voice came from behind us.
"Evelyn?"
Damn it. Too late. I turned around slowly.
Caroline had risen from her chair and removed her sunglasses. Three years later, she was still beautiful. She looked at me with a complicated expression, apparently just as surprised by this encounter.
I stared back coldly.
My body tensed instinctively, mind racing through possibilities. If she tried anything, I wasn't going to be passive like before—I'd punch her in the face. I'd been taking combat classes. I could throw down now.
But Caroline walked up to me and did something completely unexpected.
She bowed slightly.
"Evelyn," she said, voice softer than I remembered. "I owe you an apology."
I froze.
"What I did to you, at first... I just wanted you gone.
" Caroline's gaze didn't waver, meeting mine directly.
"You showed up out of nowhere at Victor's side, pregnant with his child.
I thought Julian's position would be threatened.
He's my only son. His future—" She paused, a bitter, self-mocking smile crossing her lips.
"I was blinded by rage. What happened in the bunker—that's the most unforgivable thing I've ever done. "
Victor stood behind me. I felt his presence turn ice-cold the moment Caroline mentioned the bunker.
"That's no excuse for what you did to Evelyn."
Caroline closed her eyes briefly, then nodded.
"You're right," she said. "It's not an excuse. That's why I'm apologizing."
She looked at me again.
"Evelyn, I know you have no reason to forgive me. But I still need to say it—I'm sorry."
The beach went quiet. Waves crashed against the rocks over and over. Wind tousled Caroline's hair as she stood there before me, no masks, no schemes—just a woman who'd made terrible mistakes, asking another woman for forgiveness.
Honestly, I wasn't prepared for this.
I'd been ready for provocation, for mockery, even for tears—but not for a genuine, unconditional apology.
I was silent for a long time.
Then I spoke.
"Caroline," I said, "I can't pretend what happened didn't matter, because it almost killed me."
Her eyes dimmed slightly.
"But," I took a deep breath, "I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter. Your son is one of my husband's most trusted people now. If I keep holding onto all that, the only person I'm trapping is myself."
I met her eyes.
"So I forgive you. Not for you—for me."
Caroline's lips trembled slightly. She nodded earnestly, eyes rimming red.
Then she took a deep breath and turned to Victor, her expression shifting instantly from apologetic to cutting.
"Now that we're done with apologies," she said to Victor, tone sharp, "can you please call off your damn watchdogs?
The restrictions on my bank accounts, flight records, phone logs—can you lift those too?
I started dating someone. Your people ran a background check, then paid him a 'friendly visit.
' He blocked me the next day. How long are you going to keep this surveillance up? "
I whipped my head toward Victor.
His expression didn't change, as if Caroline were talking about something completely unrelated to him.
"Depends on your behavior," he said.
Caroline flipped him off.
"We never even had feelings for each other. Is this really necessary?" She snorted and started walking away, muttering, "Cold-blooded bastard. When Julian said you weren't human, I thought he was exaggerating. Turns out he was being generous—"
Her voice faded into the sound of the waves.
I watched Caroline disappear, then slowly turned to Victor.
So that's how it was.
Julian and I had both asked Victor to ease up on Caroline. She was Julian's mother, after all, and she'd been sent back to England, away from everything in New York. I thought he'd listened—he hadn't objected at the time, just looked at me silently. That silence—I finally understood it now.
He'd never let go. For three years, he'd been monitoring Caroline, restricting her movements and network, even vetting her boyfriends.
I laughed inwardly but kept my face cold.
This was the perfect excuse to throw a fit. I really wanted to go back and see Luna.
"Victor," I said.
"Yeah."
"You had people following Caroline." I turned to him, eyes narrowing. "You don't still... care what kind of guys she's dating, do you?"
"Never."
"Then why scare off her boyfriend?"
"I told you, it's not about her boyfriend. It's about preventing her from building new connections that could threaten you—"
"So you do care about her social circle."
"You're deliberately twisting my words."
"I'm not." I turned away, deliberately pulling my hand free and walking faster along the beach. "Who knows what you're really thinking? You two had a child together. Some things are complicated."
Victor went silent for about three seconds.
Then he caught up in two strides, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me back. His grip wasn't hard but left no room for escape. His eyes locked onto mine with something rare—almost desperate.
"You're the only one in my heart," he said.
I looked at his dead-serious face, like he was making some life-or-death declaration—
I couldn't hold it in anymore.
I doubled over laughing, stomach hurting, tears forming.
Victor's expression froze. Then he scanned the empty beach. Caroline had vanished. Just us, some smooth rocks worn by waves, and the sun sinking toward the horizon.
"You little liar. Now the beach is empty," he said, voice dropping to that tone that sent chills down my spine. "That proposal you rejected earlier? I'm resubmitting it."
"Vic—"
"And to completely eliminate your jealousy," he stepped closer, fingers tilting my chin up, "I need to prove some things to you. If you're still worried," his lips nearly touched mine, breath hot against my face, "we can call Caroline back to watch."
"You—!"
Before I could finish, he kissed me.
His arm locked around my waist, kissing me while backing me up until my back hit a rock warmed by the sunset.
"I love you," he murmured, pulling back just slightly, lips still against mine.
I was pinned against the rock, bathed in the last light of day, waves rolling in and out nearby. His kisses traveled from my lips to my ear, jaw, neck, his hand tightening slowly against my waist.
I wrapped my arms around his neck.
"I know," I said, voice muffled against his shoulder, soft and quiet.
The waves crashed against the rocks, breaking into white foam.
The sun finally sank below the horizon, painting the sky crimson and gold. Lights came on across the distant island, like someone lighting stars one by one in the distance.
And I leaned into Victor's embrace, listening to the waves and his heartbeat alternating in my ears, thinking this was probably where I wanted to stay for the rest of my life.
Not any city. Not any beach.
Wherever he was.