Chapter 4: If I Left, Would You Miss Me?

Evangeline's POV

"That son of a bitch! How could he do this to you? After everything you've been through together!"

Audrey slams her wine glass down so hard I'm surprised it doesn't shatter. Her blonde hair is getting messier by the minute, and her cheeks are flushed red from the alcohol.

"Ten fucking years, Evie! You were there when he had nothing. When he was just some orphan with big dreams and empty pockets!"

People are starting to stare. This isn't Audrey at all. She's usually so put-together, so controlled.

"Audrey, you're getting loud—"

"I don't give a shit!" She waves her hand dismissively. "He's a coward. A selfish bastard who picked money over the woman who loved him unconditionally!"

She points her finger in the air like she's delivering a closing argument.

"And that bitch Seraphina? She's nothing but a spoiled princess who thinks daddy's checkbook can buy her anything she wants!"

I reach across the table, trying to calm her down, but she's on a roll now.

"But you know what pisses me off the most? You!"

Her finger swings toward me, and I actually flinch.

"You're still making excuses for him! Still hoping he'll come crawling back like some lovesick teenager!"

"That's not—"

"Yes, it is!" Her eyes are blazing. "You're brilliant, Evie. You have a PhD from Stanford. You helped build a billion-dollar company. And you're wasting away waiting for a man who's already moved on!"

Every word hits like a slap. Because she's right. About all of it.

"Why are you still there? Why are you still playing the perfect little wife while he's off with his princess?"

She sways as she stands up, gripping the table for support.

"You know what you should have done? You should have come with me to Switzerland years ago!"

She throws her arms wide, nearly knocking over the wine bottle.

"Career, Evie! That's what matters! Look at me. I'm running the European division of a medical empire. And you? You're sitting in that empty house, waiting for scraps of affection!"

The alcohol has stripped away all her usual diplomacy. This is raw Audrey, and every word cuts deep because it's true.

"Audrey, please. Sit down, you're drunk." I slide a water glass toward her. "I'm starting to think you only came here to drink and lecture me."

She stops mid-rant and blinks at me. Then she slumps back into her chair, suddenly looking exhausted.

"Shit." She rubs her temples, blonde hair falling over her face. "I'm sorry, Evie. I didn't mean to... I'm just so angry at him. At both of them."

Her voice gets softer, but there's still that angry tremor underneath.

She picks up the water and drinks deeply, the alcohol haze clearing from her eyes.

"So what's your plan? And don't tell me you're going to keep waiting for him."

I sit there for a long moment, my hand drifting to my stomach. The baby. Charles doesn't even know about the baby.

"I'm going to leave him. Leave this place. Take the baby and start somewhere new."

"Finally! Some fucking sense!"

Audrey's eyes light up like I just told her I won the lottery.

"Come work for me, Evie. I'll be done with the West Coast expansion in two months. We can go to Europe together, get you away from this toxic mess."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would. You're brilliant, and Europe needs more innovators like you. Plus..." She reaches across and grips my hand. "You need to get as far away from Charles Cross as possible."

I take a sip of orange juice, tears blurring my vision. For the first time in months, I feel something like hope.

"Thank you, Audrey. Really. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"That's what friends are for. Now, let's get out of this depressing place and go shopping. If you're going to be a single mom in Europe, we need to get you prepared."

The night air hits us as we step outside. Palo Alto glitters with tech money, but it feels quieter now, less frantic than during the day.

"Oh look, there's a baby store still open! Let's go in."

"Audrey, it's too early—"

"Bullshit! It's never too early to prepare."

She grabs my arm and pulls me toward the brightly lit shop window.

Inside, warm lighting and tiny clothes make everything feel surreal. This baby is real. Growing inside me right now.

"First time shopping for baby items?" the clerk asks with a friendly smile.

"Yes... yes, it is."

"We'll take that onesie set, and those blankets, and..." Audrey points excitedly at various displays like she's the one having the baby.

I watch her enthusiasm and feel something shift inside my chest.

Maybe this is what hope feels like. Maybe I can do this without him.

By the time we leave, I'm carrying three shopping bags full of tiny clothes and soft blankets. Audrey insisted on paying for everything.

"Consider it an investment in your future," she said with a grin.

It's past midnight when I use my key to open our front door. The living room lights are still on, and my heart suddenly pounds.

Charles sits on the couch, hands clasped together, staring at the coffee table. He's still wearing that expensive suit from this morning, but he looks exhausted.

"You're home."

My voice comes out steady, neutral. I set the shopping bags on the other couch and walk behind him.

My hands find his tense shoulders and start massaging gently. It's been our routine for years. Maybe the last time I'll ever do this.

"How come you're home tonight? That woman didn't cling to you? After I gave her hell today, she must be pretty pissed."

"I made excuses to come home early. Told her the company had urgent issues."

His voice sounds tired, and his head tilts back against the couch. His left hand comes up to rub his temple as he lets me work the knots from his shoulders.

"By the way, where were you? It's past midnight."

My hands stop moving.

I'm staring at his left hand.

"Where's your ring?"

The question hangs in the air like a death sentence.

"She doesn't like it. Asked me to take it off. It's just temporary, until..." He doesn't finish the sentence.

"Until what?"

"Until this is over. It's in the bedroom, on the nightstand."

I think about that simple silver band. He bought those rings with a month's salary when we were living in that cramped apartment. We were both blushing when we slipped them onto each other's fingers that night.

He promised he'd only love me. That we'd build an empire together and I'd be his queen.

But now, even our ring, the symbol of everything we built together. He took it off because she asked him to.

Tears fill my eyes as I lean down and wrap my arms around him from behind, pressing my face against his shoulder.

"Charles... if I disappeared one day. If you never saw me again..."

My voice is shaking now.

"Would you miss me? Even a little bit?"

I feel his body go rigid beneath my touch. The entire living room falls into deathly silence.

Then suddenly, Charles stands up and spins around. He doesn't say a word.

He just sweeps me up into his arms.