Chapter 233

The waiter tapped on the keyboard, scanning the reservation list once more. "There was a guest registered under Caldwell, but they've already left about twenty minutes ago." His brow furrowed slightly. "Sir, you must have just missed them."

Ethan froze. Had Evelyn really been here?

Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode out of the restaurant.

The night stretched before him—endless and disorienting. The city lights blurred into the distance, roads branching in every direction. He wanted to chase after her, but where?

His fingers clenched around his phone as he dialed her number. The call didn’t even ring. Just silence.

Blocked. Again.

Jaw tight, he stormed into the nearest convenience store, grabbed two bottles of whiskey, and twisted the caps off with a sharp crack. He drank them fast, the burn doing nothing to dull the ache in his chest.

They said alcohol numbed the pain. Lies.

Meanwhile, on the opposite shore, Evelyn walked barefoot along the wet sand, the ocean lapping at her toes.

She bent down, fingers brushing against a large conch half-buried in the sand. Lifting it to her ear, she closed her eyes.

The distant roar of the waves echoed faintly—like a memory just out of reach.

Evelyn found everything utterly enchanting. Having spent her entire life inland, this was her first encounter with the ocean's majesty.

She dashed toward Alexander with childlike enthusiasm, clutching a delicate seashell in her palm.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze smoldering as it locked onto hers. "Is this for me?"

His fingers traced feather-light circles against her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

The teasing touch made her instinctively curl her fingers inward.

Seizing the opportunity, Alexander captured her hand and pulled her flush against him.

Evelyn gasped as she collided with his solid chest, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs.

Wrapped in his embrace, she inhaled his intoxicating scent—sandalwood and something uniquely him.

Her pulse stuttered when his thumb began stroking slow, deliberate patterns across her wrist. She was utterly spellbound.

He nuzzled against her neck, his voice a velvet rumble. "Mrs. Whitmore, I'm placing this in our vault. My first gift from you."

The proximity was overwhelming. His warm breath fanned over her sensitive skin, making her heart race wildly.

"It's just a seashell, nothing special. You don't need to lock it away like some priceless treasure."

"You couldn't be more mistaken." Alexander's gaze held a quiet intensity as he studied her. "Anything my wife gives me is priceless."

Evelyn froze.

She had always viewed their marriage as a transaction—a practical arrangement.

She needed security, and he had provided it.

Love had never been part of the equation.

So why did her pulse suddenly quicken under his unwavering attention?

He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear. "Since you've given me something so precious, Mrs. Whitmore, it's only fair I return the favor."

Before she could process his words—

The night sky exploded in color.

The beach was dark, the moon hidden behind clouds.

But now, fireworks painted the heavens in dazzling hues, each burst brighter than the last, transforming the quiet shore into a spectacle of light.

The reflections danced across Alexander's face as he watched her, his expression unreadable.

And for the first time, Evelyn wondered if she had misunderstood everything.

The brilliant explosion of colors in the night sky drew every gaze along the shoreline, including Ethan Caldwell's from across the beach.

His feet moved on their own, carrying him toward the dazzling spectacle.

Then he saw them.

Alexander Whitmore stood tall and commanding, his stormy eyes burning with intensity as they remained fixed on Evelyn Carter's face. She was his entire universe in that moment.

Evelyn looked breathtaking in her shimmering emerald gown, loose curls cascading around her shoulders as the ocean breeze played with them. The way she gazed up at Alexander with such raw emotion made Ethan's chest tighten painfully.

They were perfection together.

A sharp pang of jealousy shot through Ethan's heart. Hot tears pricked at his eyes.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to charge forward, to tear them apart.

But he remained frozen, watching the scene unfold like a nightmare he couldn't escape.

The fireworks continued to paint the sky, their bursts of light illuminating the couple's embrace in fleeting moments of gold and crimson.

Ethan's hands clenched into fists at his sides.

This wasn't how things were supposed to be.

She was supposed to be his.