Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
On Christmas night, I set up a magnificent fireworks display on the mountain peak for my wife.
But I waited until dawn, only to see her publicly announce her relationship with our company's junior designer.
In the video, Julian Hayes dropped to one knee, sliding an intricately designed pink diamond ring onto Evelyn's finger.
The headline screamed: "Star Designer Julian Hayes Wins the Heart of His Boss."
Oblivious colleagues flooded the comments with congratulations.
I left an expressionless like on the post, and seconds later, my phone rang. It was Evelyn.
"It's just for publicity. Who are you rolling your eyes at with that passive-aggressive like?"
"Besides, you designed that pink diamond ring for me anyway. What difference does it make who puts it on my finger?"
Before she could finish, a soft, breathless moan slipped through the receiver.
A wave of nausea hit me. I hung up immediately.
Five years together. In the end, she never deserved a single second of it.
Having stayed up all night, I dragged my exhausted body down the mountain and walked into the house, only to find Evelyn calmly eating breakfast in the dining room.
The moment she saw me, her face darkened, and she slammed her water glass onto the floor.
"Nathan Reed, you've really got some nerve staying out all night, haven't you?"
"Don't forget you're a married man. Do you have any respect for me at all?"
I kicked off my shoes in silence and stepped inside.
On the dining table lay a hotel receipt for a luxury king suite, dated yesterday.
And Evelyn was still wearing the exact same pink two-piece suit from the engagement video.
I didn't say a word. I just glanced at the receipt, then shifted my gaze to her face.
Looking slightly guilty, she pursed her lips and tossed a battered paper bag toward me.
"Julian sent this for you."
"He heard you drew the blueprints for that ring. He didn't want to steal your thunder, so he picked this out specifically to make it up to you."
A cheap red velvet box tumbled out, popping open to reveal a flimsy pinky ring.
The twisted metal band was already tarnished. I didn't even bother picking it up; I just scoffed.
"Didn't realize he had a habit of picking through dumpsters."
Evelyn, who was tucking her hair behind her ear, stiffened, her expression turning ugly.
She whipped her head around and glared at me.
"What's that supposed to mean? He was kind enough to apologize, and you're going to act like an arrogant prick?"
"Do you really think you're still hot shit? Come to the gala tonight and see for yourself—there are plenty of designers out there ten times better than you!"
I ignored her, poured myself a mug of hot water, and took a slow sip.
My silence only infuriated her more.
She grabbed a wooden hairbrush from the console and hurled it at my head.
The heavy brush struck my forehead with a dull thud. My vision swam, and I nearly lost my footing.
Shatter! The mug slipped from my fingers, smashing onto the tiles.
Evelyn seemed to realize she had crossed the line. She rushed over to catch my arm.
But the second she touched my skin, her brow furrowed. "You're burning up? Come on, I'm taking you to urgent care."
The freezing night air on the mountain must have caught up with me. My head pounded, so heavy and dizzy that I just let her lead me out the door.
We were halfway there when Julian called.
His voice sounded frantic, almost in tears.
"Evelyn, I can't find my drafts! What am I gonna do? The showcase is tonight..."
Evelyn slammed on the brakes so hard my seatbelt dug violently into my ribs. I forced my heavy eyelids open.
Panic was written all over her face as she gripped the steering wheel and pulled an illegal U-turn.
"Don't panic, Julian. I'm coming right now."
She didn't give a damn about me shivering in the passenger seat. She sped straight to Julian's apartment complex.
Before jumping out, she threw me a cold, dismissive look.
"I'm going up to help him look for the files. I'll be right back. Just wait in the car."
Without waiting for an answer, she bolted inside.
Trapped inside the locked car, I slipped in and out of consciousness. The fever roasted me from the inside out, my lungs begging for air.
In the end, I had to smash the car window from the inside just to claw my way out.
Panting on the pavement, I looked up at Julian's apartment. The curtains were drawn tightly shut.
I didn't even care to wonder what they had been doing for those two long hours behind closed doors. Looking for sketches? Or each other?
Eight years of history, burned down to ash in a single afternoon.
True love rots. Even sacred vows can't guarantee you'll grow old together.I took a cab to urgent care alone.
While sitting there with an IV needle stuck in the back of my hand, my phone buzzed. It was a Snap from Julian.
In the picture, Evelyn's blouse was unbuttoned, and she was touching up her lipstick in front of a mirror. Dark red hickeys were clearly visible along her neck.
Then came his sickening, innocent apology:
"I'm so sorry, Nathan! I had no idea you were still waiting for Evelyn in the car. It's my fault for being careless and holding her up."
"Then again, my pieces are closing the gala tonight. If they got lost, the whole company would take a hit, so you can't blame Evelyn for being anxious."
Fake humility, dripping with smugness. I couldn't even stomach a reply.
I blocked him without a second thought.
I stared down at my right hand, looking at the missing pinky finger. I knew Julian was trying to get under my skin.
After all, I was no longer the brilliant prodigy who took the design world by storm three years ago.
Back then, Evelyn had played dirty on a business deal, provoking ruthless retaliation from her rivals.
I forfeited the World Jewelry Design Championship—a prestigious competition held only once every ten years—and rushed to her side.
To save her life from those thugs, I lost my pinky. They chopped it clean off.
The trauma crushed me. My mentor disowned me in fury and heartbreak over my squandered future.
From that day on, I stepped away from the spotlight and faded into the shadows.
Six months ago, I mentioned wanting to return to work, wanting to create one final, definitive swan-song collection.
Evelyn only sneered.
"You're past your prime, Nathan. What do you know about modern trends? Nobody's going to buy whatever outdated crap you sketch."
"This company exists to make a profit, not to indulge your midlife vanity projects."
Not wanting to burden her, I drew the sketches in secret and hired an artisan workshop out of my own pocket.
I wanted to give her that pink diamond ring on our eighth anniversary.
And what did I get in return?
She stole the ring, let Julian drop to his knee with it in front of the world, and basked in the online applause claiming it was his creation.
And then, she brought me a piece of rusted junk to mock me.
Eight long years. This was where it ended.
By the time the IV finished and I got back to the house, Evelyn strode in right behind me.
She slammed her car keys onto the credenza and launched into an immediate tirade.
"Didn't I tell you to wait in the car? What is wrong with you?
Leaving whenever you please, smashing my window... if anything got stolen, can you even afford to replace it?"
"Running around with a fever—are you trying to get yourself killed?"
With that, she dug a box of cold medicine from her purse and tossed it on the table.
"I spent ages looking for you at the clinic and couldn't find you. Here, take these."
I had been sitting in plain sight in the urgent care waiting bay for two hours. She hadn't stepped foot inside.
"Looking for me" was just another casual lie.
Saying nothing, I picked up the box, only to notice the seal had already been broken.
As I slid the blister packs out, a pink heart-shaped sticky note fluttered into my palm.
Written on it was: Get well soon, my brilliant designer Julian!
Signed: From Evelyn, the girl who loves you most in the world.
My fingers paused. Not a single ripple stirred in my chest. I just smiled faintly.
"Thanks."Evelyn had clearly forgotten all about the note. She didn't even notice what was in my hand.
She headed into the bedroom to change, tossing orders over her shoulder:
"Julian's picking us up for the exhibition soon. Go change. Stop looking like a bum all the time."
"And remember, walk around by yourself once we get there. Don't hover behind me, and don't tell a soul about our marriage."
I nodded impassively.
"Understood."
When we first tied the knot, Evelyn insisted she was in the critical climbing phase of her career and couldn't risk going public.
She begged and sweet-talked me until I agreed to keep our marriage a secret.
I even let her tell people in public that I was just an overzealous admirer chasing after her.
That "temporary" secret had lasted eight whole years.
Seeing how compliant I was, Evelyn gave me an odd look, but she didn't comment.
At dusk, when I followed Evelyn down to the curb, I saw that she and Julian were wearing matching designer outfits.
The suit Evelyn had picked out for me was several tiers cheaper, making me look like an errand boy next to him.
Anyone glancing at us would assume I was their chauffeur.
Evelyn cleared her throat awkwardly and turned to offer an excuse.
"It's just a coincidence, Nathan. Don't overthink it."
I waved my hand dismissively, voluntarily opening the front door for her.
"It's just for the cameras. I get it."
Her mouth opened slightly, but with Julian watching, she swallowed her words.
Once we settled into the car, Julian turned around and cheerfully handed back a cup of hot latte.
I didn't reach for it. Evelyn frowned and shoved the cup into my hands.
"Julian went out of his way to get that for you. Where are your manners?"
Julian lowered his head with an exaggerated look of remorse.
"I'm sorry, Nathan. Are you still mad at me?"
"It was my fault earlier. I shouldn't have stolen the spotlight with your ring, and I shouldn't have called Evelyn away this afternoon."
Evelyn scoffed. "Ignore him, Julian. You're giving him way too much credit."
Completely disregarding my lingering fever, she tapped the control and rolled down the window.
Freezing winter wind blasted directly into the backseat.
I squinted against the biting draft. The lukewarm dairy in my hand didn't warm me; it turned my stomach.
Evelyn had forgotten that I'm severely lactose intolerant and can't touch dairy.
And now, she spoke to me like I was dirt under her shoe.
Before long, the car pulled up in front of the grand exhibition center. I watched Evelyn loop her arm through Julian's as they walked the red carpet.
Colleagues and journalists gathered around, praising what a gorgeous power couple they were, asking if wedding bells were ringing.
Evelyn offered a coy, blushing smile without a word of denial.
I didn't care anymore. My illness was flaring back up, leaving me dizzy and heavy-headed.
Grimacing, I turned to hail an Uber to leave, but then my eyes caught the giant promotional banners at the entrance.
In an instant, the blood drained from my face, and my limbs went completely numb.
Those were my sketches.
They were the companion pieces to the pink diamond ring—a full haute joaillerie suite that I hadn't even had time to send to the manufacturer yet.
Those drafts were locked inside the private safe in my study. It was impossible for them to leak.
Yet right there in the lower right corner of the banner, stamped in gold foil, was Julian Hayes's name.
The truth hit me like a sledgehammer.
Evelyn hadn't come home this afternoon to check on me. She had come home to crack my safe.
To think my sweat and soul had been handed on a silver platter to Julian Hayes, letting him steal every ounce of acclaim and prestige.
A sharp pain tore through my chest, and the bitter copper taste of bile rose in my throat.
Staring at the two figures stepping into the grand hall, my expression turned to pure ice.I sprinted forward and grabbed Evelyn's arm, pointing straight at the giant billboard.
Regardless of the VIP guests and press around us, I demanded an answer.
"Don't you have anything you want to explain to me?"
"Why are my personal drafts being exhibited out here under Julian Hayes's name?"
Over the past few months, Evelyn's PR team had pushed Julian hard, turning him into an overnight industry darling.
And tonight's grand gala was orchestrated solely to crown him as the next big icon.
The press had already hyped up his reveal of a "generational masterpiece."
In this business, almost no one alive earned the right to call their work a generational masterpiece.
Back in the day, only my breakthrough creations had ever been hailed with such reverence.
My eyes burned red as I glared into Evelyn's eyes.
But she only glared back with deep annoyance, sounding entirely justified.
"If you couldn't keep track of your own papers, what are you coming at me for?"
My grip on her arm tightened. I felt as if an invisible hand were choking the life out of me.
Only two people on this earth knew the passcode to that safe.
If not her, who else could it possibly be?
As curious glances started turning our way, Evelyn lowered her voice and clicked her tongue.
"Julian lost his drafts, and you know this exhibition couldn't be postponed. I just let him borrow your sketches for the night. Why do you have to be so petty?"
"Besides, you're a cripple now! Did you honestly think some drawings were going to bring your glory days back?"
"Instead of letting them rot in your safe like useless paper, isn't it better to give them to someone who actually has a future?"
Hearing her brazen excuses, my shock melted into pure, incredulous laughter.
How could a human being say something so foul with such absolute righteousness?
Seeing zero remorse on her face, I pulled out my phone.
Evelyn lunged to snatch it from my hands.
"What do you think you're doing? Nathan, I'm warning you, don't you dare make a scene!"
What was I doing? I was calling 911!
From this second on, I wasn't going to spare her a shred of dignity.
Seeing our struggle, Julian rushed over to grab my wrists. Right then, a chorus of screams erupted above us.
"Look out!"
Before I could process what was happening, a massive shadow swallowed me.
The heavy steel frame supporting the overhead display truss had snapped, plummeting straight down.
In that split second of life and death, Evelyn grabbed Julian and yanked him backward with all her might.
CRASH! With a deafening boom, the steel structure smashed squarely on top of me.
Agonizing pain exploded across my spine, forcing a choked scream from my throat as warm blood flooded my mouth.
Chaos erupted across the hall. Someone was shouting for emergency services.
But when the on-site paramedics sprinted toward where I lay crushed, Evelyn threw herself in their path.
"Wait!"
"Julian's hand was grazed by the metal edge! You need to treat him first!"
"He's a top designer! If anything happens to his hands, you won't be able to pay for the damages!"
The paramedic froze, looking in sheer disbelief at my pinned, bleeding body.
"Ma'am, this man is being crushed! His condition is critical!"
Evelyn didn't even flinch. "I'm his legal wife! I'll sign a liability waiver right now—if anything happens to him, you won't be held responsible!"
"Now listen to me! Leave him alone and save Julian right now!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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