The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 56

She paused, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "It's been three years. The company is secure. My mission is over. Will you finally let me go?"

"Let you go?" Stephen lunged around the desk, closing the distance between them. He raised his hand high, ready to strike. "I raised you for twenty years just so you could spit in my face?!"

His hand hung suspended in the air. Evelyn didn't flinch. She just tilted her head up and stared directly into his eyes. Her gaze was terrifyingly calm, a mirror reflecting the grotesque, violent rage twisting Stephen's features.

"Hit me," she challenged softly. "If you have the guts, do it."

Stephen's hand paralyzed. Looking into those eyes—eyes that were an exact replica of his late wife's—a buried memory violently resurfaced. Years ago, Vivian had looked at him with that same unnerving serenity and said, 'Stephen, I want a divorce.' He had wanted to hit her then, too, but he hadn't. Because he knew the second he struck her, he would lose everything forever.

Slowly, his arm dropped back to his side, though his voice remained vicious. "Let me warn you, Evelyn. If you push through with this divorce, you are no longer my daughter! Do not ever step foot in this house again!"

Evelyn looked at him, letting the silence stretch for a long, agonizing moment. Then, she let out a soft laugh.

"Dad," she said. "The day you cheated on Mom and forced her out, you stopped being my father."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and walked toward the door.

"Evelyn!" Stephen bellowed at her back. "You stop right there!"

She pulled the study door open and walked out. The hallway was dead silent. Downstairs in the living room, Helena and Samuel were craning their necks, staring up at the second floor with wide eyes.

Evelyn took the stairs down at a measured pace.

With that, she turned, pushed the heavy door open, and stepped outside. The autumn sun was sinking beneath the horizon, stretching her shadow endlessly across the pavement. The door slammed shut behind her, finally severing her ties to the place they called home.

Evelyn stood on the sidewalk, taking in a massive gulp of the crisp air. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. It was answered almost immediately.

"Lawrence," she said, her voice steady. "About the compensation for the divorce... I've changed my mind. I want to discuss the terms with you in person."

There was a brief silence on the other end before Lawrence spoke. "Alright. When are you available?"

"Tomorrow." Evelyn stared at the blood-red sunset, her eyes filled with unyielding resolve. "I'll come to your office tomorrow morning."

It was time to settle the debts once and for all.