My Liberation 26

Chapter 26 

Chapter 26 

107 

Evelyn turned her head and locked eyes with Clarissa’s soft, doe–like gaze. She was wearing a fitted white dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. 

Evelyn had to admit that Clarissa was the kind of woman most men couldn’t resist. If Evelyn hadn’t already seen her true colors, she might’ve fallen for that innocent act too, 

“No,” Evelyn replied coolly, shutting her down without hesitation. 

It was Taylor’s birthday, after all, and with so many high–profile guests around, Evelyn wasn’t about to air her personal drama in public. Clarissa wasn’t worth the scene, and Evelyn had no intention of ruinning Taylor’s 

party. 

Clarissa’s brows drew together as her eyes welled up with tears, like Evelyn had just broken her heart right then and there. 

Helena’s patience snapped. Her hands clenched at her sides, and she dropped her fork with a loud clatter, ready to argue with Clarissa. 

“Helena,” Evelyn called out in a low voice. 

Helena took a few deep breaths, trying to cool herself down. Evelyn could keep calm, but she was boiling inside. 

“I just wanna talk, Evelyn,” Clarissa said firmly again in a trembling voice, like she was the victim. 

People around them started to glance over, curious about the tension. Evelyn, however, simply lowered her head and kept eating, completely ignoring Clarissa’s presence. 

Evelyn thought, ‘Stand there all night if you want. Let’s see what you can pull when I’m not taking the bait.‘ 

Across the room, Adrian caught sight of the scene. Clarissa was standing behind Evelyn, looking like a kid who’d just been scolded, while Evelyn sat calmly, eating like nothing had happened. He stormed over, looking furious. 

“What are you doing now, Evelyn?” he muttered under his breath, clearly trying not to make a scene at Taylor’s birthday party. 

“Ady, don’t blame Evelyn. It was my fault…” Clarissa’s voice cracked. Tears started falling again. It was the perfect act–half–apology, half–accusation, making it seem like Evelyn had wronged her in some unspeakable 

way. 

Adrian wrapped his arms around Clarissa protectively, already convinced Evelyn was to blame. 

Evelyn calmly set down her glass, picked up a napkin, and dabbed the corners of her mouth before standing 

1. up. 

With a smirk, she said, “Let’s take this outside.” 

Adrian looked into her eyes, and something unfamiliar tightened in his chest. He hated seeing Evelyn’s calm 

11:21 Fri, Sep 5 

Chapter 26 

side like this. 

That distant look, like she couldn’t care less, made him deeply uncomfortable. Honestly, he would’ve preferred if she yelled, argued, or did anything violently. That would at least prove she still cared about him. 

But the Evelyn in front of him radiated the kind of vibe that said she was completely over him. 

“Fine.” Adrian said and headed toward the door. 

Clarissa scurried after him, trying to appease him in her sugary voice. “Ady, you’ve got it wrong. Evelyn didn’t do anything to me.” 

Evelyn could hear every word. The more Clarissa played innocent, the more Adrian would think Evelyn had done something terrible. 

Helena reached out and grabbed Evelyn’s arm, clearly worried. 

Evelyn gave her hand a reassuring pat. “It’s okay. I’ve got this.” 

She didn’t want anyone else dragged into her mess. Too many voices would just make things more complicated. 

Right now, all she wanted was to get this divorce done. Clarissa’s little stunts didn’t matter anymore. 

‘Adrian doesn’t want to divorce me. If Clarissa pushing her buttons gets Adrian to finally sign those papers, then maybe she’s doing me a favor,‘ Evelyn thought. 

***** 

They stepped out onto the terrace. The moment Evelyn got close, Adrian grabbed her roughly and yanked her toward him. 

He snapped, “Evelyn, can you stop making a scene? It’s Mr. Brennan’s birthday, and you just had to cause drama in front of everyone? What’s gotten into you? Where’s the Evelyn I used to know, the one who had class and knew how to behave?” 

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