Chapter 5
The smile froze on Evan’s lips.
Eight weeks pregnant.
Raine was… pregnant?
But when did it happen?
And why didn’t she tell him?
Was she planning to skip treatment and keep the baby in secret?
Was she trying to throw her life away?
A wave of panic surged through him.
“Where did Raine go?”
The housekeeper blinked, then shook her head.
“She left this morning with her luggage. Didn’t say where she was going.”
Her answer made his brows knit, his sharp expression turning colder.
“What do you mean she? Who’s she?”
2
Caught off guard, the housekeeper glanced nervously at Claire, then murmured,
“Sorry–Mrs. Cross. I meant to say Mrs. Cross left this morning with her bags.”
Evan’s eyes stayed locked on her, but his mind was replaying my voice from the night before: “You used to stand up for me…. remember?”
He thought giving me the title of “Mrs. Cross” meant I’d be treated as his equal.
But without respect, I was no different than a decorative vase in the corner.
Now it was too late to fix that.
Claire, sensing Evan’s shift in mood, leaned closer to peek at the notebook–but Evan shut it quickly.
“Claire, you’ve had a long day. Why don’t you get some rest?”
12:30
1 Canceled Our Wedding for My CEO Childhood Crush. Zero Regrets!
25.8%
She pouted and clung to his arm.
Come on, Evan, let’s hang out a bit-
Her voice lilted, sweet and girlish, a move she knew always worked on him.
But today, Evan didn’t react right away.
He let her pull him upstairs in silence.
The bedroom had been completely transformed.
The soft gold decor was now a sea of bold, burnt orange–just like Claire herself: loud, bright, and impossible to ignore.
The wardrobe, the corners, the vanity–every inch was cluttered with luxury bags and boxes.
Where the wedding portrait used to hang, there was now a photo of them paddling a gondola in Venice.
The room was packed, yet Raine’s presence had been erased without a trace.
It felt… strange.
Everything around him screamed “home,” but Evan’s chest felt hollow.
Claire closed the bedroom door behind them and playfully pushed Evan onto the silk–covered bed.
He fell back unexpectedly-
The cold edge of the notebook in his pocket jolted him back to reality.
He started to sit up, but Claire climbed onto the bed, leaning over him.
Her cheeks were flushed, eyes shining with anticipation.
“Evan… this is our first time here in our house.”
She shut her eyes, waiting for him to take over like he always did–to pull her under and make her forget
the world.
One second.
Two.
Three.
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I Canceled Our Wedding for My CEO Childhood Crush Zero Regrets!
26.1%
she and he was ante–Evan was staring dankly at the cat in the closet.
A case wind post the very first gift I ever gave him
The only thing in the entire house that hadn’t been thrown out
He used to wrap me in it when I was cold, burying his face in the scent of my gardenia perfume
Rack when we still had something real
Before the memories could pull him under, his phone rang, slicing through the quiet.
Ivan looked over–and locked eyes with Claire’s watery gaze.
He cleared his throat awkwardly, guilt thick in his voice.
Then picked up the phone.
A firm voice came through the speaker:
“Mr. Cross, I’m Raine’s attorney. She’s officially filed for divorce.”
“I’ll be handling the legal proceedings on her behalf.”
12:30
