My CEO's Blackmail Tape - Chapter 26: Chapter 26
You are reading My CEO's Blackmail Tape, Chapter 26: Chapter 26. Read more chapters of My CEO's Blackmail Tape.
Sophia Hill's eyes filled with pity as she stared at me. "Since your wedding night?"
I could only nod, the weight of years pressing down on me.
"You need medical help, Evelyn! You're living like some Victorian widow trapped in a loveless marriage. How have you survived this? Years of silent suffering, clinging to some chaste fantasy - this isn't sustainable. Can't you see how reckless you've been?"
"We've seen every specialist! Tried every treatment - Eastern medicine, Western drugs, experimental therapies. Nothing makes a difference."
Sophia shoved her plate away, appetite gone. The silverware clattered against the table.
"Have you ever thought... maybe he's gay? What if he's been attracted to men this whole time?"
The air left my lungs. All these years, I'd built my life on the certainty of his love. That possibility had never even flickered through my mind. If true, I was shackled to this empty marriage forever. Had he knowingly condemned me to this purgatory?
My thoughts twisted into impossible knots. A hot lump rose in my throat, threatening to choke me.
Sophia kept talking, but her voice faded into white noise. Though I stared at her perfectly manicured hands gesturing across the table, all I registered was the blur of movement. The world had turned down its volume just for me.
After two IV bags drained into my veins, the fever finally broke. I practically pushed Sophia out the door - her company had that massive merger pending, and I refused to be the reason she missed critical negotiations. She left with obvious reluctance.
The clock nearly struck noon when Daniel Evans finally called.
"Evelyn? You called earlier?"
That same gentle tone that used to soothe me now set my teeth on edge.
I fought to keep my voice level, but the dam burst. "What do you think, Daniel? Do I make a habit of 4 AM phone calls for fun? If I'd been bleeding out, I'd be a corpse by now!"
The silence stretched taut between us. My outburst had caught him off guard. "I was in the war room with the board. My phone was across the conference table - I didn't hear it ring."
"Then by all means, get back to your precious meeting. Don't let me keep you."
I ended the call mid-protest. When his number flashed again, I silenced it. His texts came in rapid fire - one after another pinging my phone into oblivion. I didn't bother reading a single one.
His department was all male. I'd once considered that a blessing - no temptation, no office flirtations. But now, with Sophia's poisonous suggestion taking root, a new anxiety coiled in my chest.
Once suspicion plants its seed, it grows thorns. The more I turned it over, the more sense it made: Daniel was gay. I was his perfect beard, his respectable cover. Had he ever once considered what this would do to me? That selfish bastard. My jaw ached from clenching.
That afternoon, I lay stewing in hospital sheets when the door groaned open. Assuming another nurse's round, I didn't bother turning.
The footsteps were too heavy for hospital staff. Masculine. Familiar.
Then rough hands seized my hips.
Nathan Roscente's mocking voice followed. "What's this? Playing damsel in distress for attention?"
I smacked his hand away hard enough to sting. He jerked back, scowling. "Jesus, Evelyn! Trying to break my fingers?"
"Husband?" I launched upright, fury igniting in my veins. The inferno inside me roared to life.
I could only nod, the weight of years pressing down on me.
"You need medical help, Evelyn! You're living like some Victorian widow trapped in a loveless marriage. How have you survived this? Years of silent suffering, clinging to some chaste fantasy - this isn't sustainable. Can't you see how reckless you've been?"
"We've seen every specialist! Tried every treatment - Eastern medicine, Western drugs, experimental therapies. Nothing makes a difference."
Sophia shoved her plate away, appetite gone. The silverware clattered against the table.
"Have you ever thought... maybe he's gay? What if he's been attracted to men this whole time?"
The air left my lungs. All these years, I'd built my life on the certainty of his love. That possibility had never even flickered through my mind. If true, I was shackled to this empty marriage forever. Had he knowingly condemned me to this purgatory?
My thoughts twisted into impossible knots. A hot lump rose in my throat, threatening to choke me.
Sophia kept talking, but her voice faded into white noise. Though I stared at her perfectly manicured hands gesturing across the table, all I registered was the blur of movement. The world had turned down its volume just for me.
After two IV bags drained into my veins, the fever finally broke. I practically pushed Sophia out the door - her company had that massive merger pending, and I refused to be the reason she missed critical negotiations. She left with obvious reluctance.
The clock nearly struck noon when Daniel Evans finally called.
"Evelyn? You called earlier?"
That same gentle tone that used to soothe me now set my teeth on edge.
I fought to keep my voice level, but the dam burst. "What do you think, Daniel? Do I make a habit of 4 AM phone calls for fun? If I'd been bleeding out, I'd be a corpse by now!"
The silence stretched taut between us. My outburst had caught him off guard. "I was in the war room with the board. My phone was across the conference table - I didn't hear it ring."
"Then by all means, get back to your precious meeting. Don't let me keep you."
I ended the call mid-protest. When his number flashed again, I silenced it. His texts came in rapid fire - one after another pinging my phone into oblivion. I didn't bother reading a single one.
His department was all male. I'd once considered that a blessing - no temptation, no office flirtations. But now, with Sophia's poisonous suggestion taking root, a new anxiety coiled in my chest.
Once suspicion plants its seed, it grows thorns. The more I turned it over, the more sense it made: Daniel was gay. I was his perfect beard, his respectable cover. Had he ever once considered what this would do to me? That selfish bastard. My jaw ached from clenching.
That afternoon, I lay stewing in hospital sheets when the door groaned open. Assuming another nurse's round, I didn't bother turning.
The footsteps were too heavy for hospital staff. Masculine. Familiar.
Then rough hands seized my hips.
Nathan Roscente's mocking voice followed. "What's this? Playing damsel in distress for attention?"
I smacked his hand away hard enough to sting. He jerked back, scowling. "Jesus, Evelyn! Trying to break my fingers?"
"Husband?" I launched upright, fury igniting in my veins. The inferno inside me roared to life.
End of My CEO's Blackmail Tape Chapter 26. Continue reading Chapter 27 or return to My CEO's Blackmail Tape book page.