The CEO’s Hidden Bride: Leaving After 2555 Days - Chapter 10: Chapter 10

Lucas knew Margaret meant well. He also understood that his love story with Isabella had ended long ago—ever since he’d recklessly married Evelyn in a fit of anger on what was supposed to be his wedding day with someone else.
For the past three years, he’d tried to move forward with Evelyn, but after loving Isabella for eighteen years, she wasn’t someone he could simply erase from his heart overnight.
When she returned to the country and clung to him, he gave in. They might never be lovers again, but the bond between them remained.
Lucas held onto that fragile connection, returning to her time and again. The truth was, every time she broke down in tears, swearing she still loved him, it tugged at his heart. But those emotions never lasted. They were like fleeting ripples on water, vanishing as quickly as they appeared. Each time he wavered, he reminded himself—Evelyn was his wife now. Over and over, he felt lost, trapped in a haze with no clear way out.
But Margaret’s words had struck him like lightning. Suddenly, things began to make sense.
The memory of Evelyn watching him leave that snowy morning resurfaced, and warmth spread through his chest.
He nodded at Margaret, his voice steady. "Thank you for telling me this. I understand now."
After leaving the hospital, Lucas drove straight to Sinclair Manor.
His mother, Eleanor Sinclair, summoned him to the study. Her tone was uncharacteristically grave. "When you first married, I doubted Evelyn. Her background wasn’t what I’d envisioned for you."
"But these past three years, I’ve watched her. The way she cares for you, manages the household, and treats this family—I’ve let go of my reservations."
"You’re not a boy anymore. I won’t keep repeating myself—what’s done is done. You chose well. It’s time to settle down and live properly."
"Marriage isn’t like love. It’s patience. It’s commitment. You and Evelyn barely knew each other before the wedding, and you were both young. Talk to her before small cracks become chasms. Understood?"
Lucas hadn’t expected Eleanor—usually so composed—to speak so openly. But he knew she was right.
Bowing his head, he said, "You’re right. I know what I need to do."
Eleanor nodded, relieved, then slid a velvet box across the desk. "These were your grandmother’s bracelets, given to me on my wedding day. Give them to Evelyn. The day after tomorrow is your father’s birthday. Bring her home for dinner."
Lucas opened the box. Inside lay a pair of emerald bracelets, and for a moment, he was lost in thought. Suddenly, he was back in that church three years ago—the day that had become a spectacle.
After Isabella called off the wedding over the phone, the guests from the Sinclair and Prescott families turned cold, leaving without a word.
Lucas had stood alone at the altar, hollowed out. He’d gripped the microphone, unleashing everything he’d bottled up. To this day, he couldn’t recall what he’d said.
Then Evelyn stepped forward—his friends had ushered her in, dressed in a slightly too-large wedding gown. The Wedding March played as she walked toward him, steady and sure. Together, they stood beneath the weight of a thousand judging stares.
Maybe it was her unwavering resolve that moved him. Maybe it was the way she met his gaze without hesitation. In that moment, his numb heart stirred with reckless courage.
He hadn’t even known her name.
But he had already decided—for the rest of his life, he would treasure the woman who had reached for him in his darkest hour.
No matter what.