hapter 2
I picked up Magnus‘ phone and went upstairs to his office.
Before I even reached my destination, I heard Seraphina’s voice from inside.
“Mr. Finck, thank you so much. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you today.” Her voice was soft, laced with tears.
Magnus gently pulled her into his arms, like it was the most natural thing in the world. “I’m here. Don’t be afraid,” he murmured.
She buried her face in his neck, crying without restraint.
Magnus looked down at her, eyes full of concern. He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of her ear–until she suddenly pushed him away.
“We can’t,” she said, breathless, eyes red. “Mr. Finck, you’re married. We can’t do this.”
Mangus didn’t get angry. On the contrary, he moved toward her again.
His voice dropped, soft and deliberate. “Sera, if this is making you unhappy… I can get a divorce.”
My hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Magnus said it so easily. Divorce! As if the past ten years meant absolutely nothing.
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. He never once called me by a nickname, not even in private. Always “Evelyn,” cold and formal. Even in bed, he treated it like a task–distant, detached.
I had always been the one reaching out. The one trying. For ten years, that’s how it had
been.
I used to think he was just emotionally reserved. But the truth was, he simply didn’t love
- me.
I bit down on my lip hard and placed his phone at the office door before turning to leave.
It had started to rain by the time I stepped outside.
The sky opened up and so did something inside me. I could barely hold myself together. Distracted and overwhelmed, I ran a red light. The truck came out of nowhere. It smashed into the side of my car and I was trapped inside, unable to move.
My fingers finally found my phone. Out of instinct, I called Magnus.
“What is it?” His voice was cold, flat.
I forced myself to speak through the pain. “I was in a car accident. I’m stuck in the car… I can’t get out.”
Gasoline was leaking from the truck. I could smell it. If it caught fire, the whole thing could blow.
Before I could even finish my sentence, I heard Seraphina’s voice on the other end.
“Mr. Finck, you must be tired. Let me give you a little massage.”
Magnus didn’t hesitate. “I’m in the middle of something. I’ll send someone.”
3/3 3.0%
13:22 Mon, 26 May UMT
Just like that, he hung up. He never handled things himself. Maybe he thought he being responsible by delegating, but every single time, it was the same.
There was always a meeting, always a business trip, always something more important
than me.
Even his assistant’s report mattered more than the fact I was trapped in a wrecked car.
“Eve! Are you okay?”
A man’s voice broke through the chaos–slightly breathless, laced with concern.
I turned my head and, to my surprise, saw Sven Hauser, Magnus’s closest friend. So this time, Magnus hadn’t even bothered with a staff member. He’d sent Sven.
“I’m stuck. I can’t get out.”
Sven frowned, glanced around and ran back to his car. A minute later, he returned with tools and worked quickly to get me free.
Once I was out, he looked me over carefully, his expression tight with worry. walk? I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“Can you
He looked more panicked than I did. But I didn’t move right away. I leaned against his arm for balance.
“Sven,” I said quietly, “you’re a top lawyer, right?”
He met my gaze, confused but attentive.
I managed a weak smile. “Then could I trouble you to draw up a divorce agreement for me?”
***
At the hospital, they told me my shoulder was fractured from where the car had crushed in. Plenty of other injuries too. They kept me for observation in case of a concussion.
I stayed two days. Magnus didn’t call once. Even I signed the discharge paperwork myself.
It wasn’t until I stepped back into the house that his name showed up on my phone. “Evelyn, come pick me up.”
Soon after, he hung up with no explanation like usual.
Chapter 3
