Chapter 3

Chandler POV:

The hospital corridor stretched endlessly before me, sterile white walls blurring as I walked. Julian's faint call, "Chandler!" echoed in my ears, but I blocked it out, each step a deliberate act of defiance. I wouldn't turn back. Not this time.

My phone buzzed again. Gale. I needed her. I needed to drown the bitterness, the humiliation, the searing pain that was tearing me apart. I hailed a taxi, giving the driver Gale' s address in Midtown.

"I need a drink, Gale," I announced the moment she opened her door, her face a mixture of concern and pity. "A very large, very strong drink."

She didn't ask questions, just led me to her fully stocked bar. We sat on her plush sofa, the city lights twinkling far below, as I downed glass after glass of amber liquid. The warmth spread through my veins, dulling the sharp edges of my pain, but not erasing them.

"I can't believe it," I mumbled, swirling the ice in my glass. "He used my money. Charlton's money. To save her. Hayden."

Gale nodded, her expression grim. "I always suspected, Chan. The way he looked at her... it was never just a mentor-student thing. Not after Kathryne. Hayden was his penance."

"Penance," I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "And I was just... a convenient distraction? An ATM?"

"You were trying to break through to him," Gale said softly. "You loved him."

"And look where that got me," I spat, holding up my left hand, devoid of any engagement ring. "Used, humiliated, and utterly heartbroken."

The alcohol was starting to work its magic, blurring the edges of my anger, replacing it with a profound sense of injustice. "He never loved me. Not one second. It was all for her. For Kathryne's ghost. And her carbon copy sister."

My phone buzzed again, vibrating against the coffee table. I glanced at it. Julian' s name.

"He's probably coming here," Gale observed, her eyes narrowing. "He knows you always come to me when you're in trouble."

"Let him come," I slurred, a reckless defiance bubbling up. "Let him see what he lost. Let him see that I'm done."

Just then, the doorbell rang, a harsh, insistent sound. Gale looked at me, a question in her eyes. I met her gaze, a fierce glint in my own. "Don't answer it. Let him wait."

But before Gale could move, a loud banging started on the door, accompanied by an aggressive shout. "Open up, you bitch! I know you're in there, Evans!"

My blood ran cold. That wasn't Julian. That voice... it was familiar, but not from any pleasant memory. It was coarse, angry, menacing.

"Who is that?" Gale whispered, fear flashing in her eyes.

I stood up, swaying slightly, my mind trying to cut through the alcohol-induced haze. Then it hit me. Mark Davidson. A minor player in a hostile takeover bid against Evans Corp that Charlton had recently crushed. He was a ruthless opportunist, known for his dirty tactics. But what was he doing here?

The banging intensified, rattling the doorframe. "You think you can just screw over the Davidson family and get away with it, Evans? Your daddy's little princess is going to pay!"

My father. My stomach clenched. Charlton had warned me about lingering resentments, but I hadn't truly believed anyone would be so brazen.

"He's here for me," I said, a shiver running down my spine. "Because of Charlton. Because of the company."

"We need to call the police," Gale said, already reaching for her phone.

Before she could dial, the door splintered open with a loud CRACK. Mark Davidson, flanked by two burly men, stormed into the apartment. His eyes, glinting with malicious glee, immediately locked onto me.

"Well, well, if it isn't the mighty Chandler Evans," he sneered, advancing towards me. "Not so high and mighty now, are we? Your family thinks they can just walk all over people. We're here to teach you a lesson."

"Get out of here, Mark!" Gale yelled, stepping protectively in front of me. "I'm calling the police!"

One of Davidson's goons roughly shoved Gale aside. She stumbled, falling to the floor with a cry of pain. My blood ran hot with fury.

"Don't you dare touch her!" I screamed, lunging at him, propelled by a sudden, alcohol-fueled rage. My fist connected with his jaw, a satisfying crack echoing in the room. He reeled back, stunned, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Davidson laughed, a dark, chilling sound. "Feisty, aren't we? I like it. Makes it more fun." He grabbed my arm, his grip like a vise, pulling me towards him. His other hand snaked around my waist, pulling me close, his fetid breath hot on my face.

"Your company is going down, Evans," he whispered, his eyes glinting. "And you're going to be collateral damage. Just like your precious fiancé used you."

His words, laced with venom, struck a raw nerve. Julian. The betrayal, the manipulation. It all coalesced into an explosive burst of anger, far beyond anything I had felt before. This man, daring to remind me of my pain, daring to touch me, daring to threaten my family.

My vision reddened. I brought my knee up with all my might, aiming for his groin. He gasped, releasing me, doubling over with a pained grunt.

"You bitch!" he roared, clutching himself. His face contorted in a mask of fury. "You're going to regret that."

He lunged at me, his hand raised, ready to strike. I braced myself, my heart pounding, ready to fight.