Moonlight After the Storm

Her husband, Graham Prescott, had a dream. In it, he betrayed Evelyn Fitzgerald for a young woman who worked at a private club, then hurt Evelyn again and again for her sake. For no clear reason, Evelyn's heart ached when she heard the story. The feeling passed almost immediately. Once she recovered, she teased him with a smile. "And then what happened?" "Then?" Graham pulled Evelyn into his arms and bit her ear in mock frustration. "Then you tricked me into signing divorce papers without realizing it. By the time I discovered the truth, you had vanished!" Graham insisted it was only a nightmare that could never come true, yet he began examining every document that passed through his hands, especially anything Evelyn gave him. He stopped visiting the club where he had always met his friends and kept his distance from every woman who worked there. He would wake in the middle of the night and could not fall asleep again until he saw Evelyn resting safely beside him. His separation anxiety became so severe that he needed therapy for a time. Evelyn found the whole thing both touching and absurd, but to reassure him, she became even more openly affectionate and dependent. Eventually, they both forgot the dream. Until Mara Holloway, a student Graham had sponsored, appeared. Chapter 1 Their fourth wedding anniversary should have been a grand celebration surrounded by friends and family. Instead, Evelyn Fitzgerald went into anaphylactic shock after eating the anniversary cake because it was mango flavored, and mangoes could kill her. Mara Holloway stood in the corner of the hospital room in a white dress, crowded away from everyone else. She looked nervously at Graham Prescott. "I'm sorry, Mr. Prescott. I didn't do it on purpose..." "Mangoes were a rare luxury where I grew up. Once a year, I was lucky to scrape what was left from the pit after my younger brother finished one. I never imagined anyone could be allergic to something so wonderful." Everyone assumed Mara was finished. Once, a restaurant chef had accidentally added two tiny pieces of mango to Evelyn's dessert, even though she never took a bite. Graham had stormed into the kitchen and beaten the chef himself. Not long afterward, the restaurant was forced to close. While everyone waited for Graham to destroy Mara's future, his low, restrained voice filled the room. "Evie, she didn't mean it." "What?" Everyone froze, including Evelyn in the hospital bed. She stared at him in disbelief. "I nearly died, and you're telling me she didn't mean it?" Graham paused almost imperceptibly, then sighed as though Evelyn were exhausting him. "I simply don't want an insignificant person ruining our anniversary." "Then what do you intend to do?" "Fire her, obviously." Evelyn's expression hardened as her anger rose. Mara went pale. "Mr. Prescott, I..." Graham didn't look at her. He stroked Evelyn's hair indulgently and said, "Fine. Whatever you want." "I have business at the office. I'll come back later." Before leaving, he glanced at Mara, who had lowered her head. "Go write your resignation letter." As Mara left looking thoroughly defeated, Evelyn's friends began expressing their envy. "You scared me. I thought Graham was actually going to let her off. He was only teasing because you were upset." "I doubt he'll stop at firing her. He'll probably make sure she can never work in Silvercrest again. She fought so hard to escape poverty, and now her whole future is over." Evelyn smiled faintly along with them, but unease spread through her chest. Then her phone chimed. It was a message from Graham. [Meet me at Nocturne tonight.] One sharp-eyed friend saw it and teased, "Graham is so thoughtful. He must be planning a second anniversary celebration for you." Evelyn felt a little embarrassed. She convinced herself that her discomfort had been nothing more than oversensitivity. That evening, she arrived at Nocturne. She was about to open the private-room door when she saw the scene inside. Mara, who was supposedly about to be fired, sat smiling beside Graham with an entire table of mango desserts in front of her. "Graham, you promised Evelyn you'd fire Mara. What happens if she finds out you not only kept her but promoted her to executive assistant?" Evelyn's hand tightened around the door handle as her heart sank. Graham stroked Mara's hair with quiet affection before answering calmly. "She won't find out. All of you will keep your mouths shut. "Mara is sweet and sensible. She won't create trouble for Evie. She came to work for me as soon as she graduated, and I can't simply abandon her." Every trace of color drained from Evelyn's face. Mara had graduated a year ago. Graham had been unfaithful for an entire year. Evelyn opened her mouth, but her throat felt strangled, and even swallowing became difficult. One of Graham's friends mimed locking his lips, then couldn't resist asking another question. "But Graham, aren't you afraid that dream will come true?" The lively room fell silent. Graham's angular face disappeared into shadow, leaving only the ember of his cigarette glowing between his fingers. Mara put on a timid expression at exactly the right moment, but when she noticed Evelyn beyond the door, a smile curled at the corner of her mouth. She lifted a spoonful of mango cake to Graham's lips. He tasted it and smiled with absolute confidence. "It was only a dream. "Mara isn't the calculating club waitress from that nightmare, and I'm not the helpless man I was in the dream. "In the dream, Evelyn escaped because the Fitzgerald family hid her after she obtained the divorce decree. That was why I couldn't find her immediately. "But what if Fitzgerald Holdings went bankrupt? "Without her family behind her, Evelyn could never leave me." The chandelier light revealed the resolve and cruelty in Graham's eyes as he slowly exhaled a perfect ring of smoke. "Besides, do you understand how much Evelyn loves me? "After I told her about the dream, she became even more affectionate and dependent. She's more afraid than anyone that the nightmare might become real. "How could a woman who loves me that much leave because my attention wandered for a little while?" His friends laughed enviously. "The loved one really can get away with anything." Evelyn stood outside the door. Her stomach churned violently. She staggered away. Her heart felt like a frozen lake, and every step cracked another piece of ice beneath her. Only then did Evelyn realize that Nocturne was the very club Graham had refused to enter after his dream. Now he had returned willingly. She wandered the streets like a ghost and somehow found herself back at her parents' home. Her parents were startled by her bloodless face. "Sweetheart, weren't you celebrating your anniversary? Did that boy Graham hurt you?" Mrs. Fitzgerald instinctively defended him. "Don't jump to conclusions. Before we agreed to the marriage, Graham signed a notarized dissolution agreement to reassure us. Why would he ever mistreat Evie?" "Dissolution agreement?" Evelyn seemed to wake from a trance. "Mom, give it to me. Right now." When she saw Graham Prescott's familiar signature on the final page, the weight in her chest finally lifted. Then it crashed back down and tore a hollow space through her heart. The grief that followed almost drowned her, but Evelyn drew one deep breath and signed her own name. She and Graham had reached the ending he once dreamed about. After her attorney confirmed that the agreement could be filed under Franklin's expedited uncontested process, Evelyn told her parents everything and made her decision while comforting them. "Fitzgerald Holdings was already planning to expand into another state. We'll move our operations to New Albion instead. "The final decree should be entered in ten days. Once it's entered, we leave immediately." Graham had chosen the path from his nightmare on his own, so Evelyn would now bring that nightmare to life, one step at a time. Chapter 2 Evelyn's emotions had swung wildly all day. After discussing the company's relocation with her parents, she stayed overnight at the Fitzgerald home. Graham usually couldn't sleep unless Evelyn was beside him, yet he agreed almost immediately. She didn't need to guess who was keeping him company. The image of Graham and Mara together lodged in Evelyn's mind like a thorn, leaving her sleep restless and shallow. Half awake, she dreamed the same nightmare Graham had once described. In the dream, Graham fell in love with the club waitress. Whenever that woman suffered any injury, he insisted Evelyn had caused it and punished Evelyn twice as harshly. For protecting her, Sophie Carter was sent to prison and tormented to death. Evelyn's father died of a heart attack, and her mother's hair turned white overnight. After Graham's men accused Evelyn of harming his beloved, they beat her until she miscarried and left her permanently unable to have children. Evelyn woke with her pillow soaked in tears. She rested a hand over her abdomen and stared into the darkness until dawn. She would never allow that tragedy to happen. That morning, Evelyn booked the earliest appointment with an obstetric specialist, but before she could leave, Sophie called. "Ms. Fitzgerald, Graham lied to you. Mara was never fired!" Remembering Sophie's fate in the dream, Evelyn immediately changed direction. "Sophie, don't act impulsively. "Your safety comes first. Wait until I get there." By the time Evelyn reached Prescott Group, Graham's security guards had surrounded Sophie. At least she hadn't been hurt yet. Graham's expression shifted when he saw Evelyn, but he quickly recovered his executive composure and sneered at Sophie. "You think bringing reinforcements will save you?" The moment Sophie saw Evelyn, she angrily explained everything. She had caught Mara behaving suspiciously near restricted files and thought she might be stealing or seeking revenge. Sophie restrained her, and Mara struck her forehead against the wall when she fell. Mara then accused Sophie of deliberately assaulting her. Sophie had done nothing malicious, but no one connected to someone Graham cared about ever escaped unharmed. Evelyn dug her nails into her palm and forced herself to stay calm. "This was a misunderstanding. Sophie was protecting company property." Mara suddenly dropped to her knees and exposed bruises on her arms while crying. "Ms. Fitzgerald, I'll leave Prescott Group. Please stop having people hurt me. Ms. Carter said she would beat me every time she saw me, and I'm in so much pain. I promise I'll never appear before you or Mr. Prescott again. Please show me mercy." Graham looked at the bruises and asked Sophie coldly, "What do you have to say for yourself?" "I didn't beat her. She's lying!" Sophie shouted. Evelyn trusted Sophie. "Then review the security footage and see who's lying." "Check it." Graham gestured to one of his men. Mara went pale and struck her forehead harder against the floor until blood covered her face. "I lied. Mr. Prescott, please don't argue with Ms. Fitzgerald because of me. Everything is my fault." "As long as you aren't troubled because of me, I'll accept any punishment." Pain crossed Graham's face as he helped Mara stand. "My feelings matter that much to you?" Mara raised her tearful eyes stubbornly. "They matter more than anything." "Foolish girl. You could leave a scar." He lifted Mara into his arms. Before leaving, he gave Evelyn a frigid warning. "Are you satisfied now, Evie? "Either your assistant goes to prison, or she receives ten times the injuries Mara suffered. You choose." The guards Graham left behind cracked their knuckles and closed in around the two women. Evelyn stepped in front of Sophie. "Whoever touches her will answer to me." One guard's eyes darkened. "Mr. Prescott ordered us to strike anyone who interfered." Fists rained down on Evelyn and Sophie. They curled on the floor in pain with nowhere to escape. Evelyn shielded her abdomen, but several blows still landed, tearing a groan from her throat. Sophie was being beaten too, yet she threw herself over Evelyn. "It's my fault. Please stop. Don't hit Ms. Fitzgerald!" "Stop!" Graham's friend Owen Brooks rushed in. "You're attacking the CEO's wife. Have you lost your minds?" The guards finally halted and exchanged uneasy looks. "Mr. Prescott gave the order." Owen was horrified. He helped Evelyn upright. "Evelyn, I'll take you to the hospital." "No." White-faced, Evelyn supported Sophie as they limped out of Prescott Group together. The moment they reached the sidewalk, Evelyn collapsed. "Sophie...my stomach..." Chapter 3 At St. Marlowe Women's Hospital, an obstetrician studied Evelyn's results. "Congratulations. You're eight weeks pregnant. This is a remarkably strong pregnancy considering the trauma you suffered." Sophie had just finished having her own wounds treated. She brightened immediately. "That's wonderful, Ms. Fitzgerald!" "Graham will be thrilled. Once he knows, he'll finally support you instead of that manipulative liar." Evelyn shook her head and spoke calmly to the doctor. "Please terminate the pregnancy." "Ms. Fitzgerald..." Sophie stared at her with aching sympathy. "Graham still loves you. He's only been deceived by Mara." But once the harm had already been done, did it matter whether he called it love? Even under anesthesia on the cold operating table, Evelyn felt as though something precious was being taken from her piece by piece. Tears slipped silently down her temples, and rain seemed to fall inside her heart. When Evelyn left the procedure room, she found a message from Graham. [Evie, I'm traveling for three days. I'll bring you a gift when I return.] She glanced at it and was about to close the screen when a post from the social platform Pulse appeared. Little Mara: [Following you has been the great adventure of my youth.] The photo showed a tall man's back. Evelyn recognized Graham instantly. They had visited the coast, taken a yacht out on the water, and shared an expensive tasting dinner. Mara's admiration and devotion filled every line. Before long, strangers were treating them like a romantic couple. Evelyn knew Mara had posted it for her to see, so she casually tapped the like button. Three days later, Evelyn was discharged. Sophie hurried in from outside with a grim expression. "What happened?" Sophie's eyes reddened with anger. "Ms. Fitzgerald, I didn't want to tell you while the doctor said you needed rest, but Graham has gone too far." "He took the most important project under your control and said he was giving it to Mara as compensation." Evelyn's heart sank. Graham knew the project represented half of Fitzgerald Holdings' work. Losing it could cripple the company. Graham had begun attacking Fitzgerald Holdings. "I'd like to know how I offended Ms. Holloway badly enough to justify such an enormous gift." When Evelyn entered Fitzgerald Holdings' boardroom, Graham and Mara were seated at the head of the table. The other shareholders looked bewildered by his sudden aggression. In Evelyn's nightmare, her father had suffered a fatal heart attack when Graham brought his mistress into the family company and seized a project. Because Evelyn had warned her parents in advance, Mr. Fitzgerald was furious but remained composed. Graham looked at Evelyn, his eyes dimming slightly. "Evie, you've lost weight." A crushing mixture of helplessness and grief rose inside her. The day before their anniversary, they had still been inseparable, discussing a winter trip to Northstar Ridge to see the aurora. Now a negotiation table separated them, and their hearts felt a galaxy apart. "Evie, your assistant injured Mara, and then you bribed a doctor to inject her with something that triggered a severe allergic reaction. She nearly died. "Don't you owe her an apology?" Evelyn had repeated the word calm to herself a thousand times, yet the absurd accusation still left her dizzy with rage. "So you believed her? "Graham, do you remember the dream you told me about? "In that dream, you never believed me once." Graham paused, conflict flickering in his eyes. "Evie, I want to believe you. I truly do. "But security footage shows you went to the hospital. Tell me why you were there." Evelyn wanted to tell him she had gone there to end their pregnancy. Instead, she remained silent. Some choices couldn't be undone once made. In the end, one of Graham's men forced her hand onto a voluntary project-transfer agreement. His grip felt strong enough to break her wrist. Graham took the signed documents and left with Mara. At the door, he glanced back. "Come home for dinner tonight, Evie. I told Ms. Dawson to prepare something nourishing." Chapter 4 Evelyn could feel Graham becoming impatient. He wanted Sophie removed so Evelyn would have no one useful beside her. He wanted Fitzgerald Holdings weakened so she would lose her family's protection. What was the point? He feared the ending from his dream, yet he couldn't stop himself from following the same path. To avoid making him suspicious, Evelyn returned home obediently that evening. She hadn't expected Mara to be seated at the dining table. When Evelyn entered, Graham brought her soup that he had cooled in advance. "To celebrate Mara securing the contract, I promised to bring her home for dinner." Only then did Evelyn notice the large king crab on the table. Evelyn loved crab, but it often worsened her circulation and stomach pain. For her health, Graham had once agreed that they would only eat it when celebrating one of Evelyn's major contracts. Now he had given that private ritual to another woman. Evelyn had thought her heart was already numb, but a dull ache still spread through it. She lowered her head and focused on her soup so she wouldn't have to watch them. Mara had no intention of leaving her alone. "Graham, does Ms. Fitzgerald dislike having me here? She hasn't touched the crab. "Maybe I should never have accepted the project. Ms. Fitzgerald didn't need to apologize. I'm used to being treated badly." Graham peeled the most tender piece of crab meat and placed it on Mara's plate. "Evie, stop making things difficult for her." Evelyn had just undergone a procedure. Eating rich shellfish was the last thing her body needed. "And if I refuse?" Graham looked at her as though she were a sulking child. "Then I can feed you myself. "We used to do that all the time, remember?" Evelyn's throat tightened. She picked up the crab and forced it into her mouth in large bites. Where Graham couldn't see, Mara smiled triumphantly at her. Graham watched Evelyn eat obediently, but felt no satisfaction. It seemed as though she were deliberately rejecting his closeness. Soon after finishing the crab, severe cramps twisted through Evelyn's abdomen. Graham pulled her out of bed. "Evie, come to the gala with me." "Take Mara." He frowned. "Stop sulking. You're Mrs. Prescott." "I'm not sulking. My stomach truly hurts." Concern flashed through Graham's eyes when he saw how pale she was. Then his expression hardened again. "You used to pretend you were sick when you wanted to skip class." Chapter 5 Graham forced Evelyn to attend the gala. Mara followed close behind him. Everyone in their social circle understood what it meant that Mara had risen to executive assistant within a year and now followed Graham openly. The guests crowded around Graham and Mara with flattering smiles, gradually pushing Evelyn to the edge of the group. "Evelyn, are you all right?" Lucas Bennett, who had previously worked with Fitzgerald Holdings, noticed her pallor and asked out of genuine concern. Evelyn didn't want to burden anyone, so she shook her head. "I'm fine." "By the way, why is Fitzgerald Holdings moving so much of its business to New Albion? Are you..." "What about New Albion?" Graham stepped between Evelyn and Lucas with visible displeasure, separating them. Evelyn panicked for a moment and answered quickly. "We were discussing several companies that have recently expanded there." Graham nodded, though his expression remained sour. Only after Lucas left did he instruct Mara, "Stay here with Evie." Mara's reluctance flashed across her face before she hid it. "Of course, Graham. I'll take good care of Ms. Fitzgerald." The moment Graham walked away, Mara's expression changed. She raised her chin arrogantly. "How does it feel to watch someone steal every piece of affection that used to belong to you?" The pain in Evelyn's abdomen sharpened. She endured it long enough to answer, "How does it feel to steal something that belongs in the trash?" Then her vision went black, and she curled on the floor in agony. Mara smiled with delight. She even kicked Evelyn before bending down to whisper in her ear. "Ms. Fitzgerald, you really are in pain. "I know you ended the pregnancy. I also made sure you ate the crab. "But tell me, which one of us do you think Graham will believe?" Then Mara cried out in exaggerated shock. "Ms. Fitzgerald, what happened?" Graham rushed over at once. The moment he saw Evelyn on the floor, panic overtook him, and he bent to lift her. "I didn't touch her. Ms. Fitzgerald threatened me, then threw herself onto the floor." Graham steadied himself and ordered someone to retrieve the security footage. The recording showed that Mara hadn't touched Evelyn before she collapsed. Graham sighed. "Evie, is this entertaining to you?" Evelyn was in too much pain to speak. She could only watch him leave with Mara. "Evie, I came to pick you up after class!" "Evie, let me drive you home!" "Evie, will you be my girlfriend?" "Evie, marry me!" The memories of Graham running toward her overlapped with the sight of him walking away beside another woman. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she whispered, "Graham, I don't want to marry you anymore..." Chapter 6 "Evelyn!" Darkness swallowed her. Just before she lost consciousness, Evelyn thought she heard Lucas calling her name. Lucas carried her to his car and headed for the hospital. A black luxury sedan cut him off on the road. "Mr. Bennett, where are you taking my wife?" Because Evelyn was unconscious, Lucas had to hold her upright in the back seat so she wouldn't fall. The sight drove Graham nearly mad with jealousy. "Mrs. Prescott became ill. I was taking her to the hospital." Graham pulled Evelyn forcefully from the car. "My wife doesn't require your assistance." For reasons he couldn't explain, Lucas remained uneasy. Then he noticed a spreading bloodstain on Evelyn's white dress. "She's bleeding!" Graham's chest tightened, and his arms trembled around her. But when he saw her closed eyes, another thought occurred to him. "Evie, stop pretending. "Your cycle should have started around now." Evelyn woke again in Graham's car, still trapped in waves of pain. Relief crossed his face, followed by an expression that said he had known she was faking. He questioned her coldly. "Why did you leave with him?" "Evelyn, are you that eager to attract other men?" Evelyn could no longer tell whether her body or her heart hurt more. The pain clouded her mind until she couldn't distinguish the nightmare from reality. "Because I don't want to die. "I'd rather leave with anyone but you..." Graham laughed in fury, his eyes turning nearly black. "Fine. Very well." He handed Evelyn over to the household staff. "Mrs. Prescott has forgotten how to keep proper boundaries with other men. Lock her in the windowless reflection room until she understands." No one knew better than Graham how deeply Evelyn feared the dark. That was why he had chosen the brightest house in Silvercrest for their marriage. Every room was always illuminated, as though night could never reach her. Now he personally ordered her into the darkest room in the entire estate. After the door closed, he instructed the staff. "Her cycle has started. "Bring her warm tea and a heating pad during the three days she's confined." For three days, Evelyn drifted in and out of consciousness. She felt as though she had sunk into a bottomless ocean where pain filled her lungs. She believed she would die there. Somehow, she survived. Three days later, she stepped outside. When the first ray of sunlight touched her face, Evelyn felt as if she had been born again. "Mom, Dad, I'm going to Alder County Courthouse for the final divorce decree. Meet me at the airport." She brushed the dust from her clothes and walked forward without hesitation, leaving behind the home where she had spent four years and the man who had shared it. It was all right. This was only another storm to cross.