After divorce ch 7

Chapter 7 Get a Job
Catherine’s delicate features curved into a faint smile. “Mr. Parker, has Evelyn ever wrapped her legs around your waist?”
Reynold’s breathing hitched. He leaned in close, his handsome face shadowed with frustration. “Catherine, are you this shameless? Is all you think about men? Calling in eight male models just to satisfy yourself!”
He didn’t answer her question about Evelyn, perhaps because silence was the kindest form of protection a man could offer a woman.
His relationship with Evelyn had been the epitome of youthful romance—intense, beautiful, and unforgettable. Those legs of hers had surely wrapped tightly around his waist once upon a time. How else could she have left such a deep impression on him?
Evelyn was undoubtedly lucky to have made a lasting mark on a man as seemingly indifferent as Reynold. He would never dare to use such cutting words with her.
Catherine kept her smile, but her clear, bright eyes betrayed a chill. “That’s right. Since you’re incapable of meeting my needs, I had to go find someone who could. Let’s get divorced already. If one man doesn’t work, the next one surely will.”
Her words stung, sharper than a whip. Not only had she dismissed his ability, but she had also declared that the “next one” would be better.
Reynold’s patience snapped. He reached out, gripping her delicate chin between his fingers. “Are you trying to provoke me? You’re that desperate to find out if I’m ‘capable’ or not?”
What? Catherine froze in shock.
Reynold leaned in close, his lips brushing dangerously near hers. His voice was low, biting, and cold. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll never touch you. The only woman I love is Evelyn.”
The only woman he loved was Evelyn.
He didn’t need to say it—she already knew. Even so, his words felt like a bee sting, sharp and fleeting but leaving behind a deep ache that spread through her chest like tiny pinpricks.
Just then, a soft, melodic voice broke the silence. “Reynold.”
Catherine looked up. Evelyn had arrived.
Evelyn was the Red Rose of Havendor, a breathtaking beauty with a body made supple from years of dance training.
Reynold immediately released Catherine and strode over to Evelyn, his tall frame towering protectively beside her. His usually cold and aloof gaze softened into something Catherine had never seen before—gentleness. “You’re here.”
Evelyn nodded, her gaze drifting to Catherine. “And this is?”
She didn’t recognize Catherine at first glance.
But Catherine would never forget Evelyn.
The truth was, that Catherine and Evelyn shared the same last name but not the same parents.
Shawn Hansen wasn’t Catherine’s biological father—he was her stepfather.
Many years ago, Catherine had her own loving family. Her father, Grayson Hansen, and her mother, Celia Blanton, were the picture of harmony.
Grayson loved her dearly. Every day, he would hold her in his arms and say, “Cath, you have to be happy in the future, okay?”
But one day, Grayson suddenly passed away. His younger brother, Shawn, moved into the house with his daughter, Evelyn. Soon after, Celia became Evelyn’s mother.
Celia remarried Shawn.
From that point on, Celia loved Evelyn but stopped loving Catherine.
If Evelyn scored a 99 on an exam and Catherine got a perfect 100, Celia would smack Catherine’s hand with a ruler. “Why can’t you let Evelyn win for once? Why do you always have to outdo her?”
When Evelyn got sick and had to undergo chemotherapy, she cried because shaving her head made her feel ugly. Celia immediately shaved Catherine’s head too. “You’ll look ugly together. That way, Evelyn won’t feel bad.”
Every night, Celia, Shawn, and Evelyn would sleep in the same bed, laughing and playing like a happy family. Catherine, meanwhile, would clutch the doll Grayson had given her, standing alone outside their door with tears streaming down her face. “Mom, I’m scared.”
Eventually, Evelyn began calling Celia “Mom.” Celia was overjoyed. But then Evelyn said, “I can only have one daughter.”
It was pouring rain the day Celia took Catherine to the countryside and left her there.
Little Catherine ran after the car, crying uncontrollably. “Mom, please don’t leave me … I’ll be good, I’ll let Evelyn have her way… Mom, please hug me. I’m so scared … ”
She clutched her doll tightly, only to slip and fall into a muddy pond, watching helplessly as Celia’s car disappeared from view.
Catherine would never forget Evelyn.
At that moment, Benedict ran over. “Evelyn, she’s your sister—Catherine!”
Evelyn was stunned. “You’re Catherine?”
Catherine knew Evelyn had always looked down on her.
As a child, Evelyn had defeated her at every turn. She grew up proud and accomplished, even capturing Reynold’s heart. Evelyn, spoiled by love and attention, carried herself with an air of superiority.
Benedict, however, was once again taken aback by Catherine’s stunning, ethereal beauty. He murmured, “I didn’t expect Catherine to look this gorgeous.”
Evelyn’s childhood memories of Catherine had faded because she had never really looked at her. To her, Catherine was just an unwanted ugly duckling who had returned from the countryside.
Evelyn stepped closer to Catherine, her gaze sweeping over her with disdain. “Catherine, I didn’t think you’d start copying my style.”
Catherine said nothing.
She thought to herself, Whatever makes you happy.
Standing tall, her slender back straight, Catherine merely smiled without a word. The light from the hallway cast a glow on her delicate, otherworldly face, making her appear almost luminous.
She was no longer the little Catherine of years past.
Evelyn sneered. “Catherine, I heard you’re divorcing Reynold. Can’t live without a man, can you? Running to a bar to hire male models—how utterly disgraceful. If I were you, I’d get a job instead.”