Chapter 372

"Leonard, please listen to me," Evelyn pleaded softly.

A faint smile played at the corners of her lips before she continued, "After your birthday, Nathan and I are planning to divorce. So, there's no need to announce at your banquet that I'm your daughter-in-law. Revealing it one day and filing for divorce the next would only bring humiliation. It's better to stay silent. Let Nathan's wife remain a mystery—perhaps that's for the best."

Evelyn kept her expression composed, but inside, her emotions churned violently. Every word she spoke felt like a blade twisting in her chest.

Leonard's face darkened as he listened. He realized she was right. He had promised—if Evelyn and Nathan still wanted a divorce after his birthday, he wouldn’t interfere. Her words now made it clear she had made up her mind.

Had recent events pushed her to this decision?

Leonard clenched his jaw, his voice low. "Evelyn, I know Nathan went too far yesterday. No matter his reasons, abandoning you like that was inexcusable. But… I can’t help feeling it would be a mistake if you two actually divorced."

He met her gaze earnestly. "After all this time, you must have noticed the changes in him. He’s slowly opening up to you. If you give up now, won’t you regret it later?"

Evelyn stayed silent for a beat before letting out a bitter laugh. "Opening up to me? Does that even matter? The second Serena calls, he leaves without hesitation. When it comes to her, his choice is always clear."

Her words left Leonard speechless. For a moment, he struggled to respond. Then, as if struck by sudden realization, he turned to her.

"Evelyn, there's something I haven’t told you. I made a bet with Nathan. The agreement was that if, after this month and my birthday, you both still chose to divorce, I wouldn’t stop you. And… I’d never interfere in his marriage again. But there was one condition—during this time, he had to follow my directions."

Evelyn froze, stunned. Suddenly, so many of her past confusions made sense. No wonder Nathan had never resisted Leonard’s requests—whether it was dinners with her, picking her up, or accompanying her to visit the Sterlings. He had complied without protest.

It was all because of that damn bet.

The realization sent another wave of crushing disappointment through her. She had foolishly hoped, even for a second, that Nathan did these things because he cared—even just a little.

Since Leonard had forced Nathan and Serena apart, Nathan had been rebellious, often defying his father. So when Nathan said things like, "My father asked me to," Evelyn had wondered if he was just using Leonard as an excuse. She believed if Nathan truly didn’t want to comply, Leonard couldn’t force him.

But she never imagined… it was all because of the bet.

How naive she had been.

Just then, Leonard spoke again. "I’m terrible at matchmaking. Aside from forcing you two together, I honestly didn’t know what else to do. I thought my plan was working, but then the mouse incident happened—you had nightmares all night because of it—and I regretted everything." His voice was heavy with resignation.

After that, he had decided to let things unfold naturally. He had started to sense that Nathan’s feelings for Evelyn weren’t entirely indifferent. But that wasn’t his main point.

"Evelyn," he urged, "please think carefully. If you do divorce, according to our agreement, I won’t interfere in Nathan’s marriage anymore. Even if—"