Chapter 483

Beatrice Valentine leaned against the soft pillows, her fingers tracing the rim of her teacup. "Our family hasn't celebrated anything in a long time. Holding a great-grandchild before I close my eyes would make this old woman's life complete." She paused, giving Adrian Valentine a meaningful look. "But you'll need to step up your efforts."

Adrian frowned.

"The Evelyn Roland of today isn't someone you can win back so easily." Beatrice sighed. "You didn't cherish her when she was by your side. Now you want to fix things? It's harder than reaching the heavens. With your current status, you might not even be worthy of her anymore."

Adrian's head snapped up. "Grandmother, you mentioned Evelyn's grandfather just now... Wasn't she an orphan?"

Beatrice shifted, her aged bones creaking faintly. "You..." She pointed at him in exasperation. "You claim to love her, yet you never even bothered to learn her true background. If that isn't disdain, what is?"

"That's not true!" Adrian's voice rose sharply. "If I looked down on her, why would I have married her? Grandmother, you can't question my feelings like this."

His fists clenched, knuckles turning white. "I kept our marriage secret to protect her from those people. Even our wedding had to be done in the shadows... Do you have any idea how much it hurt? Watching those men at the company swarm around her, I wanted to—"

Years of suppressed frustration finally found release. For the first time, Adrian dropped all pretenses in front of the grandmother who had doted on him since childhood.

Beatrice waved a hand. "Enough. I know you care deeply. But the Evelyn of today is no longer that naive girl you could manipulate so easily." Her expression turned grave. "Her grandfather is someone of considerable influence. Everything you've done these years—he's been watching."

Adrian's pupils contracted.

"Even if you were still married, winning her back would require his approval first." Beatrice's tone carried a warning. "I'm telling you this now so you can prepare for a long battle."

Adrian's face darkened.

It struck him then—he knew nothing about the woman who had shared his bed for years.

Meanwhile, Evelyn Roland slid into the backseat of a car, her expression icy.

"To the civil affairs office," she ordered, her voice tight with suppressed fury. "Now."

Sophia Blanchet, sitting in the passenger seat, startled. "Sis, why are we going there?"

"To verify something." Evelyn stared straight ahead, her jawline tense.

Sophia wisely fell silent. In the rearview mirror, she caught the storm brewing in her sister's eyes.

The civil affairs office was nearly empty.

Evelyn slapped her ID card onto the counter. "I need a replacement marriage certificate."

The clerk took the document. "Please fill out this form first. We'll need to check our records."

The pen scratched against paper. Evelyn watched the clerk's fingers move across the keyboard, her heartbeat accelerating.

"A replacement is possible," the clerk finally said. "Would you like to proceed now?"

Evelyn's breath caught.

No divorce record?

Her voice trembled. "So... my marital status is still... married?"