All Chapters of I Chose Freedom: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1 The Divorce Agreement

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, the warmth from the man's waist still lingering on her fingertips.She did not push him away. Instead, she looked at me with the kind of indulgent exasperation someone might reserve for a spoiled child.As if I were the one being unreasonable."So, you're making this big of a scene this time, Mr. Sinclair?" she asked leisurely as she pulled out a tissue and wiped her fingers. "You're even giving up the assets. What, are you trying to leave me with nothing?""I don't want your things," I repeated calmly. "The cars, the houses, the shares. Everything you transferred to me under your name, I've already signed away."She stared at me for two seconds. Then, she laughed.The laugh carried her usual flippancy, along with a trace of unease so faint it was almost impossible to detect."Don't want any of it?" she echoed. "Then what do you want? You want me to stay faithful to you? You want me to spend every second revolving around you like some obedient pet?"At

Chapter 2 The Choice to Leave

After I was discharged from the hospital, the first place I went was the nursing facility on the outskirts of the city.I pushed open the white door, and the sharp scent of disinfectant washed over me.My mother, Elena Hayes, sat by the window, staring blankly outside. She was dressed neatly in her patient gown, her hair combed carefully into place.Evelyn had arranged all of it."Mom," I called softly.She turned her head slowly. Her gaze lingered on my face for a long moment before a faint smile appeared. "Julian, you're here."Relief flooded through me. Today, she recognized me.I walked over and kneeled in front of her, burying my head in her lap just like I had when I was a child.Her dry hand stroked my hair, again and again. Then, she suddenly asked, "Have you been unhappy lately?"My nose stung. She had been sick for so many years. Her memories were like grains of sand scattered by the wind, yet she had always been sensitive to my emotions.And so, I lied. "No, Mom. I

Chapter 3 The Cage She Called Love

A month ago, I received an offer from a design firm in Alderheim. It was the place I had dreamed of joining ever since college.Back then, I gave up a guaranteed admission opportunity for graduate school to stay in Seaport and help Evelyn build her business.Later, when she succeeded, she told me, "Julian, you don't need to work anymore. I'll take care of you."I believed her. From that moment on, my world revolved entirely around her.But three months ago, I accidentally overheard a conversation while she was at a private club with her friends."Ms. Bennett, Julian was a genius in architecture school. Don't you think it's a waste to have him sitting at home looking pretty?" someone teased.Evelyn exhaled a ring of smoke and smiled casually. "A genius? There are plenty of geniuses out there, but there's only one Julian."Then she added, "If he goes back to work, who knows how many admirers he'll attract again? I don't have time to show up at his office every day and remind peopl

Chapter 4 A New Beginning

The transfer paperwork for the nursing home was completed quickly. Perhaps because Evelyn had given them advance notice, the director was unusually cooperative.The careful way she treated me made one thing clear. She had known all along that my mother was leaving. She just assumed it was another part of my tantrum."Long-distance travel carries certain risks, Mr. Sinclair," the director said. "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"I corrected him. "It's Julian, not Mr. Sinclair."Mr. Sinclair was the title Evelyn had forced everyone to use for me on the very first day of our marriage.I was sick of it.Looking embarrassed, he quickly corrected himself. "Julian, are you sure you don't want to wait for Ms. Bennett to come back and discuss it with her?""No." My hand did not shake as I signed the paperwork.For the first time in seven years, I was making a decision about my own life.When the caregiver wheeled my mother out, she grabbed my hand. Her eyes were so clear and

Chapter 5 The City I Chose

The day my plane landed in Alderheim, a torrential storm swept through Seaport.It took Evelyn three full days to realize I was really gone.At two in the afternoon, inside the living room of Bennett Estate, Amelia gracefully set down her gilded cup and looked at her daughter, who had just woken from a hangover."The Sterling heir is a fine match. He studied abroad and knows how to conduct himself. The Whitmore boy is good, too. He's lively and entertaining."She slid a stack of photographs across the table. Every one of them fit Evelyn's usual type—young, muscular, and carrying the confidence of a grown man.Rubbing her temples, Evelyn waved a hand impatiently. "Mom, I'm not in the mood."Amelia's expression cooled. "Whether you're in the mood or not, you need to choose. Julian already signed the divorce papers. You can't stay single forever. Both Mr. Sterling and Mr. Whitmore are waiting for my answer."Evelyn suddenly looked up. A flash of confusion crossed her bloodshot eyes

Chapter 6 Seventeen Minutes Too Late

When Evelyn returned to the house that had once been our marital home, it was already late at night.The place was completely dark. No light had been left on for her.She had long since grown used to coming home late and finding a warm floor lamp glowing in the living room, with me curled up beneath it on the couch, waiting for her.But tonight, there was nothing.She switched on the light and spotted a document envelope sitting on the coffee table. Inside was my medical report.Before I went to the hotel to find her that night, I had just returned from the hospital. I had been holding that thin sheet of paper, wanting to tell her that I was sick.Instead, what awaited me was the sight of her tangled up with Nathaniel.With trembling hands, Evelyn pulled out the report.Her eyes landed on a single cold line: "Severe gastric atrophy. Fifty percent of the stomach was removed."The date was the same day I had asked for a divorce.It felt as if someone had slapped her across the

Chapter 7 Too Late for Mercy

Nathaniel was in the middle of a job interview at a new company when Evelyn called.He was the son of an executive at a publicly traded corporation. Thanks to that connection, he had spent years lingering on the edges of high society.But he had never been satisfied with being just another rich heir. What he wanted was to become Evelyn's husband. And Evelyn had once given him that illusion.Over the phone, her voice was as still as a dead sea. "Come to see me."Deliberately lowering his voice into the smooth, magnetic tone she liked, he replied, "Right now? I'm a little busy—""Now," she cut him off. "Otherwise, by tomorrow, your father's company will be in free fall."Nathaniel's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly relaxed.During the six months he had been with Evelyn, he had grown used to the way she summoned men when she wanted them and discarded them when she did not.He assumed this would be no different. He even changed into the shirt that showed off his body best and s

Chapter 8 The Apology That Came Too Late

Late autumn in Alderheim came with a damp, bone-deep chill.My studio had just secured the City Hall renovation project, and every day was spent arguing with Aldorian engineers over their stubborn regulations.I liked being busy. It left no room to think about the past.My mother's condition had improved almost miraculously.Sometimes she would suddenly become clear-headed, watching me work at my drafting table before saying softly, "Julian, there's light in your eyes again."That light was something Evelyn had spent seven years nearly extinguishing. So when she appeared outside my studio, I almost did not recognize her.She wore a thin trench coat and had lost so much weight she looked gaunt. Her cheekbones jutted out sharply, her eyes were sunken, and there was nothing left of the powerful businesswoman who once ruled Seaport.In her hand was an insulated soup container, beads of condensation clinging to its surface."Julian." The wind tore her voice apart as she spoke my nam

Chapter 9 Too Late to Change

Evelyn did not leave. She rented a loft across from my studio, its windows facing my office directly.Every morning when I opened the curtains, I saw her sitting by the window with a laptop in her arms, working quietly.She stopped bothering me. She simply existed there.Every morning, an anonymous breakfast delivery would arrive. Fresh bread and milk. The flavors brought me right back to the little mom-and-pop restaurants in Seaport.I knew it was her. She was the only person who knew I took two packets of sugar in my milk.At noon, an insulated lunch box would appear outside the studio. I returned it untouched.The next day, a different meal would arrive. And the day after that, another.At night, she would wait by the river for me to get off work. Keeping about thirty feet between us, she silently followed behind me until I reached my apartment building.One night, I worked past midnight. When I came out, she was still there. Unable to hold back any longer, I asked, "Don't y

Chapter 10 Moving Forward

After that day, I did not see Evelyn again for an entire month.Anna told me she had gone back home to handle her mother's funeral arrangements.I heard that in Amelia's final days, she kept repeating my name, saying Julian was a good man, and that the Bennett family had wronged him.I heard that during the funeral, Evelyn never shed a single tear. Instead, she spent the entire time running her fingers over an old photograph.It was a picture of us taken ten years earlier in the library at Alderheim University.On the back, written in my younger handwriting, were the words: "May we grow old together and never drift apart."In the end, she had lost the boy who once wrote those words for her.Three years later, I became Aldoria's youngest foreign inductee into the Academy of Architecture.The awards ceremony was held in Bellemont.Dressed in a black formal suit, I stood beneath the spotlight and delivered my acceptance speech in fluent Valorian.I said that this award was dedic

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