The CEO’s Ex-Wife Is A Famous Doctor

Chapter 40: Evan’s Confession
“Are you and Nicole married?” The question made Evan lean back. He sucked in a breath, realizing how the time had finally
come.
He looked her in the eye and outright said, “No, I did not marry her, and I never intended to marry her.”
“Then what’s that ring on your finger?” She asked.
For a fleeting moment, Evan saw a flicker of hope. The fact that Shantelle was observant enough to notice the ring could mean
she still cared. Very quickly, he took off his ring. He also fished inside his shirt, revealing a necklace and a similar ring dangling
on the chain.
He gave the rings to Shantelle and confessed, “I had been wearing our rings the entire time. I never took mine off.”
Evan was certain she saw the ring’s engraving, but Shantelle did not show any emotion. She gawked at the rings for seconds
before pushing them back to him. Soon, she asked, “Why are you wearing that ring? We are already divorced.”
He took back the rings. Weakly, Evan admitted, “Because, Shanty, I-I regretted the divorce -”
“What about Nicole?” She asked again.
“About Nicole.” Evan shook his head in regret. He did not know where to start. He figured he should clarify things from where it
all began. “When I brought her to Rose Hills, I thought of her as a potential girlfriend, but we got married after she was forced out
of the city, things changed.”
Evan leaned forward. He rested his elbows against the table’s surface and added, “I felt more responsible for her misfortunes. I
felt sorry for her, Shanty, and I thought of her as a friend. There was nothing more. than that, but! I know I was wrong for making
you feel less important in my life.”
“What do you mean, Mister Thompson?” Shantelle asked. “I was never important to your life. Don’t you remember how you
wanted me out of your life?”
Evan felt as though a hand squeezed his heart. Those words did leave his lips, and he suffered for it, and had been for years
since Shantelle fled Rose Hills.

“I was wrong. I was terribly wrong.” Evan massaged his temples and returned his regard to her, saying, ” During the days that
you avoided me, I realized how I missed you -”
“So you brought Nicole to our marital home to fill that void?” Shantelle shot back, her eyes looking elsewhere.
“No, I did not. That’s another side of the story which you need to know. Please, let me finish,” Evan begged before cautiously
proceeding, “As I said, I realized how much I missed you when you were avoiding me well, unknown to me, you had already left
the city back then, but I honestly thought you were still in Rose Hills. I want to clarify that the way I missed you had nothing to do
with Nicole. It was plainly me, wanting to be with you.”
“And in that short time that I was away from you, I.” Evan reached for Shantelle’s hand. She tried to pull back, but he held on
tightly, saying, “I realized that I loved you, Shanty. I love you then, and I still love you
now.”
Shantelle glowered at him and pulled back her hand. That did not stop him from saying, “I bought tickets for us to go to Paris on
your birthday. I wanted to spend time with you and have a fresh start, regardless of where I started,” he added. “But then, I
discovered that you left, and everything else fell apart for me.” “But,’ Shantelle said. She shut her eyes and moved back, taking
deep breaths. After some time, whatever
emotions were manifesting through her expressions disappeared. She looked at Evan and pointed out, Mister Thompson, you
perfectly said that you did not love me. You never did. Why are you suddenly saying this now? And what for?”
“Shanty, I know what I said, and I regretted all those. You have no idea how much I regretted it,” Evan said. “I realized too late
how much you mean to me. You had already walked out of my life when I recognized how much I loved you.”
Evan described how he went to her house on the day of her birthday. He said, “But instead, I learned your left. I went to the
university, to the hospital, in search of Doctor Scott. In the later days, I begged Karise for information. I hired a private
investigator to search for you, and I asked Keith to check on every hospital his company was affiliated with, but I could not find
you.”
He went on, narrating his every effort, including how he slept overnight in the cemetery when Karise’s mother died. “Shanty, I did
everything possible, but Karise never told me where you were.”
“Good afternoon,” the restaurant’s server interrupted Evan’s story, serving two plates of green salad.” Sundried tomato salad and
chicken salad. Enjoy your appetizer. Your main dish will be served in ten minutes.”

On the other end of the table, Shantelle had been in deep thought all along. He searched for me?”
She knew Keith would have said nothing. Shantelle recounted the times when she avoided news about Evan and reminded Keith
never to tell her, but what about after she gave birth and after many years when she had not mentioned Evan’s name? Didn’t it
occur to Keith to force the information on her? Still, Shantelle thought Keith was not to be blamed entirely. She did warn him
against speaking about Evan, and she was certain her father, William, asked the same. ‘But what about Karise?’
“Shanty, say something,” Evan urged.
Shantelle stared into his brown eyes and replied, “Karise, probably did it to protect me. That was the plan all along – to stay
away from you.”
“But Shanty –
“Call me Doctor Shant,” she repeated. As she requested, she did everything to hide her emotions, all of it.. The old Shantelle that
kneeled before Evan was long gone. 1
She started on her salad like she did not hear Evan tell her he loved her. After swallowing her first bite, she asked, “Tell me about
Nicole. What is it that I need to know more about her?”
Evan narrated how he recovered his deleted text messages. He described, “I learned that Nicole was not the person I thought
she was.”
He told her about Nicole’s claims; from her supposed struggle to land a job, how Nicole made him feel responsible, and how she
tricked Mrs. Shaw into taking her to their villa. Afterward, he dropped the bomb, saying, “I had her investigated, and I found out
she was Melody Campbell all along. She changed her name and had plastic surgery to look somewhat like you. I made sure she
suffered and put behind bars.”
The news made Shantelle still in her seat. She stopped eating altogether and dropped her fork on the plate. How could she
forget the woman who had nearly killed her?!
Instantly, the memory of her young self came rushing back. She recalled being pushed down the pavement and a bus stopping
just a meter away from her. Shantelle would have died thanks to Melody Campbell. Now, she learned that the same woman was
Nicole Lively all along, and everything was all a ploy, the moment she appeared in Evan’s life and how she provoked her into
becoming a paranoid wife!
“Excuse me.” Shantelle’s lips trembled as she said, “I need to go to the ladies’ room.”

“Shanty-”
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“Doctor Shant. I don’t know how many times I have to remind you, Mister Thompson, but we are no longer married. Call me
Doctor Shant,” she said before leaving him and rushing to the restroom.
In the bathroom, Shantelle locked herself in one cubicle. She repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to take
it all in.
Nicole was Melody Campbell. The most shocking part was his confession of love. She whispered, “Is he serious? After all that I
did for him, he realized he loved me after the divorce. And he still wore our
wedding ring?”
Love. She never wanted to be in that situation again, where she would give everything up for love. That was why she tried to
forget about Evan.
“Control your emotions, Shanty,” she directed herself. “Meditate. Meditate.”
Shantelle did not count the minutes. She did not care how long Evan would have to wait. Her sanity and taking control of her
emotions were more critical.
After some time, she felt soothed. She was about to get up from the toilet seat when her personal phone. rang. The school was
calling. She picked up the phone and heard Lucas’ teacher on the other line, “Doctor Shant, Lucas has a fever. It would be best
for him to head home. He isn’t feeling very well.”
“Oh, no. Why now?’ She thought to herself.
“Doctor?” The teacher repeated.
Shantelle cleared her throat and replied, “I – I will be there. Thank you for calling ”