Erik loves Evelyn with a desperation that twists into cruelty. Believing he is unworthy and that she deserves a better life, he concocts a torturous plan: he will make her hate him so completely that she will file for divorce and find true happiness elsewhere. Each cold word and deliberate betrayal is a stitch of agony meant to push her away. But as Evelyn's spirit fractures under the weight of his calculated cruelty, she finally signs the papers, leaving Erik to realize too late that the only heart he truly broke was the one he swore to protect.
