8

Evelyn’s POV

I woke up the next morning, already dreading seeing Zeke again. It wasn’t like I was scared of seeing but I couldn’t shake off how our discussion had ended last night. 

The proximity, the threats, the manner in which he said them, and everything else. Had that been a joke or had he been putting me to the test? 

I hadn’t yet decided on what I wanted to do. Damien’s lawyer left me a voicemail that I deleted without bothering to hear it and while he might not hound me over it, Zeke was waiting patiently for me to accept his marriage proposal. 

My life was a mess right now and it was all because of one person. I’ve never publicly admitted to hating anyone before but I hated Genevieve now. 

She ruined my life, she finally succeeded after years of trying and it was all my fault. I should never have let her come close to Damien from the start, I ignited the first contact between them because Damien was hellbent on knowing my family and I regret doing that. 

I should’ve stuck to my initial plan of lying that I was the only surviving person in my family but I didn’t want to lie to Damien. 

But no matter what, it wasn’t an excuse for Damien to have found his way into her bed. He knew what he was doing and his failure to stand up to his father and fight for his marriage was a testament to that. 

Pissed at myself for wallowing in misery, I threw the covers off the bed and walked out of my room and to the living room where I guessed Zeke would be. 

“Zeke?” I called out but I was met with silence. The living room was empty.

I made my way out to the garden but he wasn’t there, I searched his study and then his room where I found a note clipped to the best stand.

I had to leave at dawn so I couldn’t wake you up. 

I’ll be back when I'm done with my appointment in Sicily. 

Zeke. 

He was a busy man and after being married to one, I wasn’t fazed by his disappearance. 

I decided that it was best for me to stop thinking about the divorce papers and the betrayal and focus on myself and the first step towards that was going to the mall and restocking the kitchen. 

Within the next couple of hours, I checked out of the mall with a sense of quiet triumph. My cart was full, my list was complete, and the weight of the bags in my hands felt like a tangible accomplishment. 

Outside, the afternoon sun was a warm caress on my skin. I got into my car, the groceries, a silent, orderly army in the backseat. The hum of the engine replaced the drone of the lights, and I drove home, returning from a successful campaign, ready to prepare for the next battle: dinner.

As I got to the front gate, I noticed that something wasn’t right.

The gateman looked rattled and he wouldn’t look me in the eye as he opened the gate, I ignored him and drove in to meet several cars parked in front of the house but the most shocking sight was when I saw a servant dragging one of my luggage outside. 

“What the fuck?” I yelled as I practically jumped out of the car. 

“Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

“I’m sorry but I was given orders to evacuate the occupant of this house, I’m only following instructions.” The servant answered. 

There was no way Zeke would’ve arranged for this, not while we had an agreement to hash out. 

“Zeke Blackwood owns this house and I’m sure he didn’t pass down any information of this sort, so who the hell gave you an order to come in here and touch my things?” I snapped.  

“You’re making a fool of yourself, Evelyn. Can’t you keep it simple and classy or you don’t know what that means anymore?” 

I paused as the voice registered in my head. 

Genevieve. What the hell was she doing here?

“What dirty play are you up to this time around?” I said, my voice dripping with venom. 

“What does it look like, Evelyn?” She laughed. 

“I’m not in the mood for jokes, Genevieve. Get the hell off this property before I’m forced to take you out of here  myself.” I warned her. 

“I’m sorry but I can’t do that, sweet sister. I came here to evacuate you out of this house and not the other way round.” She said, a huge grin on her face. 

“Is this some sort of a joke?” I laughed but it didn’t quite reach my eyes.

Genevieve handed me a letter. “Go through it yourself and tell me what you make of it.”

I took the letter from her and as I read it, what was left of my heart shattered into a million more pieces. 

Damien had given her the authority to evacuate me from the mansion and since she was going to become the new Mrs. Blackwood, I had no arguments here.  

“Why are you doing this, Genevieve? Haven’t you taken enough from me?” I said. 

My eyes were brimming with tears but I was determined not to cry in front of her. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry even if it was the last thing I did. 

“When you were in my shoes, you wanted me as far away from your family as possible and now, I want the same thing for my family as well. I’m sure you can understand why.” Genevieve smirked. 

I would’ve called Zeke if I could but I didn’t have his number or social media handles, I practically had no one on my side right now. 

“This isn’t over, Genevieve. I promise you.”

“Every one of your belongings has been removed from the house and the staff has been instructed to make sure you never come back here. Goodbye and good riddance, Evelyn.”