Chapter 6

No matter how many promises Adrian made, Evelyn would never believe him again.

She remained silent throughout the drive to the kidnapping site.

Adrian held her cool hand tightly, lowering his head until his voice was muffled against her shoulder. His words came out thick with restrained sobs.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Evelyn.

“I promise I’ll bring you home safely. I…”

He stumbled over his words, desperately trying to explain himself. Anxiety and guilt practically spilled from his eyes.

Evelyn neither pushed him away nor responded.

The air inside the car grew almost suffocatingly still.

It wasn’t until the car slowly pulled to a stop in front of an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city that the silence finally broke.

As they got out, Adrian held Evelyn’s hand even tighter.

“When this is over, we…”

The rest of his promise abruptly died on his lips.

The warehouse’s iron doors burst open, and Vanessa stumbled out. Tears streaked her face as she staggered toward Adrian.

“Vanessa!”

He rushed forward almost at the same instant, pulling her fiercely into his arms.

The hand that had been clasping Evelyn’s just moments earlier let go without the slightest hesitation the moment he saw Vanessa.

“Vanessa… This is my fault. I should have protected you…”

His voice trembled with the relief of having her back alive.

Evelyn stood a short distance away, coldly watching the reunited lovers. Her lips parted slightly.

Before she could utter the biting remark on the tip of her tongue, a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth from behind and dragged her backward.

The back of her head slammed against the rusty door of a van. Her vision briefly went black.

“Are we really going to do this? She’s Mr. Whitmore’s wife. What if he finds out…?”

A dull impact rang out, followed by a burst of pain. The man behind her spat in contempt.

“She’s nothing but a piece of trash Mr. Whitmore doesn’t want anymore.”

The metallic taste of blood filled Evelyn’s mouth. She struggled violently.

“Get away from me! Don’t touch me!”

Smack!

A brutal slap sent her head snapping to the side. A piercing ring filled her ears as warm blood trickled down beside them.

Just then, Adrian’s voice drifted faintly from somewhere outside.

“I… I’m going to be a father…!”

At that moment, her instinct to survive overwhelmed everything else.

Suppressing the pain, she summoned every ounce of strength she had and screamed his name.

“Adrian Whitmore! You promised you’d never let me get hurt!”

The men around her immediately froze, startled by her sudden shout.

Outside, the conversation abruptly stopped.

The silence stretched on. It felt like an entire century had passed before Adrian finally spoke again. His hesitant voice sounded as though he were weighing his options.

“Evelyn, can you hold on a little longer? The rescue team will be here soon. Vanessa is pregnant. She needs to get to the hospital for an examination right away.”

The moment he finished speaking, hurried footsteps retreated into the distance outside.

Evelyn stood frozen.

The man holding the iron rod stared at her for a moment before bursting into mocking laughter.

“Fuck! You scared the hell out of me. Turns out the wife’s life isn’t worth as much as the mistress’s prenatal checkup!”

He roughly grabbed her chin. Just as he was about to force her to look at him, Evelyn coldly shoved his hand away.

She brushed the dirt off her clothes, stood up, and turned toward another vehicle parked nearby.

“All right. They’re gone. There’s no need to keep pretending.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she lit two sheets of paper and tossed them into the abandoned van behind her.

The flames crackled at her back. She didn’t look around.

At eighteen, Adrian had cost her eight years of youth. She had then gambled another three years on a marriage built on lies.

She had wagered everything she had on the hope that his love was genuine.

Instead, she had lost it all.

This time, she wouldn’t betray herself again.

She waved to the people behind her.

“I’m leaving. Remember to get me a death certificate.”

Then she climbed into the other car and drove away. In the rearview mirror, the flames grew smaller and smaller.

From this day forward, Evelyn Hart would cease to exist.