CHAPTER: 05

Eva's Pov:

I sat quietly, watching Ryan and Caroline argue, their voices rising and falling like waves crashing against each other. To anyone else, it might have looked like a mother and son locked in a heated disagreement. But to me, it was something far more dangerous.

A deep part of me whispered that this was just another performance. Another carefully staged drama meant to corner me, to manipulate me into surrendering — into agreeing to sign divorce papers and hand over custody of my children to Ryan and Tessa, or worse, to Caroline.

The thought made my stomach twist. Caroline had already trapped me once, forcing me to sign a prenup under the guise of “family honor.”

I was never sure if Ryan even knew about it. She had insisted that the only way she would allow Ryan to marry me was if I signed it discreetly, without anyone else knowing. It wasn’t just any prenup — it was cruel, humiliating, filled with conditions designed to strip me of dignity and power. And yet, I signed it. I signed it because I wanted to protect Eric. I couldn’t bear the thought of the world calling my son a bastard, of people looking at him as if he were dirt beneath their feet.

I had seen this act before — the way Caroline and Ryan could play off each other, weaving lies into something that looked like truth.

My mind drifted back to that day. The last time they pulled such a stunt.

That day, they had forced me to appear publicly with Ryan, parading me like a prop. I hadn’t wanted to. I had begged not to. But Caroline insisted, Ryan backed her, and together they cornered me until I had no choice. Their plan was calculated, precise.

It wasn’t about love or recognition — it was about damage control. Rumors had spread like wildfire, whispers that Ryan was gay or bisexual. His fanbase, mostly women, had turned the scandal into a storm that threatened his reputation, his marketability, his very career.

Caroline and Ryan’s PR team devised a plan: show the world he was “taken,” but not too taken. Enough to silence the rumors, but not enough to draw attention to me. They planned all this as Ryan’s reputation was crumbling under rumors — whispers that he was gay, or bisexual. His fanbase, mostly women, had turned the scandal into a storm that threatened his career, his satellite value as a star.

Caroline’s solution was simple: parade me in front of the cameras. Not as his wife, not even as his partner, but as a vague presence. His PR team had suggested it when Caroline mentioned me, and Caroline had seized the idea.

Tessa had hated their. She wanted to be the one standing beside Ryan, announcing herself as his girlfriend. But Caroline, terrified of Damon’s wrath and aware of his soft spot for me, refused to let her. Damon’s shadow was the only shield I had, and Caroline knew it.

That day, Ryan held me in public. He treated me with tenderness, with a kind of affection I hadn’t felt in years. For a moment, I believed it. For a moment, I let myself hope. I thought maybe there was a chance for us, maybe he could love me again.

But that fragile illusion shattered the day I told him I was pregnant with Riva.

The days that followed were filled with a drunk Ryan, his words sharp and cruel. He cursed me, cursed the moment he met me, cursed the night he knocked me up. He cursed himself too — for not having the courage to stand up to Damon when Damon forced him to register our marriage before Eric’s birth.

Now, watching Ryan and Caroline argue, I felt the same dread creeping in.

Those memories haunted me now as I watched Ryan and Caroline bicker. My heart clenched, torn between fear and disbelief.

Was this another performance?

Was this defense of me real? Or was it just another calculated move, another manipulation designed to keep me compliant?

I sat there, patient, waiting for their argument to end. But inside, I was trembling. Because I knew — when it came to Ryan and Caroline, nothing was ever what it seemed.

“Are you happy now, seeing me and my son fight? You hurt Tessa… why didn’t you just die out there? At least then Ryan and Eric would have had a better life!” Caroline’s words lashed out like a whip, each syllable cutting into me.

It pierced my heart, but I kept my face calm. Years of practice had taught me how to mask pain, how to remain unfazed no matter how venomous her tongue became.

Caroline thrived on seeing me break, on watching me crumble under her cruelty. But this time, I refused to give her that satisfaction. I straightened my back, my voice steady though my insides trembled.

“Caroline, if you want me gone from Ryan’s life, fine. I’ll sign the divorce papers. After all, you made it clear in the prenup — you decide the expiry date of my marriage. The day you say it ends, that’s the last day. But let’s not forget what else you wrote in that contract. Until you officially declare my son a Williams family member, he doesn’t belong to you. And you haven’t made that announcement. In fact, your own words in that prenup make it clear — I can’t take a single penny or asset from the Williams family or from Ryan. Which means neither of my children belong to your family. They belong to me. And over my dead body will you snatch them away.”

Her eyes narrowed, fury flashing.

“Ooo… I know that look..... so let me stop you right there.” My voice was calm, but inside my chest my heart was pounding.

“I know how that cunning brain of yours works, Caroline. You’re probably already plotting to announce Eric publicly, to suddenly introduce him to the family as if he’s always belonged. But you and I both know what that would mean. It would raise questions — questions you can’t answer. Because none of your family even knows I exist. You made sure of that, hiding me away to protect your precious reputation.”

I leaned forward, my tone sharper now, each word deliberate.

“And if you pull that stunt just to beat me, I will go to the press. I will expose everything. Consider this not just a warning, but the desperate cry of a mother who refuses to let her children be stolen from her.”

Her eyes narrowed further, showing her hatred and fury, but I held her gaze. For years, I had been silent, obedient, swallowing humiliation to protect Eric. But not anymore. This time, I wanted her to see that I wasn’t afraid. I pressed on, my smile deliberate, meant to rattle her composure.

“For years, Damon Knight — the sole heir, the true head of the Williams family — has taken care of me, of Eric, of our education, of every need. If you want to escalate this, you leave me no choice but to involve Damon. He was here just minutes ago, making sure I was safe. Oops — perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned the prenup. Now you’ll demand that fifty million dollars mentioned about in the prenup for disclosing I had signed a prenup in the first place. The 50 million dollars I can’t afford. But don’t worry. Damon has the best law firm in the country working for him. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind handling that part for me.”

My smile was all it took. Caroline’s carefully rehearsed calm shattered. Her suffocating elegance crumbled into raw rage.

“You wretched woman! How dare you threaten me with Damon? He would support me — he’s my family. You’re nothing. A nobody!” she screamed, her voice shrill.

I tilted my head, my tone sharp but quiet.

“Are you sure about that, Caroline?”

My voice was steady, but inside I could feel the tremor of rage and fear colliding.

“Because if you were truly that confident about your equation with Damon, you wouldn’t have spent years forcing Ryan to play the role of Damon’s lapdog. You wouldn’t have bent over backwards with your husband to make sure Damon was never offended. And you certainly wouldn’t have pretended to be nice to me — smiling, making excuses, keeping up appearances in front of him — while behind closed doors you worked tirelessly to keep me and my children out of this family.”

I leaned forward, my words deliberate, each one meant to pierce through her façade.

“So think again, Caroline. Think long and hard before you strike. Because when you strip away the lies, the masks, and the manipulations, the truth is mine. What you cling to isn’t power — it’s delusion.”

“Enough!” Ryan’s voice cut through the chaos, snapping at both of us.

The room fell into a tense silence, broken only by Eric stirring in his sleep, snuggling closer to me, startled by the shouting. At the same time, Riva began to cry. I turned, stunned, as Ryan moved with surprising ease, cooing her, calming her. For a moment, I saw a different version of him — the Ryan I had fallen in love with years ago.

“What the hell was that, Mom?” Ryan’s voice was sharp, his anger real.

“What she said… a prenup? Really? You didn’t even bother to mention it to me? It’s my life, not yours. I’m not your puppet for you to control. Eva is my wife — my real wife, not some actress performing for the cameras. She gave birth to my children. She matters. Yes, we fight. A lot. But that doesn’t give you the right to mistreat her.”

Caroline’s face paled.

Ryan pressed on, his words crystal clear.

“I want you to nullify that prenup. And I’m not divorcing her — at least not because you want me to. And let me make this very clear: Tessa and I? Never happening. If you keep pestering me, I’ll fire her and make sure she’s blacklisted in the industry. The Williams family — especially Damon — is more powerful than her and her entire family combined. I don’t even need Damon. Anna would do it for me. Am I clear, Mom?”

I sat frozen, patting Eric gently, making sure he stayed asleep, shielding him from the storm of words that had just torn through the room. My body was calm, but inside I was stunned.

Was Ryan… changing?

Was I really seeing this side of him, or was it another illusion?

Ryan’s gaze flicked to me, amusement etched across his face, though his tone carried a strange sincerity.

“I am not Damon’s lapdog,” he said firmly.

“He is my brother, my best friend. I don’t fight back or argue with him because I respect him. I trust his decisions for me more than the ones I make myself. And… D was here?”

That last question hung in the air, his eyes searching mine for an answer. But I couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t want to know what he was thinking, or why he suddenly seemed so different. It was already too much for me to process.

My mind wandered, circling the same thought over and over.

Would Ryan really do this for me?

Would he actually stand up for me, protect me, fight for me?

The question echoed inside me, relentless.

Was I hallucinating? Or was this real?