Chapter 5

Eve stared down at her hands, her voice steady. "I'm done. From now on, I'm living for myself. I'm going to start chasing my own dreams again."

She added, the weight of the decision finally lifting.

Her friend, Tina Walter, didn't skip a beat. "Eve, I am so incredibly happy to hear you say that!"

After they hung up, Eve glanced at her suitcase. It was already the middle of the night, so she figured she'd wait until morning to finally walk out the door. But just as she stood up, her husband, Silas, called. She hesitated, staring at the screen for a few seconds before finally hitting the answer button.

Silence greeted her—or at least, Silas wasn't talking to her. The line was open, but all she could hear was his voice, muffled in the background, talking to another woman.

"Silas, honey," the woman said, her voice dripping with mock concern. "Maybe you should actually go home tonight? You know, be with your wife?"

There was a sharp click on the other end—the sound of Silas lighting a cigarette.

"Be with her?" He scoffed. "Just looking at her makes me lose my appetite. Melody, quit joking around."

Melody Miller. So Silas hadn't been stuck at the office for the last few days—he and Melody had already set up a little love nest somewhere else. Hearing him say it out loud felt like a physical blow to the chest, a sharp sting that caught Eve off guard. She found the whole thing pathetic, but she didn't hang up.

This call wasn't an accident. It was a setup. Melody wanted her to hear this.

Fine. Eve leaned in, wanting to hear exactly how far they would go.

Melody gave a playful little giggle. "Oh, do you really hate her that much? You've been married for a year. You're telling me you never felt anything for her? She's beautiful. She's elegant. She was the most famous heiress in the city. It's impossible not to like her, even just a little bit, right?"

Silas let out a mocking half-laugh. "Like her? Never. You're the only one I want."

"You're just being jealous again," Melody grumbled. "You're keeping me hidden like I'm some dirty secret. I can't even go out in public! I'm just a normal girl—how am I supposed to compete with a St. Claire?"

"Why would you even compare yourself to her?" Silas's voice softened, becoming tender in a way Eve hadn't heard in months. "In my heart, you're worth a thousand of her."

His tone turned cold and judgmental. "I heard her real mother ditched her at the hospital right after she was born and was so out of it that she walked into traffic and died. If that nurse hadn't swapped the babies to spite the St. Claires, Eve would have grown up in an orphanage where she belongs. She just got lucky, letting the real heiress suffer in her place. Now that the truth is out, she's just a nobody of unknown origin. The St. Claires don't even want her."

He took a drag of his cigarette. "Besides, I haven't forgotten the disgusting things she did to drive you away back then. When I found out she wasn't actually a St. Claire, you have no idea how happy I was! Now that the status she was so proud of turned out to be a lie, she has nothing. To me, Melody, you're the only one who matters."

A day ago, these words would have shattered her. But hearing them now, Eve felt a strange, cold calm. She didn't scream or cry. She simply ended the call and saved the recording.

If Melody wanted to provoke her, then the challenge was accepted. These people didn't see her as a human being; they wanted to humiliate her and squeeze every last drop of usefulness out of her.

Fine. Eve would give them a taste of their own medicine. She'd make sure they felt the pain of losing everything first. And with this recording, she had the perfect evidence to blow their secret relationship wide open.

The next morning, Eve spent a long time in the bathroom, sick to her stomach. Once the nausea passed, her head felt clearer than it had in months. The marriage was over—she was getting a divorce.

But she knew it wouldn't be easy. The entire Covington family knew she was pregnant, and just like Silas, they were convinced she was carrying their legacy. They wouldn't let her walk away that easily.

Silas and Melody probably felt pretty smug right now, thinking they had her backed into a corner. Melody's little phone stunt was a bet—a bet that even if Eve knew the truth, she'd be too scared to make a scene because she had nothing left: no family, no money, and a baby on the way. Melody expected her to just shut up and endure it. She was going to be disappointed. Eve wasn't some delicate flower who needed a man to survive, and she sure as hell didn't tolerate betrayal.

Eve headed downstairs and ran right into the family doctor.

"Mrs. Covington, perfect timing," the doctor said, holding a medical tray. "It's time for your daily injection."

Eve walked over and stared at the syringe. "Are these really prenatal vitamins, Dr. Keaton?"