Chapter 5

Zoe really didn't need to worry. Evelyn had no intention of telling the truth. She would wait until after she was gone. Then, Daniel and Noah could finally find out what had really happened.

That kind of grief and regret, when there was no way to make things right, would follow them for the rest of their lives.

"I heard you were here, so I came to see you," Evelyn said calmly. Her expression was so mild that both Daniel and Noah visibly relaxed.

"So, you came over from another department?" Daniel asked.

"Yeah," Evelyn replied.

Daniel let out a breath, but his brows stayed furrowed. "What are you in for? You're in a hospital gown."

Evelyn's mouth curved in a mocking smile. "Stomach issues."

The words landed, and both Daniel and Noah exchanged an uneasy look. Daniel knew she'd had stomach problems for years. He just hadn't thought they had gotten bad enough for her to be hospitalized.

Before he could say another word, Zoe walked up, her eyes misty and her voice shaking. "Evelyn, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't made you drink that glass of liquor, you wouldn't be in the hospital."

The moment she started crying, Daniel and Noah softened instantly.

Daniel hurried to steady Zoe. "This isn't your fault at all! There's no way one drink landed her here! That would be a little too dramatic!"

"Yeah, Aunt Zoe! Don't be sad," Noah chimed in. "Mom definitely did this to herself! She probably skipped her meals on purpose and made herself sick just to get me and Dad to pay attention to her!"

To make Zoe feel better, Noah could say such cruel things. Evelyn couldn't help wondering when he had become this way. She remembered raising him to be better than this.

Zoe's expression finally softened. She pressed a hand to her chest and whispered that she felt a little unwell. Daniel and Noah immediately fussed over her, guiding her back into the ward. By the time they came out again, Evelyn was gone.

Daniel didn't think much of it. If there really was something wrong with Evelyn, she would say so. Evelyn was the type to cry over a minor scratch. There was no way she could face a serious illness without saying a word. If she wasn't talking, that meant she was fine.

Besides, Zoe didn't have much time left. He needed to be there for her while he still could. Once she was gone, he would make it up to Evelyn.

...

Evelyn picked up her prescription painkillers and went home. They were the only thing that could ease the pain.

There were eight days left before she left for the island. She didn't want anything to go wrong before then.

To keep her health from collapsing, she allowed herself to rest for the first time in years. She slept until noon every day.

She didn't have to prepare Noah's meals, worry about his school schedule, or lie awake at night wondering if Daniel would come home drunk from another business dinner.

It turned out living alone could be so comfortable.

A few days later, her parents called.

"If you're free today, come over. We should all get together," her mother, Tiana Dunn, said.

For the first time since Zoe's so-called cancer diagnosis, they were finally reaching out to Evelyn. Ever since they decided she was lying, they even blocked her on messaging apps.

Evelyn glanced at the calendar on the wall. It was the 21st, her birthday. She agreed to go, just for one last birthday with her parents. After that, they could all consider things settled.

When she walked into the Wynn residence, there was no cake nor presents—just her parents' strange expressions and a heavy, suffocating silence. Seeing her at the door, they exchanged a look.

"Since you're here, sit down," her father, Owen Wynn, said.

Evelyn sat on the couch.

Tiana watched Evelyn for a moment, then said in a low, conflicted tone, "On the 26th, Daniel's supposed to hold a wedding for you, right?"

Evelyn frowned, not sure where this was going yet. Before she could answer, Tiana continued, "Let Zoe have the wedding instead."

Evelyn's whole body went still.

Tiana went on bluntly, "You know Zoe likes Daniel. Daniel and Noah like her too. Their bond is already stronger than what you have with them! If this were any other time, I'd never step in. But Zoe has cancer. She doesn't have much time. I want to help her fulfill her wish and let her marry Daniel, even if it's just in name."

For a second, it felt like Evelyn's blood was boiling in her veins. Help Zoe fulfill her wish? What about her? That was her husband and her wedding. But her parents were asking her to hand them over like it was nothing. It was ridiculous.

"Have you thought about me at all?" Evelyn asked quietly.

Owen's expression darkened. "What's wrong with you? Are you the one dying?"

Evelyn's lips lifted into a thin smile. "Yeah. I'm the one who's dying."

The next second, a loud slap smacked across Evelyn's face. She raised a hand to her cheek and felt blood at the corner of her mouth.

"You're so stubborn!" Owen shouted. "How did I end up with such a cold-blooded daughter?"

Tiana's face was full of disappointment and disgust.

"As her sister, how can you be this heartless? You won't even agree to Zoe's last wish. If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I never would've had you! If we hadn't been so busy looking after you, Zoe wouldn't have gone missing back then. You're nothing but a curse on my life!

"If you refuse, I might as well move out and live with Zoe. Then, I won't have to see you and feel sick!"

Evelyn ran her tongue along the blood on her lip.

"You don't have to go with Zoe. I'll leave," she said.

She would go somewhere none of them could ever find her.

If they all ended up in heaven someday, she'd gladly go to hell instead.