Chapter 4

Evelyn’s POV

When I finally opened my eyes, the smell of disinfectant stung my nose. I was in a hospital.

"You’re lucky," the nurse said, checking my IV drip. "Someone found you collapsed on the side of the road two blocks away from the Harrington estate."

My heart went cold. Two blocks away? Daphne was clever. She didn't want my body found near her doorstep, so she had her men dump me like a bag of trash in a different neighborhood to protect the Harrington name.

Suddenly, I remembered the liquid. The pain. The vial.

I sat up so fast my head spun, my hands flying to my stomach. It felt flat. Empty. I grabbed the arm of a passing doctor, my eyes wide with terror.

"The baby... please, tell me. Is it gone? Did I lose the baby?"

The doctor looked at me with pity and gently patted my hand. "The fetus is still there. It’s a miracle, considering the toxins found in your system. But the situation is very unstable. You’ve suffered severe trauma. You need absolute bed rest and medication, or you will lose the child."

I burst into tears, sobbing into my palms. It was the first time I had felt joy in years. I had protected him. Against Ryan’s coldness, against Daphne’s poison, my baby was a fighter.

But reality hit me like a physical blow when the administrator came in. I had no money. The settlement Ryan promised was in a bank account I couldn't access without my ID, which was still in the villa. I couldn't afford the treatment. I couldn't even afford the bed I was lying on.

With nowhere else to turn, I discharged myself and walked, trembling, to the only place that might take me in: my foster parents' house.

When the door opened, I didn't see a welcoming face. My foster mother, Elena, stood there with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed in a hateful glare.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here, you useless brat," she spat before I could even say hello.

"Mom, please—"

"Don't 'Mom' me! The news is everywhere. You’ve been kicked out by the Harringtons. You’re a divorcee now. Do you have any idea how much face we've lost because of you? You were our golden ticket, and you blew it!"

She started pushing me, her hands rough against my bruised shoulders. "Get out! We don't feed failures here."

"Please, Elena!" I begged, holding onto the doorframe. "If I can get Ryan to send the settlement money, I’ll give it all to you. Just let me stay for a few days. I just need to call him."

Elena rolled her eyes, let out a loud huff, and tossed her phone at me. "Make it quick. I’m not running a charity."

My heart hammered as I dialed Ryan’s private number. When the line picked up, I felt a wave of relief, until I heard the sound on the other end.

It wasn't Ryan’s voice. It was a woman’s soft, rhythmic moaning.

"Hello?" Daphne’s voice came through, breathy and playful. "Ryan, honey, someone’s calling your private line..."

I froze. I knew exactly what they were doing. My husband—my ex-husband—was in bed with her while I was standing on a porch in the cold, desperate and homeless.

"Daphne... let me speak to Ryan," I choked out.

There was a rustle of sheets, and then Ryan’s voice came on, cold and sharp. "Evelyn?"

"Ryan, please," I gasped, my voice breaking. "Daphne took everything. I have no ID, no money, nothing. I’m at my mother’s house, and I just need the settlement you promised so I can survive. Please, Ryan, I’m begging you—"

"Don’t lie to me! I already told you, Evelyn," Ryan interrupted, his tone bored and impatient. "I'm done being your ATM. I won't give another cent to you or your leech of a family. "

Click.

The line went dead.

Elena snatched the phone back, seeing my face. "He’s not giving you anything, is he? I knew it! Get out! Get out before I call the police myself!"

She shoved me so hard I fell off the porch and onto the gravel. The door slammed shut, and the lock clicked with a finality that felt like a death sentence.

I crawled to my feet, clutching my stomach. Winter was coming. If I didn't find a place to stay, the cold would kill me before the hunger did. But I looked at my belly. I have to save the baby. I have to live.

I wandered the streets for hours, looking at the walls covered in job advertisements. I just needed something, washing dishes, cleaning floors, anything to buy a piece of bread.

I stopped in front of a wall of flyers, my eyes scanning for anything I could do. Suddenly, a black-and-white cruiser pulled up to the curb. Two officers stepped out, their expressions grim.

"Evelyn Harrington?" the older officer asked.

"I... I’m not a Harrington anymore," I stammered.

"You’re under arrest," he said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "You’ve been accused of corporate espionage and grand theft. Someone has filed the charges. He claims you stole confidential files from Harrington Company before you left."

“How… how could that possible? I didn’t do that! I…please, trust me, I didn’t!” I trembled and explained.

But no one listened to my explanation. When the cold handcuffs snapped around my wrists, I felt that everything was over.