Chapter 2

Evelyn's POV

I almost laughed at how certain Vera was that I'd been stealing from them.

Only the finest medicinal herbs could keep the Blackthorn Venom in Kurt's body under control. That money wouldn't even cover a small amount of the finest wild-grown goldenseal.

I'd never asked the Mercers for a penny. They'd adopted me, and I wanted to repay them for taking me in.

For the past five years, I'd worked three jobs just to afford the herbs. To save money, I'd even gone deep into the mountains to gather them myself. More than once, I'd fallen down rocky slopes and come back covered in cuts and bruises.

But I wasn't going to waste my breath explaining myself.

There was no point defending myself to people who'd already decided I was a thief. Even if I showed them how I'd paid for everything, they would just question where I'd gotten so much money and accuse me of lying.

Kurt heard the commotion and came into the living room, leaning on his cane. When he saw what was scattered across the floor, his face darkened.

"I thought you were just pulling little stunts to get my attention. I had no idea you were this cruel! You've been feeding me poison! Do you want me dead so you can get your hands on the family fortune?"

I ignored him and crouched down to pick up the small clay pot I'd used to prepare his heart medicine. I'd searched countless old pottery workshops for it. The antique pot was ideal for drawing out the herbs' medicinal properties.

Inside was a pill I'd spent three days and nights making to protect his heart. I'd planned to give it to him today.

Just as I reached for the pot, Kurt swung his cane down. The pot shattered, and the pill I'd worked so hard to make was crushed against the marble floor.

I looked up at him without a word. I'd spent five years doing everything I could to save this man, treating him like my own family.

Giselle scoffed. "What? Upset about your worthless junk?"

She glanced at the burns and scars covering the back of my hand, then rolled her eyes. "And stop waving those disgusting hands around to get sympathy. Who are you trying to fool? You're making me sick."

I bent down, picked up my battered medical textbook, and calmly brushed the dust off its cover. "Well, since you're all so sure you know what's best, I wish Mr. Mercer Senior a long and healthy life."

Then I headed for the front door without looking back.

Giselle stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, sneering after me. "Look at her, acting like she's too good for us! Without this family, she won't even be able to feed herself! Just watch. She'll come crawling back like a dog in less than three days, begging us to—"

She stopped mid-sentence. Everyone in the Mercer family froze.

A luxury car pulled up right in front of me. The door opened, and a middle-aged man hurried out.

As the Mercers watched in disbelief, he walked up to me and bowed respectfully. "Ms. Mercer, we've finally found you."

I recognized him and nodded. "Let's go."

He opened the back door for me, and I climbed inside.

As soon as the door closed, the vehicle pulled away, leaving all four members of the Mercer family staring after it in shock.