Chapter Two: He Thought I Was Evelyn

Isabella's POV 

I wanted to scream, apologize for being in his space, and run before he could look at me with his usual deadly hatred, but the words died in my throat because the look in his eyes wasn’t hatred. It was something else—something desperate, terrifying, and dangerously obsessive.

"Evelyn?" he whispered the moment he stepped into my space.

He stumbled slightly, one hand shooting out to brace himself against the wall. Obviously, he was completely drunk.

His hazel eyes dropped to my legs, lingering there for a second before snapping back to my face.

“Baby… you can walk?” he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of overwhelming emotion. “They told me you were gone. They told me you’d never walk again.”

“Charlie, wait…” I started in panic, instinctively reaching out to steady his swaying body.

I glanced past him, only to realize every eye in the room was fixed on us. A few guests had already pulled out their phones, recording the scene, while towering security guards pushed through the crowd, quickly stopping them. Voices rose all around us as the entire room descended into chaos. Heat crawled up my neck, and humiliation hit me so hard I could barely breathe.

He lunged forward without warning, his arms locking tightly around my waist as though he couldn't bear the thought of letting me go. Then he pulled me into a hug so violent and tight that the air almost rushed out of my lungs. 

He buried his face deep into the crook of my neck, his body shaking as he sobbed silently against my skin.

“Eve…” he groaned brokenly against my neck. “You shattered me when you left. I searched everywhere for you. I thought I’d lost you forever.” 

His arms tightened around me almost desperately. “Don’t ever leave me again. Don't please… I won’t let you go this time.”

“Charlie, I’m not—”

He pulled back so suddenly it startled me, his hands sliding down to clamp tightly around my wrists. In the space of a heartbeat, the raw grief on his face disappeared completely, replaced by a dark, drunken obsession that made my stomach tighten.

“Eve, not what?” he growled, his eyes locking onto mine with a terrifying dominance. “You’re coming with me.” 

His grip tightened. “We’re going home. Right now.”

"Let me go!" I cried out, pulling back with all my strength, but his grip was so damned strong. 

At the edge of the hallway, Arielle suddenly appeared, her face completely pale as she witnessed the scene. 

"Isabella! What is happening? Please, let her go!"

Charlie didn’t even blink. He never spared Arielle a single glance. His burning eyes remained locked on my face as he tilted his head slightly toward his men. “Clear the way,” he ordered coldly. “She’s coming with me. And if anyone interferes… handle them.”

The guards moved instantly like machines, forming a solid human wall that completely cut Arielle off from me.

Charlie didn’t wait for my permission, he forcefully dragged me toward the open private elevator. His fingers dug so deeply into my skin that sharp pain shot up my arm, and I already knew dark bruises would be left behind by morning.

“Charlie, listen to me! Look at me! I’m Isabella!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but my voice was completely swallowed by the chaos erupting behind us.

He shoved me into the elevator and stepped in right after me. Before I could even react, he trapped me against the back wall with his body. He leaned down until his lips brushed harshly against my ear, his breath hot, heavy with the scent of alcohol, sending a wave of pure terror through my body.

“What are you even saying, Eve?” he hissed against my ear, his voice low and rough. “Do you have any idea how much I missed you? You ran from everyone… even me… now I finally found you.” His lips brushed slowly against my cheek, possessive enough to make my stomach twist. “You’re mine now, and I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

The elevator doors slid shut, trapping me in the suffocating space with him. 

The ride to the garage felt like a descent into hell. Charlie’s body pinned me to the wall, his hand clamped around my wrist, tightening every time I tried to pull away.

"Charlie, let me go! You are making a mistake!" I pleaded, my voice echoing inside the small space. 

He didn't answer. He just stared straight ahead at the doors, his breathing heavy and uneven. 

When the doors finally opened to the dim underground garage, a sleek black SUV waited with its engine humming. One of Charlie’s massive men yanked the back door open.

“Get in,” Charlie ordered, his voice low and rough.

“No! I’m not Evelyn! Look at me, Charlie!” I yelled, turning my face fully toward him beneath the harsh garage lights.

For a split second, his eyes searched my face. Confusion flickered across his handsome features, but the alcohol clouding his mind smothered it just as quickly. He shook his head aggressively, his jaw tightening.

"Stop playing games with me," he slurred. 

He shoved me into the back seat of the vehicle and slid in right after me, while the guy slammed the doors shut instantly.

The SUV sped off before I could even reach for the door handle. I twisted around, staring through the dark tinted window. In the distance, I saw Arielle run out into the garage, screaming my name, but one of Charlie’s guards held her back. 

My heart sank as the realization hit me—I was completely on my own.

During the entire drive through the rainy streets of New York, I tried to move to the opposite side of the seat. But Charlie wouldn't let me. He pulled me against his side, burying his face into my hair. He was muttering incoherent words, crying softly, and calling for Evelyn. 

I sat frozen, terrified that any sudden movement would trigger the ruthless temper of the Harrington Group CEO.

Eventually, his heavy breathing slowed. His head fell against my shoulder, and his grip on my hand loosened slightly.

With the frantic pounding in my head, I hadn’t even realized the car had driven through a massive pair of iron gates and pulled up in front of the Harrington mansion. The estate was terrifyingly huge, looking more like a dark stone fortress than a home.

The driver opened the door, and several men immediately rushed over to help carry a completely unconscious Charlie out of the SUV.

The second his hands were off me, I saw my chance. I scrambled out of the vehicle and bolted toward the main gates.

“Miss Reed! Stop right there!” a loud voice boomed, but I ignored it and increased my pace.

Before I could even reach the driveway, two massive men stepped in front of me, blocking my path. Their faces were expressionless, their arms folded tightly across their chests.

"Please, let me leave," I gasped, tears mixing with the rain on my face. "I don't belong here. He mistook me for someone else. Please, let me call a cab."

One of them stepped forward. “Until Mr. Harrington wakes up and clears this up, you are not permitted to leave this property under any circumstances. Please head inside the house… before we’re forced to make you.”

“No… no, wait! You don’t understand!” I cried, stumbling back in despair. “I’m Isabella, not Evelyn! He thinks I’m his fiancée!”

“We are not to judge who you are until Mr. Harrington wakes up,” the guard replied coldly. “Go inside.”

Realizing I couldn’t fight off two massive men and with the rain now pouring harder and colder, I slowly turned and stepped through the front doors of the mansion. The interior was cold and imposing, all polished marble floors and towering ceilings that made the place feel less like a home and more like a fortress.

A quiet maid greeted me at the entrance and introduced herself as “Liona,” but my mind was too scrambled to respond. 

She simply led me upstairs to a large guest room on the second floor.

The moment she stepped out, I heard the sharp click of a key turning in the lock from the outside.

“Crap! What the hell is going on?” I muttered, rushing to the door and yanking the handle hard before spinning around, about to grab my phone. 

I needed to call Mason or Arielle for help, real quick, before Charlie woke up, because that would only make everything worse.

If he realized by morning, or whenever he finally woke, that I wasn’t Evelyn, the humiliation would be beyond unbearable. Charlie hated me enough already, especially after Evelyn disappeared following her bad condition. 

Only God knew what Eleanor had filled his head with about me… maybe that I’d engineered the accident, as they all believed, along with every ugly name she could think to attach to it.

The fact that I wasn’t the one left paralyzed, or even badly hurt, only made the accusations seem true, as though I’d somehow planned it all. Even I couldn’t believe I came out unhurt. But sometimes, life just happens.

My breath caught when I couldn’t find my phone. Panic surged through me as I searched the room, flinging aside the blanket, checking the floor, even peering under the bed and cushions until the truth hit me with sickening clarity. I’d left it in the car.

“No… no, no, no,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I dragged a hand through my hair. 

It was my only way to reach anyone, and now it was probably still sitting in Charlie’s SUV downstairs.

I spent the entire night pacing the room, my eyes fixed on the locked door. I didn’t sleep for a single second.

Every time I closed my eyes, Eleanor’s cruel words and Charlie’s drunken, terrifying obsession replayed in my mind. I was trapped in a nightmare, and I knew morning would only bring more darkness.