Chapter 4

Evelyn’s POV

I heaved a shaky breath as I stepped out of the Thorne mansion with shaky legs. Dragging my luggage, I flagged down a passing taxi and as I got in and the car drove away, I kept waiting for a relief that didn't come.

Instead of relief, a violent wave of nausea rolled to the back of my throat without warning.

"Pull over," I gasped, clutching my suitcase. “Please, pull over!"

The driver swerved to the side of the road and I barely made it out of the car as I doubled over. I stood there for a long time, trembling by the car, as a terrifying thought began to take root. My period was weeks late, but I had attributed it to the stress of living with a man who hated me. Now, the bitter taste in my mouth told a different story. Thinking back now, I realized this wasn’t the first time I resisted the urge to puke my lungs out. I paid the driver and hurried into a nearby pharmacy. My heart hammered against my ribs as I grabbed a small box from the back shelf and paid before hurrying out with my mind deeply troubled.

Ten minutes later, I was huddled in the dingy bus station bathroom. I sat on the closed lid of the toilet, staring at the plastic stick in my hand until my eyes burned. Two lines. My suspicions were correct.

I was carrying the child of the man who had just thrown me out like trash. The very man who would rather see me suffer than to offer me a hand. The same man that had made the last three years of my life utterly miserable. When the first sob left my lips, I didn’t try to fight it. I leaned forward and buried my face in my hands as I cried for the cruelty I’ve had to face. Where had I gone wrong? I had been the one to save him from the ice. I had been the daughter who stayed silent and the wife who endured every insult, yet I was the one left shivering in a bus station while my sister celebrated her return like she hadn’t just ruined my life.

In desperation, I thought of the Thorne mansion. I thought of running back and slamming the positive test on the table and demanding Charlie owned up to it because even on the nights he touched me like I was contaminated and moaned Serena’s name repeatedly, I never once refused him. Surely, he couldn't throw away his own flesh and blood. Surely, the news of an heir would make him stop and listen but then, the memory of his cold, blue eyes flashed in my mind.

I remembered the way he looked at me with disgust just an hour ago. I remembered him calling me a parasite and a curse. If I went back, Charlie wouldn't love me. He would only use this child as another tool for my torment. He would take the baby and hand it to Serena, and I would be forced back into that cage to watch them play happy family with my child. Even my parents would urge them to treat me like an animal.

"Never," I whispered, my voice hardening. I wiped my eyes with a paper towel as my grief slowly turned to a protective instinct for my child. "You will never have this child, Charlie Thorne. You will never even know they exist," I swore, meaning every word.

I stood up, smoothed my rumpled clothes and made my way back to the ticket counter. I needed to go far away, where Charlie or Serena would never go looking for me.

"One-way to Oakhaven," I said to the clerk.

"That’ll be eighty-five dollars, miss."

With a nod, I opened my wallet but my heart sank as I counted the meager stack of bills I had managed to save from my allowance over the years. I had sixty dollars. Just sixty.

"I... I thought it was cheaper," I stammered, the panic rising again. "Is there a student discount? Or a slower bus?"

"Eighty-five is the lowest price for that route," the clerk said dismissively, already looking past me to the next person in line.

I stepped away from the counter as my vision blurred with tears. Now, I was trapped because I didn’t have enough money to flee this place. With a shaky breath, I leaned against the wall and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall.

"You look like you’re having a rough morning."

I looked up to see a man standing a few feet away. He was dressed in a well-tailored navy suit that looked out of place in this old station. He had golden boy looks and a bright smile that didn’t look scary like Charlie’s.

"I'm fine," I lied, quickly looking away.

"You don't look fine," he said softly as he stepped closer with calculating eyes. "I couldn't help but overhear that you're twenty-five dollars short."

Before I could respond, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thirty-dollar bill and held it out to me with a calm face.

"Take it," he urged when I stood there, dumbfounded. "Everyone needs a little help sometimes."

I stared at the money, then back at him. "I can't. I don't even know your name. I don't know how I could ever pay you back."

"My name is Julian," he said, his smile widening. "And don't worry about paying me back. Just consider it an act of help from someone that can help.”

Seeing I had no other option, I took the money with shaky hands. "Thank you, Julian. You have no idea what this means to me."

"My pleasure," he replied with a light tone before walking away from me with long strides.

Still in disbelief, I returned to the counter and bought my ticket as I continuously looked over my shoulder and expected him to demand his money, but he never came. As the bus slowly pulled away from the station, I leaned my head against the glass with my hand over my tummy. 

The child in my womb was a secret I would guard with my life and by the time I was ready, all those who betrayed me would have to face me. I touched my stomach lightly as a scared smile crept to my lips. "We’re going to be okay, child," I whispered to the silence. "And one day, they will pay for every tear."