Chapter 5

Sherry's expression hardened. She slammed her hand on the desk and stood up. "Evelyn Ramsey!"

Evelyn simply ignored her and went back to her desk.

She pulled out a compact mirror and inspected the faint streak of blood on the side of her cheek. The mark wasn't very deep, so she wiped it with a damp tissue and didn't bother cleaning it further. After all, with a face like hers, what was the harm in adding a scar to it?

Evelyn was reminded of Serena again. For some reason, Serena looked a little familiar to her.

…

Nearing the end of the workday, Evelyn got a call from her father, Walter Ramsey. After informing her that Julian Parker was back, he told her to come back for dinner today.

The news was a joyous surprise to her. "Jules is back? Wasn't he supposed to come back on the 15th?"

"He finished his work matters ahead of time, so he came back early," Walter explained.

"Okay. I'll head over as soon as I get off work."

Evelyn drove back to the Ramsey residence. It was a resale apartment that the family bought this year, situated within a mid-range apartment complex in the western district of the city.

Walter used to run a mid-sized property development company. While the family didn't exactly rank among the wealthy elites, they were comfortably well-off. Evelyn had also grown up in relative comfort.

However, the real estate market was experiencing a slowdown. A little over six months ago, Walter's company suffered serious financial losses as a result of some bad investments, leaving it on the brink of bankruptcy.

Even after finding out that Evelyn was pregnant with Carlton's baby, Walter hadn't forced her to demand anything from the Shaws.

Evelyn was the one who made that decision after witnessing Walter's increasingly haggard appearance and seeing that he had to sell off the family's assets to pay off the debts.

And when she approached the Shaws, it wasn't just for Walter's sake. She did it for herself, too.

She did get what she wanted. The Shaws gave the Ramseys a huge sum as a wedding gift to the family, and the Ramseys used it to pay off the debts. However, she also paid a price for her decision.

Therefore, all of the pain she suffered now was her own doing. She couldn't fault anyone else for it.

When Evelyn arrived at the Ramsey residence, Louise Parker came out of the kitchen and greeted her, "You're back, Eve."

Evelyn's parents divorced when she was nine. Her mother, Joanne Moore, left with her older brother, leaving her with Walter.

Later on, Walter met Louise, and the two began cohabitating as a couple despite not getting married.

At first, Evelyn didn't accept Louise's presence and even disliked her. But gradually, she could sense the kindness and affection Louise showed her. Julian, Louise's son, also treated her very well. Having lost an older brother, she had found a new brother in him.

"Hey, Louise. Where's Dad and Jules?"

"They're on the way home and should be back soon enough. Get some rest first."

"Okay."

Evelyn went back to her room. Even though she was married now, Walter kept a room ready for her. It'd been decorated just the way she liked it.

Now that she was back in her own home, all of her exhaustion and hurt evaporated in an instant.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she noticed the photo album on her nightstand. She reached for it and opened it. The photo on the first page was a torn family portrait. It was pretty old. She'd only been eight years old when the photo was taken.

Walter looked young and handsome as he held her in his arms. Her older brother stood beside Walter, while Joanne stood on the other side.

Evelyn had torn up the photo herself. She hated Joanne for taking her brother and abandoning her and Walter. But now that so much time had passed, it no longer pained her to recall this.

She flipped to the next page and saw a photo of a teenage girl who looked very pretty. She was wearing a long white dress and a tan woven hat while standing beneath a maple tree covered in golden leaves. The sunlight lit up the bright smile on her face.

With her long, dark hair that framed her delicate face and captivating features, the teenage girl had the beauty of an angel. Her eyes sparkled like stars in the sky.

It was Evelyn, of course.

Later on, she fell seriously ill and had to take hormonal medicine. As a result, she slowly began putting on weight and couldn't lose it no matter how hard she tried. She had to resort to adhering to a strict diet and getting plenty of exercise just to make sure she didn't put on any more weight.

All of a sudden, Evelyn was reminded of Serena again. Serena shared a noticeable resemblance to this photo of her as a teenager, especially in the eyes.