Evelyn Blackwood Novels & Stories

My gaze wandered and caught on a familiar name on the counter. Evelyn Blackwood. A chart lay open, the edge of a file just visible beside a stack of papers. I shouldn’t have looked but my eyes moved before I could stop them. Wolf poison traces. Possible infertility. Transformation instability. The words blurred together, and my heart pounded. I blinked, reading again, hoping I’d misunderstood. But the words didn’t change. My breath hitched. The floor felt like it tilted beneath me. Dad’s voice broke through the haze. “Evie? You alright?”

But no amount of makeup could prepare me for the sight of Evelyn. She wasn't the wallflower I had left in New York, the woman who wore her heart on her sleeve and walked with a hesitant, hopeful grace. This Evelyn moved through the glass-walled corridors like a specter of ice. Her eyes, once warm enough to melt my coldest moods, were now twin chips of obsidian, polished and impenetrable. She wore her new surname, Blackwood, like a suit of armor, but I could see the way her fingers trembled when she thought no one was watching.

All I wanted was to go home and get some proper rest. "Let's go home, Sarah," I said, putting my arms around her. "Miss Ava..." Adrian Blackwell began. But before he could finish, Dave rushed over to him, holding up his phone. "Sir, you need to see the news." The look of shock on his face made me reach for my own phone. I switched it on and saw the headline. ADRIAN BLACKWELL HAS AN AFFAIR WITH A FEMALE EMPLOYEE AND DEFENDS HER AFTER SHE STOLE HER EX-BOYFRIEND'S PROJECT. Victor!!! Please, please, I beg you. I just need one day of peace in my life.

That was not nothing. That was Evelyn Blackwood, who had spent sixty-four years managing the Blackwood family’s relationship with the world with the precision of someone who understood that every action was a statement and every inaction was a statement and that the statements accumulated into something that outlasted the individual moments that composed them, making a statement. I went to find Nina.

Silas looked up again, sensing the tension. “Mom?” Evelyn forced a smile. “I’m right here.” He returned to his toy again. Damian’s gaze returned to the screen. Edward Blackwood’s authorization sat there like a shadow from the past. The founder of the Blackwood empire. A man the world believed had built hospitals to save lives. And now the same man appeared responsible for placing a newborn child into a secret research program. Evelyn’s voice trembled slightly. “If they started experiments on him…” Damian shook his head.

I picked it up carefully, my eyes settling on the printed name. Then everything inside me stopped. EVELYN STERLING. My name. I blinked. Looked again. The letters didn't change. EVELYN STERLING. My hospital bracelet — the bracelet that should have disappeared the night my daughter was stolen. It was here. Inside a locked room. Inside Blackwood Manor. My hands began to shake so violently that I had to sit down on the edge of the bed before my knees gave way, the room spinning around me. Damian Blackwood knew. Not recently, not after hiring me — long before I ever walked through those gates. He had known exactly who I was, exactly who Lily belonged to.

“Richard believed he could control every secret. He thought if he buried the truth deeply enough, it would disappear.” “And did it?” “No.” Robert looked at Lena. “It waited.” A sound came from the hallway. Everyone turned. Mrs. Collins appeared at the doorway. “Mr. Blackwood.” Adrian walked toward her. “What happened?” “There is someone downstairs.” “Who?” Mrs. Collins hesitated. “A woman.” Lena’s heart stopped. “Eleanor?” “No.” Adrian’s face tightened. “Then who?” Mrs. Collins looked directly at him. “She gave the name Evelyn Blackwood.”

I rubbed quickly beneath one eye before the tears could fall. I was almost at the entrance when I heard a woman's voice. "Bree?" I turned. A beautiful woman was walking toward me, dressed elegantly but casually enough to suggest she actually lived here rather than simply visiting. She smiled warmly. "I'm Evelyn Blackwood. Aaron's sister." I forced a smile. "Oh. Hi." Her smile widened. "I've been wanting to meet you." That somehow made my chest tighten again. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not feeling very well right now. Could we talk later?"

Same scar. She stepped closer. “What the hell?” Lucien turned. He knew immediately. The portrait was older than the photograph. Much older. A plaque beneath it read: ELEANOR BLACKWOOD — 1941–1963 Celeste stared. “That's her.” Eva, who had insisted on coming, walked closer. She looked at the portrait. Then stepped back. “No.” Celeste looked at her. “What?” Eva shook her head. “That isn't Subject Zero.” Celeste's heart sank.

Had Sebastian taken her? Barely conscious, Lydia stirred. Her unfocused eyes sharpened a little when they landed on me, but when she saw who was holding me, she shrieked in terror. "No... Mr. Blackwood, I was wrong, I know I was wrong. I never should have drugged Evelyn... Please, please spare me." She shook as she forced herself onto her knees and knocked her forehead against the floor. I froze. What does she mean, she shouldn't have drugged me?