Chapter 4
972 Words
Evelyn’s POV
It was slightly dark when I returned. The estate lights were on.
I stood for a moment in the driveway after highlighting from my car, staring at the house I once called home. It did not feel like mine anymore. Every window looked cold. The once beautiful courtyard felt like a haunted place, ready to swallow me whole.
I had signed Alexander’s contract only about an hour ago but his words still echoed in my mind.
This is not love. This is far more dangerous.
My name sat on the paper, black ink binding me to him. I told myself I was not his victim. I was his partner. His weapon. But my heart knew the truth. I had stepped into something far darker than I imagined.
I walked inside, forcing my back straight. The silence of the foyer gripped me, tense and strange. For a moment, I thought the house was empty. But then I heard it.
Laughter.
A woman’s laughter. Soft, low, and cruel.
I froze. My breath caught. The sound came from the living room. I stepped forward in a tiptoe wanting to check out what they are doing before they notice. My pulse hammered in my chest.
And then I saw them.
Chloe sat on the sofa like she owned it. She wore a silk nightgown, pale pink. Her hand rested on Liam’s arm as if it belonged there from time immemorial. She leaned into him, her body curved toward his. He did not move away.
My chest tightened. My stomach twisted. For a second, I could not breathe. Chloe turned her head and saw me. Her lips curled into a smile. Slow. Smug. Deadly.
“Oh, Evelyn,” she said sweetly. “You’re home.”
Liam glanced up. His face was calm, but his eyes were hard. Cold. He did not remove Chloe’s hand from his arm. He simply watched me, waiting for my reaction.
I stepped into the room, my voice low. “Why is she here?”
Chloe rose from the sofa, swift and graceful, like she had rehearsed this moment. She touched her stomach lightly, her hand lingering there as if to remind me of what grew inside her.
“I thought it was time we cleared the air,” she said. Her tone was soft, almost gentle, but every word was sharp enough to cut through me.
“I know you hate me. I know you think I stole Liam. But what Liam and I share… it’s real.”
My fists clenched at my sides, but I forced my voice to stay calm. “Real?” I repeated. “You mean an affair? Betrayal?”
Chloe tilted her head. Her smile grew. “Love,” she corrected. “You don’t know what that feels like anymore, do you? The warmth of it. The fire.”
I swallowed hard. My eyes burned, but I refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of them.
“And soon,” Chloe continued, stepping closer, “his child will be born. The true heir. The one thing you could never give him.”
Her hand pressed firmly against her belly. She smiled wide, the glow in her eyes triumphant.
My heart ached, but I held my ground. Every part of me wanted to scream, to strike her, to rip that smile from her face. I didn't want to keep being calm any longer but then I was reminded of my new plan.
Alexander Davenport.
I stayed still. I won't want to ruin my already laid out plan.
I stepped closer until I stood only inches from her. My voice came out cold, steady, exerting the final decision lest she didn't know. “You may carry his child,” I said, “but you will never be part of this family. Not while I breathe.”
For the first time, Chloe’s smile faltered. Her eyes flickered with something like doubt. Only for a second, but I saw it.
Liam stood, tension hardening his jaw. “That’s enough, she's already part of it and I have the final say in this house, not you.”
He slid his hand over Chloe’s waist, pointing his fist at me. “Know your place!”
I smirked. “Woww.” I clapped while holding that sinister grin. “I'd thought you would at least feel a sense of remorse but you've clearly shown you're cut out for this.”
“So–Game on!”
I did not wait for his reply. I walked past them, my steps echoing against the marble floor. I refused to look back.
The long, windy staircase stretched before me. My hands shook, but I forced myself to remain steady. I reached my bedroom, opened the door, and shut it hard behind me. The sound of it closing like the slam of a prison gate, I would remain in here, not wanting to see them till I figured out the revenge Alexander is gonna propose.
The silence in my room wrapped around me. I stood still for a moment, listening to my own heartbeat. Then I sank to my bed, unzipping my bag and pulling out the stacks of paper.
The contract.
This carried just more than written texts. My fate was scripted on them.
I stared at it for a long time. My heart beat faster. My mind replayed Chloe’s words.
His child will be born. The true heir.
My rage burned hotter.
“No! Never! Not when I've suffered all these years together with him and she wants to come reap where she didn't sow.
I picked up the contract and held it to my chest. Liam is going to pay dearly for choosing to betray me with an open marriage.
I wish he knew I was now with his big, bad rival.
- Writer
