THE DEVIL'S BRIDE

Chapter Eight

Caleb's POV

Pain shot through my head as I slowly regained consciousness. For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was. Then everything came rushing back in fragments.

I remembered the argument with Evelina. Her rejection. Then she hit me with something. I touched the side of my head and winced.

She had really hit me. I pushed myself up from the floor and looked around the room. The house was silent. Evelina was gone.

My mind felt hazy, and my thoughts were scattered. I didn't want to stay there any longer, so I staggered outside, climbed onto my motorcycle, and drove straight home.

The Ryder mansion was still awake when I arrived. I barely made it through the entrance before Dad saw me.

"Caleb?"

I stopped. His eyes immediately went to my head.

"What happened to you?"

I instinctively touched the injury. "I got into an accident."

Dad's expression changed. "An accident? Are you all right? You should see a doctor."

"It's nothing serious."

He stepped closer, examining me with concern. "You need to clean that wound." He glanced toward the staircase.

"Just don't let your mother see you like this. You know how she—"

"What did you tell him?"

We both froze. Mum stood at the bottom of the staircase. Her eyes were fixed on my injured head.

Dad sighed. "I was only telling him to see a doctor because of the injury."

She looked at him as though he'd just said something ridiculous.

"Oh, shut up!" She threw up her hands. "You thought I didn't hear you telling him not to tell me about the injury? Like, how is that even possible?"

"I didn't mean—"

"Of course you didn't." She walked toward us. "Sometimes I wonder if you think before you speak."

Dad lowered his eyes while I tried to calm her down. "Mum…"

She ignored me and turned her attention to my injury. "What happened?"

"I told Dad. It was an accident."

She looked at me for a long moment. Then her expression changed.

"Didn't you go to see Evelina tonight?"

My stomach tightened. "What? Why would i see her?"

"I know you, Caleb. And I'm not stupid. I'm not your father."

I said nothing. My father just shook his head.

She stepped closer. "Did Evelina do this to you?"

I swallowed. For a moment, I couldn't find the right answer.

"Something happened. But it was an accident."

Mum's eyes narrowed. She clearly didn't believe me. But instead of questioning me further, she said, "Come with me."

She took me inside, leaving Dad standing in the hallway.

Once we were alone, she turned toward me. "I could swear that trashy girl did this to you."

I remained silent.

Her jaw tightened. "I knew that girl was trouble. I warned you to stay away from her. Can you see she's no better than an animal?"

"Mum—"

"Don't defend her!"

"I'm not."

"Good."

She reached for a first-aid kit. "Because I'm going to make sure she pays for what she did."

My chest tightened. I didn't know how to feel.

Part of me wanted to be relieved because I felt Evelina deserved whatever was coming her way.

But another part of me felt uneasy. If Mum went after Evelina, things could get messy.

"Don't do anything stupid," I said quietly.

She looked at me. "Stupid?"

"Just... leave her alone. It was just a misunderstanding after all."

Her expression hardened. "No." She cleaned the wound while I stared ahead. "Nobody hurts my son and gets away with it. Not even that wretched swine."

I said nothing. I didn't know whether I was supposed to be happy or worried.

The following morning, Genevieve came to visit.

She walked into my room carrying her designer handbag and wearing an expression that immediately told me she had something to complain about.

Then she saw my head. Her eyes widened.

"Caleb!"

She rushed toward me. "What happened?"

Her perfume made me dizzy. I never understood why she had to wear so much perfume. I preferred the smell of sweat and engine oil smell on Evelina.

"It was an accident."

She stared at the bandage. "How did you manage to have an accident that left you looking like this?"

I sighed. "I'm fine, Genevieve."

She wasn't listening. Her eyes suddenly landed on the bouquet sitting on the table. Her entire expression brightened.

"Are those for me?"

I looked at the flowers. The same flowers I'd taken to Evelina. For a second, guilt twisted inside me.

"Yes."

Genevieve smiled. "Oh my God!"

She picked them up excitedly. "They're beautiful."

I forced a smile. "I'm glad you like them."

"I love them." She leaned over and kissed my cheek. "I knew you hadn't forgotten about me."

I said nothing. A few minutes later, I left the room to get something to drink.

When I returned, I noticed that Genevieve was no longer in my room, and the bouquet was in the trash can. My expression went blank.

I decided to look for her only to see her with my mother in the lounge area.

"Hello, sweetheart." My mother's smile was genuine. I'd only seen her smile that way when I'd finally agreed to marry Genevieve.

"Hello, Bianca."

Mum sat down beside her. "Did Caleb tell you what happened?"

Genevieve glanced toward the hallway. "He said it was an accident."

Mum's expression darkened. "It wasn't."

Genevieve frowned. "What do you mean?"

"That wretched girl did this to him."

Genevieve went completely still. "Evelina?"

"Yes."

The anger in Genevieve's face was immediate. Her fingers curled tightly around her handbag.

"That girl... she'll pay for this." She took a slow breath.

Mum nodded. "She will."

Neither of them noticed me standing nearby. I watched them silently. Expressionless. For once, I didn't know whether I wanted to stop them... or let them continue.