CHAPTER 5: THE FINAL BETRAYAL
810 Words
Evelyn had one week.
One week to prove that she wasn’t the monster Adrian believed her to be.
But how could she prove she was innocent when even she wasn’t sure?
That lighter—those initials—E.W.
Her name.
A coincidence? A setup? Or was she truly capable of something so horrific?
Her head throbbed as she sat in the small, dimly lit library of an old records office, digging through files, desperately searching for anything—anything—that could help her.
She traced her fingers over the burned reports of the fire from seven years ago. The Blackwood estate had been reduced to ashes. Adrian’s family had perished, and he had barely survived.
One article caught her eye.
Sole survivor of Blackwood tragedy claims arson. No suspects found.
She inhaled sharply.
If there had been no suspects… how did Adrian suddenly have proof against her now?
Something wasn’t adding up.
A knock on the door jolted her. She turned, heart pounding, to find Henry standing there, his expression unreadable.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.
She clutched the papers to her chest. “You lied to me.”
Henry didn’t flinch. “What are you talking about?”
Evelyn stepped closer, her voice shaking. “Seven years ago, they never found a suspect. But suddenly, Adrian has my lighter, and you’re the one who told me about the fire. Why?”
Henry exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. “Evelyn, listen—”
“No.” Her voice rose. “You knew something. You’ve always known. And now I need the truth.”
Henry hesitated. Then, finally, he whispered, “You’re not going to like what you find.”
Her heart clenched. “Tell me.”
He swallowed. “I didn’t want you to remember.”
Silence.
Evelyn’s breath hitched.
Remember?
She stepped back, shaking her head. “No… No, you’re lying.”
“Evelyn—”
Her vision blurred. Her mind spun.
Memories—fragmented, broken—began to surface.
Flames. Screams. A shadowy figure pressing something into her palm.
A voice whispering, “Hold this.”
Then—darkness.
She stumbled back, gasping. “I was there.”
Henry shut his eyes. “You didn’t start the fire, Evelyn. But you were there.”
Her knees buckled. “Then who—?”
Henry looked away.
And suddenly, she knew.
Her stomach dropped. It wasn’t her. It was…
A voice spoke behind her.
“Finally, you remember.”
Evelyn froze.
Slowly, she turned.
Adrian stood in the doorway.
He had known.
All along.
A cruel smirk played on his lips as he stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with something unreadable.
“I was waiting for you to put the pieces together.”
Her voice trembled. “It wasn’t me.”
Adrian nodded. “No. But you were the reason it happened.”
Tears welled in her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
His expression turned cold. “Your father.”
The breath was knocked from her lungs. “What?”
Adrian’s voice was emotionless. “Your father, Evelyn. He’s the one who set the fire.”
The room spun.
“No,” she whispered.
But deep down, something clicked.
The nights her father would disappear. His cryptic warnings. His obsession with keeping her away from the Blackwoods.
The lighter.
It had always belonged to him.
Adrian leaned closer, his voice like ice. “You want to know why I hate you?”
She was shaking uncontrollably now.
“Because while my family burned, your father walked away.”
Evelyn choked on a sob.
“No,” she whimpered. “No, he wouldn’t—”
But she saw the truth in Adrian’s eyes.
And worst of all… she saw something else.
Satisfaction.
He had let her believe it was her.
He had let her suffer.
Her lips trembled. “You knew the truth all along.”
Adrian’s expression remained unreadable. “Yes.”
Evelyn’s breath hitched. “And you let me think I did it?”
He didn’t deny it.
Pain seared through her chest like a blade.
This was never about the truth.
This was revenge.
Her voice cracked. “You never wanted proof, did you?”
Adrian tilted his head, as if considering. “I wanted you to feel what I felt.”
A sob broke from her lips.
She had spent years wondering why Adrian hated her.
Now she knew.
And the worst part?
She wasn’t even the villain in his story.
But that didn’t matter.
To him, she would always be guilty.
Tears streamed down her face as she staggered back, away from him, away from Henry, away from everything.
“I have nothing left,” she whispered.
Adrian watched her, his expression unreadable.
And then, with one final breath, she turned and walked away.
- Writer
