During the simulated death: my uncle went crazy

That same lock screen had stayed with her for three years. She'd taken that photo the night of her twentieth birthday. Sebastian had been on the phone by the window. She'd captured the moment—his profile lit by the city lights—and at the time, all she wanted was to imprint this man into her soul. Back then, the Mallory Group had gone bankrupt. Her parents had died in a car crash. Her brother had been taken overseas by their aunt. Evelyn had lived with the Hawthornes for ten years. Her life was easy, pampered, cherished. Sebastian had always treated her with care. And because of the relationship between the Mallorys and the Hawthornes, both she and her brother, Adrian, were expected to call him "Uncle." Adrian Mallory had built a solid life abroad, and five years ago, he'd offered to bring her over to settle down with him. But she had refused. She only wanted to stay by Sebastian's side. If only things could've stayed the way they were—like three years ago, when Sebastian spoiled her endlessly. But somewhere along the line, things changed. On her twentieth birthday, Sebastian had gotten drunk. She went into his room. He pushed her onto the bed, kissing her hard, taking what he wanted without hesitation. But at the very last second, when he opened his eyes and saw that it was her, all that tenderness turned into rage. He shoved her off him with brutal force. "Evelyn, get out!" She threw herself into his arms anyway, no longer able to hold back the years of love buried deep in her heart. She kissed him, pressing her body against his. "Sebastian, I love you. I love you. I want to be yours." His eyes filled with pure rage as he growled, "Evelyn, I'm your uncle." Evelyn gave him a bitter smile. "I'm just a guest in your home. I have my own family and my brother. There's no blood relation between us. Sebastian, I've been in love with you since I was eighteen." The moment he heard that, his face changed. "Back then, Lillian begged me to take care of you. To me, you are just a kid. There's never going to be anything between us." Evelyn felt like all the blood had drained from her body. So all his care and concern—none of it was real. It had all been for her aunt. For three years, she'd tried everything to make him see her as more. But in return, he'd cycled through seventeen girlfriends. Each time, he brought those women into their home. Now, he was finally settling down. With Bianca Radcliffe. ***** The door swung open. Sebastian walked in from outside. His cold stare landed on Evelyn, who had been waiting for him the whole time. His voice cut like a knife. "I told you not to wait for me. Bianca and I went to try on wedding outfits. We're taking our engagement photos next week." Evelyn glanced over at the dining table. It was filled with dishes. A birthday cake sat in the center. For ten years, Sebastian had never once forgotten her birthday. But in the past three years, he hadn't acknowledged it once. She smiled faintly. "Sebastian, it's my birthday today." His gaze flicked to the cake, dark and unreadable. He replied coldly, "You do know Bianca's birthday is today too." Evelyn dug her nails into her palm, her voice steady. "Yeah. I know." Bianca had already posted all over her social media. Sebastian had proposed to her with the perfect setup—pink balloons floating in the sky, gardenias everywhere. Evelyn hadn't expected it. The entire scene of his proposal… It was a painting she'd drawn herself at eighteen. A piece she'd titled Wedding. Sebastian had recreated it in real life. But the scene belonged to Bianca now. Evelyn stared at Sebastian as he headed upstairs. Her chest felt tight. She forced the words out. "Sebastian, are you really going to marry Bianca?" Standing on the stairs, he turned back to face her. His eyes were like ice. "Are you still persisting? How can you be so shameless?" Her heart crumbled at his cruelty as she watched him leave without hesitation. Memories flooded her mind—ten years of warmth from Sebastian. His hand ruffling her hair. His eyes, always full of gentle care. "Evie, don't forget. You're part of the Hawthorne family. No one gets to mess with you. If they do, I'll make them wish they were never born. Got it?" Back then, he had been like a god to her. She had no one. But he protected her. People in the elite circles called her a leech. An orphan. Unwanted even by her own aunt. Dumped on the Hawthornes like trash. When Sebastian found out, he had shown up at one of them's house. His icy stare locked onto the boy who bullied her. He said flatly, "The Langfords? Who do you think you are? You think you can bully someone from my family?" The Langford elders tried to smooth things over, claiming the boys were just messing around. But Sebastian made one call. Ten minutes later, the Langford Group faced major divestments. Within three days, they were drowning in debt. He held Evelyn in his arms, gently comforting her. "Evie, remember this. Whatever they call you, I'll make it true for them." That boy who once called her trash became the trash himself. Evelyn looked around the house. She remembered what Sebastian told her when he brought her to this villa. "Evie, this is your home now." She'd asked softly, "Just you and me?" He had looked at her deeply and said, "Yeah. Just us." But now, this house had no place for her anymore. That night, when he realized how she felt… He'd looked at her with nothing but disgust. "This is what I taught you? To scheme for me like this?" In that moment, when he shoved her away, Evelyn knew that all the love she had for Sebastian… he would tear it apart with his own hands. She went back to her room. Opened a drawer. Inside were all the things she'd prepared after hearing about Sebastian's engagement to Bianca. In her closet, every luxury item he ever bought her had been listed for sale online. The money was all in that drawer. Two designer bags hadn't sold yet. One had already been reserved. She didn't have much time left. The drawer was stuffed with cash—everything Sebastian had ever spent on her. She was giving it all back. The next room was silent. Not long after, Sebastian left the house. As if something compelled her, Evelyn followed. He didn't know she had learned how to drive. She took off in a black car, following him all the way to Bianca's apartment. She saw Bianca come out and throw herself into Sebastian's arms. They kissed deeply. Then Bianca climbed into his car. Evelyn saw Bianca straddling Sebastian in the front seat. Her sexy dress slipped off her shoulders under his hands. They started moving together, heated and shameless. The car rocked hard with every motion. Each jolt sent Evelyn further into the abyss.