Chapter 5: Chapter 5

536 words

<html><head></head><body>Evelyn's stomach twisted at the thought of what would soon happen on that bed. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to stay composed and turned toward the walk-in closet to gather her belongings. It didn’t take long to stuff everything into her suitcase. "Gregory, that suitcase looks expensive. Get her a reusable bag instead," Victoria ordered, her voice dripping with disdain. Within moments, Gregory returned with a grimy, stained reusable bag and tossed it at Evelyn’s feet. "Here. Use this." Evelyn knelt to unzip her suitcase, her fingers trembling slightly. Behind her, Victoria added, "Make sure you check her things thoroughly. We don’t want her stealing anything that isn’t hers." The words sent a chill down Evelyn’s spine. She remembered Nathaniel’s cold declaration about getting rid of the baby. He was just in the bathroom—if he found the pregnancy test, there would be no chance of keeping it. Gregory and Victoria stood guard at the closet entrance, watching her like hawks. Evelyn glanced at the pregnancy test buried beneath her clothes and made a split-second decision. Turning slightly to block their view, she tore the test into tiny pieces and shoved them into her mouth, forcing herself to swallow. As she stared at Nathaniel’s neatly hung suits, her heart shattered. From this moment on, her child would have no connection to the Whitmore family. Evelyn stepped out of the closet, clutching the filthy reusable bag. "Do you want to inspect this?"  Victoria wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh, get out of here first. That thing reeks!" She knew once Nathaniel finished his shower, he might hesitate to throw her out. Victoria wasn’t about to let that happen. Gregory shoved Evelyn forward. "Are you deaf? Move!" Evelyn walked out of the villa alone. The distance was short, but each step felt like an eternity.  Gregory snatched the bag from her and dumped its contents onto the ground, searching for something—anything—incriminating. But Evelyn had already destroyed the evidence. She crouched to gather her scattered belongings when her phone suddenly rang. The moment she heard Margaret’s voice, the dam broke. She had endured Victoria’s cruelty and Nathaniel’s betrayal without shedding a tear, but Margaret’s familiar warmth shattered her resolve. "Aunt Margaret," she choked out. "Evelyn, why are you crying?"  "I’m getting a divorce," Evelyn whispered. "I’m losing my family all over again." "Oh, sweetheart, who said you don’t have a family?" Margaret’s voice softened. "That’s why I called—your real family found me. You have three older brothers from the Montgomery family in Nord City." Evelyn froze. "My… family?" She had always known she was adopted, but she had never imagined searching for her birth relatives. If they hadn’t wanted her, why bother?  "Don’t cry, darling. Come home. We don’t need those arrogant rich people! Or maybe I can have your brother—" The call cut off abruptly as Evelyn’s phone died. Her mind reeled. Had her family truly found her? "What scheme are you plotting now, Evelyn?" Nathaniel’s voice cut through her thoughts. He stood in the doorway, his bathrobe loosely tied, his expression unreadable. He had offered her a few more days to process things—yet here she was, already packed and ready to leave while he was in the shower.  </body></html>