Chapter Ninety Three

EVELYN’S POV:

"I'm so sorry." Dana's unmistakable voice cut through the silence. I opened my eyes slowly, and our gazes met. The agony on her face was undeniable, her eyes swollen from crying, she looked so pathetic and vulnerable, this was unlike Dana. I felt a pang of pity towards her.

"It was all jealousy," she confessed. "Caleb and I have always been in love, but we decided to use you for you to our advantage, we wanted Caleb to take control of Your father’s company, but nothing we did worked out, and I just realized how much I have hurt you. Can you ever forgive me, Evelyn?" Her voice was pleading, her desperation evident.

"It's okay, Dana," I said softly, holding out my hand to help her up. She was kneeling. "I forgive you. Everything is okay.” I said as I cried with her, unable to hold in my tears.

The moment the words left my mouth, she engulfed me in a suffocating hug. "Thank you so much, Evelyn," she said, her tone almost jubilant. “ I can't believe you did this for me, I'm forever grateful.” 

"Why don't we celebrate this?" she asked eagerly. Her sudden enthusiasm made me hesitate, but I nodded. Forgiveness felt good; it was freeing, I felt a burden being lifted off my chest, just like I felt when I forgave Samantha.” 

I grabbed my car keys, unlocked the car, and slid into the driver's seat. Dana entered through the passenger door. I turned the ignition, and we drove to a nearby restaurant.

We took a table at the VIP space, to avoid distractions, we signed for the waiter who presented us with their meal menu.

As we placed our order, my phone rang. Leonard's name flashed on the screen.

"Evelyn, where are you?" His voice was urgent. 

"What's wrong, Leonard? I'm out with Dana. Is everything alright.” I asked again.

"Dana?" His tone was incredulous. "Where are you? Send me your location. Now."

"Leonard, calm down," I said, trying to reassure him. "She's harmless. We've made up, and I forgave her. We're at a restaurant. I'll call you when I'm done. Just take care of the kids."

"Evelyn, listen to me," he stuttered. "Just say where you are—"

I cut him off. "Leonard, it's fine. She's harmless now. I told you before.” Then I hung up, I was getting a little upset from his optimism.

The waiter soon brought our food, and we started eating. Halfway through, Dana got a call and excused herself to take it. I waited patiently, my thoughts drifting to Caleb. If I could forgive Dana, could I forgive him too? Maybe. Forgiveness didn’t hurt after all.

Dana returned with a grim expression. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing serious," she said with a forced smile. "Just cramps, but I had pain relief earlier, I'll be fine.” 

I smiled sympathetically and told her I was sorry. Still, she seemed uneasy, shifting in her seat as we ate. Every time I asked, she brushed it off. We finished our meal in relative silence.

Suddenly, a voice from behind startled me. "You are under arrest, ma'am."

I turned to see a police officer. "What? Why? What have I done?" I asked politely but confused.

"Remain calm, ma'am. We need to confirm some suspicions," he said sternly.

All the time, Dana sat quietly watching the scene, not an effort to defend me. 

I followed the policeman outside.

He pointed to my car. "Is this your vehicle?"

"Yes," I replied, my voice trembling.

"Please unlock it," he requested.

Fear clawed at me as I complied. When the officers searched the car, they found a stash of illegal drugs hidden in the dashboard.

My heart sank. How was this possible? Cameras flashed as reporters swarmed the scene, gossiping loudly. My reputation was instantly ruined.

I turned to Dana, who stood by one of the officers. Her face was unreadable.

"What is this, Dana?" I demanded.

She smirked. "I'm sorry, Evelyn. I couldn't stand by and let you continue with your illegal activities."

"What? This isn't true!" I yelled, panic rising. "She's lying! This was planned! I don't do drugs!"

The officers ignored my protests. Dana's betrayal hit me like a knife to the heart.

"You bitch! You'll pay for this!" I screamed as the officers began escorting me to their vehicle.

We froze as a car screeched into the driveway. Leonard stepped out, his face thunderous.

"Let her go," he ordered the officer holding me.

"Sir—" the officer began, but Leonard silenced him with a sharp slap.

Dana tried to slip away, but another officer caught her.

I ran to Leonard, tears streaming down my face. "I'm sorry. I should have listened to you," I sobbed into his chest.

"Get in the car," he commanded, his voice hard.

I obeyed, trembling as I climbed into his car. From inside, I watched as Leonard demanded the restaurant's CCTV footage. The footage revealed Dana sneaking the drugs into my car.

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks. How could I have been so naive? I thought Dana's apology was genuine, but it was all a ploy.

The car door opened abruptly, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned, and my breath caught in my throat.

"Caleb," I whispered.

"Nice to see you again, Evelyn," he said with a sinister smirk.

"Please, don’t do anything to me," I begged, fear making my voice shake.

"It's too late," he sneered. "I can't have what I want, so I'll destroy you instead. Now, choose: your company or your life."

As he spoke, he pulled out a gun and pointed it at me.

"I'd rather die, Caleb," I spat.

A loud boom echoed, and I jolted awake.

My breathing was erratic, and my heart raced. Sweat drenched my body, and it took a moment to realize it was all a dream.

Leonard stirred beside me, stretching as he woke. "Babe, what happened?" he asked, noticing my distress.

Without a word, he pulled me into his arms. I trembled as I tried to recover from the nightmare.