She's back!

Eveyeln's POV

I didn’t even know who to run to. My legs trembled underneath me, refusing to carry me any farther. I just stood there—shaking, breathless, frozen. My whole world was spinning, and the ground beneath me felt like it could crack open at any second and swallow me whole. This... this was all my fault.

Before I could even blink again, the police stormed in, their boots loud against the floor. My heart jumped in my chest. He was still here—he was still in the room!

But like a ghost, he vanished. He darted through the window just before the officers spotted him.

“We’ve called an ambulance. Where’s the suspect?” one officer asked firmly, stepping closer to me.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Not a word, not even a breath. I was too scared to even move. My lips trembled, my mind screamed, but I said nothing. Maybe I couldn’t.

Soon, the ambulance arrived. They placed both Louis and Samuel onto stretchers, their bodies bruised and lifeless, yet breathing. I was allowed to ride along. The van smelled like antiseptic and blood, and I kept my eyes on them—on the men who had risked their lives for mine.

As we waited outside the emergency room, my phone rang.

Unknown number.

With a hesitant breath, I answered. “Hello?”

His voice slithered through the speaker like a snake. “Don’t end the call.”

I froze.

“I didn’t take his phone. You must continue to call him. Call him tonight. Like right now. Or your life... will be in danger.”

Click.

The line went dead.

I dropped the phone. My hands were shaking, my whole body pacing itself into panic. What the hell was happening? He was getting worse—more dangerous. My life was at risk.

But why? Why me?

I hugged myself, trying to find warmth in a freezing hospital hallway. And then my thoughts drifted to Louis. The man who saved me. Why? Why would he do that?

He doesn’t love me. He made that clear.

So why would he risk everything for me?

I had no time to make sense of it before a doctor approached. “They’re fine now. You may see them,” he said kindly.

Without a second thought, I rushed inside.

My eyes found Louis immediately. My feet carried me faster than I thought they could. I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly, my fingers gripping his shirt like I never wanted to let go.

Tears welled in my eyes.

“I thought you’d die. Why did you save me?” I typed on my phone and showed it to him.

He chuckled, that soft, teasing smile of his lighting up his face. “So you’re worried about me now?”

I pulled back, glaring at him. He was always like this—deflecting with sarcasm. Typical Louis.

Behind me, I heard Samuel let out a groan. I turned immediately and ran to him, kneeling beside him and giggling slightly through my tears as he pulled me into a weak hug.

Louis’s eyes never left us. I could feel it. The tension was loud and thick like a thunderstorm ready to break.

The doctor came back, telling us we could leave.

“Go with me,” Louis offered casually, like it didn’t mean the world to me.

But Samuel, ever the persistent one, stepped in. “No. We’d rather take a taxi,” I typed and helped Samuel up. He could barely stand, but I didn’t want Louis to have the satisfaction of thinking I needed him.

Louis didn’t stop me.

Why was I disappointed?

In the taxi, I was quiet, staring out of the window while my thoughts screamed louder than ever.

“Why are you quiet?” Samuel asked, nudging me gently.

I gave a small nod to let him know I was fine. Of course, I wasn’t.

“You should say sorry for what happened to me,” he said, grinning weakly.

I typed quickly: “Sorry. I had a lot on my mind. Thank you… and I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I’ll take responsibility. I’ll give you more money.”

He scoffed. “I told you—I don’t want more money.”

“What then do you need?”

He looked me straight in the eyes. “I need you.”

My heart did a backflip.

“What do you mean?” I typed, my fingers trembling.

He laughed, throwing his head back. “Let’s make this real. Can you just… love me? I know you love him, but I’m here.”

My mind short-circuited. What? What was he saying?

Just as I was about to type something back, he threw up his hands. “Look! You’re getting all serious! I’m just kidding!”

Liar. That smile didn’t match the sadness in his eyes.

“We’re here now,” I typed with a scowl, shoving my phone at his face.

We stepped out. A hotel. A fancy one. Wait—he brought me here? Who was he, really?

“You didn’t have to take me home. Thanks, boss. You can leave now—or stick around and waste some time,” he said coolly.

I hesitated. Should I go in with him?

But then my phone buzzed again.

My stepmother.

I read the message with dread pooling in my stomach: “Get into the car. Louis’s family is here. We need to discuss something important.”

A car pulled up. My father's butler stood outside, opening the door.

“Ma’am, you have to come with me,” he said.

With a sinking heart and teary eyes, I got in.

We pulled up to the mansion—my father’s house. I hadn’t been here since marrying Louis.

My marriage… It had saved me from so much. And yet Louis was a demon in disguise.

As I stepped into the grand hallway, I saw everyone seated. No smiles. No warmth. Not even a single "welcome home." Just stiff faces, bitter expressions.

“You couldn’t even come with your husband!” my stepmother scoffed.

But then, as if summoned by magic, Louis walked in. His voice echoed, smooth and confident. “I’m here now.”

Dressed in a suit, looking like a magazine cover model, he sat beside me like he belonged there. Like he wasn’t the man who’d once broken my heart a hundred times.

“Welcome, my son,” my father said, and my heart twisted.

My stepmother smiled like a crocodile. “We called you both for something very, very important.”

“What could it be?” I typed.

“You didn’t love her at first, and now—well—we have some good news.”

I narrowed my eyes.

She continued, “We didn’t tell anyone, but it’s time.”

She turned toward the hallway. “Come out now, Erica.”

My blood turned cold.

Erica? That name—my sister’s name. The sister I believed had died.

I turned.

There she was. Grown up. Alive. Beautiful. Smiling.

What the hell?

“Louis, meet your real bride. She’s not mute, like this one here. Would you divorce your wife and marry her instead?” my stepmother asked like this was some kind of twisted game show.

I couldn't breathe. My jaw dropped. Tears filled my eyes.

She wasn’t dead. All those years of suffering. All that silence. I had pretended to be mute to gain sympathy while she was hidden and pampered?

She walked over to me, arms open, smiling like a long-lost friend.

“Nice meeting you again, sister. I’ve missed you,” she said, hugging me.

Her perfume filled my nostrils. She was perfect. Intact. While I was a broken mess.

My life was a mess. And yes, maybe I was finally getting that divorce from Louis.

But why—why was my heart breaking?

What was this strange feeling?

Love? Regret? Or was it just another kind of pain?

I didn’t know.

All I knew was—I couldn’t take much more of this.