In the end, I decide that it would be best if I went there myself. I don't want to involve Anthony in any of this. I've given him enough trouble as it is with my life. Now is the time for me to move on without inconveniencing anyone. So, on my day off, I'll ask Bethany to take care of Victor and I'll go see him. I have a fixed plan in my mind that I'm convinced will work. The only way I'll get close to Charlie and get some valuable information about Evan is if I act like I'm me. I can always say I found him and want information on Evan. I'll see then what he'll say. I’ll record our conversation and maybe try to find some clues around the house. I’m assuming Chester Road is where he lives, but I could be wrong. Work was uneventful and I had no chance to go up to the house. I have the lunch with Thomas, though, so I pick up Victor and tell him about it. I take note of how his face scrunches up and his mood shifts. “What, you don’t want to?” I ask him. “It’s whatever,” is his ans
Thomas opens the door for me and we stare at each other for a few seconds before he opens it wider, a signal for me to come inside. Once I’m in, he closes the door. “I don’t know what to say,” I tell him. “I’ve never seen him act like that.”“It’s okay,” he says. “No, really. It is. He’s a kid and I understand that he doesn’t like me. Trust me, I felt the same way about my mother whenever guys talked to her. I know what it’s like.”I recall the way he told me that he thinks Thomas is trying to be his dad. Where’s he getting that from? “I can’t stay long,” I remind him.He nods. “I know. I just thought you’d want to talk about this.”I sigh and cover my face with both hands. This is a nightmare. Thomas clears his throat, and I figure that he has more to say. He slides his hands in the pockets of his jeans and says, “I also thought that we could talk about us for a bit.”This makes me nervous. “What do you mean?”“I don’t know what’s brought you here,” he admits. “People move for al
Halfway up the damn stairs, I ask myself what the hell I’m doing. Even so, I keep going. My legs are carrying me up the stairs and into his room. I stop in front of the closed door and press my ear against it. I don’t hear much, so I decide to peer through the keyhole. I have something I plan to do, and it’ll work out only if I make it in there. I don’t see anyone when I peer through the keyhole. The room seems to be empty but I can smell something like shower gel. He’s still in the bath it seems. I should turn back. I shouldn’t be here. This is a suicidal mission. If I open the door and he’s in his room, he’ll see me and my plan will be ruined. I’ll be forced to put all of this on hold. But at the same time, Julius is starting with his bullshit and I’m not willing to sleep with him in order to keep this job. So, the point is that I have to act. I have to do something and quick. So, I hold my breath and open the door as slowly as I can. I hear the shower running and feel a sense
Evan's POVI step out of the shower and immediately look around the room, not caring if I'm dripping water all over the carpet. I'm pretty sure there was someone in here. I didn't see anyone but I heard the person walking around the room. I could've sworn it was Phillippa but why wouldn't she answer me when I called her?I glance at the door and take note of the fact that it's closed. Everything else in the room appears untouched. Am I imagining things? Maybe the stress is getting to me. That's the only sensible explanation for all of this. There wasn't anyone in the room. But there's this unfamiliar scent in the air. I take a few whiffs and feel every part of me coiling up. Did Phillippa get a new perfume or something? Because that's what it smells like to me. The scent is rich, earthy, fruity, and there's a depth to it that makes me breathe in more than I should. I return to the bathroom and dry myself, the new scent still clinging to my nostrils. I'm almost dressed when the door
My anxiety keeps me up at night. In the morning, I’m bleary-eyed and exhausted but my nervousness keeps me reasonably awake. I think about giving up multiple times. Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I’m making the biggest mistake of my life. What if I don’t come back from that trip? What if Charlie apprehends me and then calls Evan over to finish the job? There are many risks involved. The longer I think about them, the worse it gets. I drop off Victor, kiss his cheek, and then watch him head into the school’s building while I decide what to do next. I have to do something. I can’t just stand here. Do I go or not?Butterflies flutter in my stomach and not the pretty kind. I start feeling queasy. I have to decide. I give myself a few minutes. It’s a bad idea and I can just feel it. I might blow my cover completely. But if I don’t go, I might miss out on an important piece of information. I have to try. I’m on a lucky streak lately. This could be the reason why I changed my whole life and cam
I’m not sure of what it is I’ve found. It’s a file lying on top of a pile of other files and papers. His desk is an absolute mess and maybe that’s why it took me so long to locate it. It’s a huge brown envelope, and has markings in front of it. On the envelope, it’s written that the file is for Hector Redburn. Now, if I hadn’t known that Evan was Hector Redburn, this would fly right over my head and I would never have been able to discover the truth. But I know who he is now, so I know this is for him. Charlie is still apologizing for the sins of his nephew with that same insincere tone and I’m not paying attention anymore. All I’m focused on is finding out what’s inside this envelope. Charlie falls silent and this finally grabs my attention. He’s looking at me in a way that I can’t really describe. His fear from earlier is gone and has been replaced by a coldness that’s concerning. “Still living in the same place?” he asks. I nod as I swipe my thumb under my eyes. “Yeah. I alw
Julius is in the living room reading a newspaper when I arrive. He removes his glasses when he sees me and offers me a friendly smile, but beneath the smile, I can tell that there’s something off about him. “Is everything okay?” I ask him as I put my bag down. “Well,” he says with a sigh. “With me? Everything’s great. It’s next door that’s the problem.”My heart starts beating faster. “What’s wrong?”“Well, Hector has just fired everyone who worked for him,” he informs me. “The ones who worked in the house, that is.”My thoughts immediately go to the lipstick stain. Shit. I completely forgot about that. “Do you know why that is?”“He believes that someone is trying to sabotage his relationship with my granddaughter,” he answers while folding the newspaper. “So, he’s gone ahead and fired everyone. He’s in quite a bad mood.”My legs feel very weak all of a sudden, and I feel like I’ll throw up. Julius isn’t looking at me; his eyes are on his lap. He seems to be deep in thought. “Tha
Evan’s POV“Hector?”I look left and see Phillippa touching my arm. Her eyes are wide and she says, “Is everything okay? I’ve called you like ten times.”I shake my head. “I’m fine. Let’s get going.”I open the door for her to get in the car and then slam it shut. I’m agitated. I haven’t been in a good state of mind ever since Charlie called me yesterday to tell me about Leonora. I get in the car with Phillippa. She keeps looking at me with this expression that makes me feel like yelling at her to stop. It’s like she’s afraid I’ll hit her or something. It’s infuriating. She detects the smallest change in my demeanor and then makes a huge thing out of nothing. It’s what she’s always done. I can’t even rage in peace. I start the car and we get going ahead of everyone else. I think Julius is still waiting for his hooker or nurse or whatever the fuck the woman is to him. I don’t have the time. I have to get there before anyone else anyway because as the Alpha, I’m the one who’s meant t
The longer I stare at Anthony and he doesn't wake up, the more I panic. What if he's dead? What if I didn't just slam the vase in his head for him to pass out? I walk around him, trying to get a good look at his face. He doesn’t appear to be breathing, but maybe I’m just panicking way too much. So, I try not to panic and wait for him to stir, which he hasn’t done in the last ten minutes since I’ve been here standing over him. I decide that I’ve had enough. If he’s dead, then I’d rather know now than wait for longer. I kneel down, barely breathing as I reach out, and press two fingers against his neck, feeling for a pulse. My own heartbeat is so loud that it drowns out everything else. But then—a faint throb under my fingertips. He’s alive.I let out a sharp exhale of relief, though it’s short-lived. Slowly, his eyes flutter open, a groggy confusion clouding his gaze as he begins to stir and come to his senses. For a moment, he looks like he doesn’t recognize me, his gaze unfocused
Evan’s POV The road stretches out in front of me, winding and dark. My knuckles are white on the steering wheel, but I can’t let myself loosen my grip—not until I have him back. The text from her still sits on the screen beside me, her message short and mocking. It’s an address, nothing more, like a command.I’m not entirely sure of what to expect from this. Is she mocking me? Did she believe me when I said that I wanted to be with her?I know her well enough, since we’ve been together for quite some time. She wants me to come crawling. To say I was wrong, that I never should’ve left her. She thinks she has that kind of power over me, and I’ll let her believe it. I’ll say whatever she needs to hear, promise her the world if that’s what it takes to get my son back. I don’t care what I have to do. I’ll do whatever is necessary. I’ll be selfless for once. My stomach twists at the thought, a bitterness that feels like swallowing nails, but there’s no other way.I turn off the main roa
Evan’s POVI call Phillippa, and she doesn’t answer the phone. It’s not off, so she’s probably staring at her phone and smiling to herself as she watches her screen light up with my name flashing across it. “Bitch,” I curse before groaning in frustration. Each passing second deepens the knots in my stomach. Victor’s gone, and every instinct in my body screams to find him, to bring him back where he belongs. I didn’t even think that I had it in me to feel so much paternal instinct. I barely know him, yet my despair would’ve been the same even if I’d raised him his whole life. I’ve lost count of the calls I’ve made by now, and I still have no answers. Even some of the men who once were on my side won’t answer the phone. Then again, they were Montgomery contacts, not mine. Every lead has crumbled, and I’m left staring at the emptiness of my own mistakes.I’m fucked, through and through. I should be leaving the city by now if I have any hopes of escaping the bullshit investigation tha
I shove Anthony off of me with all my strength, and even that doesn’t feel enough to completely shake his touch off. It seems this terrible night is determined not to end. It’s like a never-ending nightmare. A surge of disgust and anger rips through me. I can’t believe he’s done this. That he would try to kiss me. I’ve always seen him as a father figure, so this really messes with me more than words can say. He stumbles back, his eyes widening with shock, but his shocked expression quickly changes into a bitter scowl. "Milena," he says, his voice low and edged with that same twisted need he’s tried to rationalize as love only a few moments ago. “You don’t understand. Everything I’ve done... I did for you. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again until you understand. Until it sinks into your thick skull!”“For me?” I hiss, my voice shaking with disbelief and rage. “You murdered Thomas. You tortured Evan. And now you think you can stand here and—what? Kiss me? Confess some sick
Sitting alone in my apartment while Evan goes hunting for our son is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. The silence in the apartment is almost unbearable, pressing down on me with a weight I can't carry. I sit on the edge of the sofa, staring blankly at the door, waiting for it to open, and for Evan to walk into the apartment with Victor safe in his arms. The ache in my chest is relentless; a mixture of fear and guilt and helplessness that threatens to consume me.It’s the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. This despair is unlike any other. There’s no pain worse than having my son taken away from me by some lunatic with the worst of intentions. I’d been a fool to leave him by myself. I was irresponsible. If anything happens to Victor, I’ll blame myself forever. I’ll never get over it. Not ever. Phillippa took him—our son, my sweet Victor. It’s hard to even wrap my mind around the reality of it, that she would go so far, that she would hurt Evan and me by taking the one th
Evan’s POVThe taxi stops outside Leo’s apartment building, and she pays the nosy asshole before we step outside. Leo opens the door and exits the car quickly. She’s moving fast, her body almost vibrating with energy. She’s probably in shock, maybe in pain after everything that’s happened, but right now, she’s got one focus, and that’s Victor. I don’t mind it. At least one of us should get there fast and make sure that that fuck isn’t there, hurting him. I’ve promised her that I have a place where I can put her and Vic for a while, at least just until she can get to the bottom of this. I’d follow her up the stairs, but I know that I’m not going to be able to make it. I watch her disappear inside the building for a moment, feeling that pull again, that sense of her slipping through my fingers, just like she did once before. But I don’t have time to think about that now. But this is different. Now, we have a sort of understanding with each other. She’s not going to run away. Where wo
After a few minutes of messing with the chains, I finally figure out how to release him. Evan lands on the ground with a thud, and groans in pain as a result. I make my way to his side, wanting to touch him to help him stand up, but then stopping myself. These conflicting emotions will be the end of me. I stare at him as he tries to catch his breath, and for a moment, I feel sorry for him. His eyes meet mine, and within them, I see the same amount of sadness that I feel, but his is blended with disbelief. “You shouldn’t have come,” he says before coughing weakly. “You shouldn’t be here. I’m not...worth it.”His words catch me off guard. “What?”“I deserve what’s being done to me,” he then says before his eyes study my face. His body is shaking, and I’m not sure why. “I’m just glad to know that you’re alright.”I grit my teeth. “That’s not your decision to make, Evan. I’m the one who gets to decide what I do, not you.”He turns on his side, and then peels his shirt from his body, sh
“Why would I tell you anything regarding that?” Anthony says to him in the most cruel voice imaginable. I’ve never heard him use this voice on anyone before. I barely even recognize it. Why has he been keeping Evan here? So, he knew where he was this whole time?I have a terrible feeling in my gut. “I just want to know that she’s safe,” Evan rasps. This is followed by a dull sound, like someone punching a wall of meat, and Evan groans in pain. I cover my mouth with my hand. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Why would Anthony do this? Out of all the things he could do, why? Why keep Evan prisoner? He’s clearly hurting him. I came here thinking that I would find a clue concerning whether he killed Thomas or not, but instead, I find this. And there’s no satisfaction in this for me. This is something I never expected from Anthony. I know he hates Evan, but to go to this extent. I almost feel ashamed of my feelings. It’s not like I’m saying this because I care about Evan—he has ruine
“…right, Leo?”I turn my attention back to Anthony, and ask him, “Sorry, what?”Anthony is standing by the window of the living room, eyeing me strangely. He then says, “Are you okay, Leo? Is there something in your mind? You’ve been distracted all day.”“No, I’m fine,” I claim, even though it’s a blatant lie. “Don’t worry about it.”I have to admit that I haven’t been fine since I found that sweater. My spirit is restless, and I have to find out what the hell is going on here. Anthony is hiding things from me. It’s easier to notice this when I’m paying attention, and I can tell the huge difference between his normal state and now. I’m just horrified. The sun behind him is setting, and the fading light casting long shadows across my apartment. I’m sitting on the couch, trying to seem relaxed, but there’s a tightness in my chest that won’t go away. There are times when I think that my suspicions are nonsensical, and that I should just ask him what the sweater was about outright inste