Evan's POV“What the fuck is the meaning of this!?” I ask aggressively as I approach them all. Barbara’s eyes blaze with fury. “Ha! There you are!”I look down at Leonora, who’s still on the ground, and my protective instincts kick in. I wrap a hand around her arm and pull her to her feet. Barbara becomes even more infuriated. She gives me a look of utter disbelief, but I don’t stop to think of how my rash actions will affect this. Right now, all I can focus on is the fact that she’s been hurt. It occupies my mind entirely and even surpasses my concern about maintaining a good relationship with the Montgomerys. “I’m glad you’ve showed up,” Barbara says in the coldest voice possible. “I couldn’t have planned this better if I tried.”My gaze shifts to Julius, who’s still by the door. He doesn’t join us out here; he just stays put. His eyes are on me and in them, I see the truth that he can’t conceal behind a smile the way he usually does. My interference—my very presence here—is inc
When Evan returns to the car, I ignore the look he gives me and just get in the car. Although he’s the last person in the world I wanted to see right now, at least he’ll be taking me away from this place. When Phillippa’s mother showed up and started practically attacking me, I didn’t know what to do. She demanded to know whether I had an affair with Evan. Of course, she called him Hector. When I said I didn’t, she hit me, and I never felt so humiliated in all my life. To make matters worse, she struck me so hard that I lost my balance and fell. That was when Evan showed up. Evan is furious. I can feel his anger emanating off him. He dumps my bag onto my lap and then starts the car. We’re not even out of the gate before he says, “You’ll leave tonight and I’ll deal with Julius accordingly. Are we understood?”A scoff leaves my lips. Does he really expect me to dump my future in his hands? I will never trust him to take care of this situation better than me. He doesn’t care enough;
Evan's POVIt’s late at night and for some reason, I can’t make myself go home. I’m on my third cigar now, and the bottle of whiskey in front of me is half-full. Right now, what I need is a distraction, and going back home is just going to remind me of the shit that’s been happening nonstop in my life. I took all my peaceful days for granted, and it’s a mistake I won’t be making again. I swivel around in my chair to stare out the window in my office that overlooks the city. The blinds haven’t been closed, so I still have the view. It’s breathtaking, and one of the things that I really loved about this office space before I bought it. I’m a little too drunk, but my thoughts are crystal clear. I’m not going to sit around and wait for her to ask me for help because that’s not going to happen. I have to act now that things haven’t gotten so bad. Thinking about that man in Julius’ cottage makes me angry. Who was he? I hadn’t questioned him about it but thinking of him now made me assu
Waking up in the morning is extremely difficult, mostly because I didn’t sleep much last night and I’m not looking forward to the day ahead of me. Every bone in my body is in pain, and when I go into the bathroom and look into the mirror, I see that my face is a little swollen where Phillippa’s mother hit me. I touch the bruise and it sends pain along my jawline. Angrily, I apply some makeup to my face and then get ready for the shit day this is going to be. I leave my apartment. I don’t have a way of locking the door, so I leave it at that. I stare at the stairs that lead up to the next floor, though, and I find myself thinking about Thomas. The time we spent together feels like a been distant memory at this point, and honestly, I hate it. I’m saddened. He was good to me. I should’ve known to stay away. I should’ve insisted.It’s too late for that now, so I exit the building and take what I think will be my last Uber to Evan’s house. I don’t think Julius will want to beat around t
I meet with Anthony in the hotel, and all I can do is cry in his arms for the longest time. What I’ve been through in the past few days was horrible, but honestly, I couldn’t be more happy with the conclusion of the story. At least I didn’t have to do what Julius wanted me to. What’s making me desperate is knowing how close I got to being used like a rag and tossed away. It was so close. I’ll certainly never again meddle in affairs that are too much for me to handle. That’s a lesson I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. “Is it over?” he asks me tenderly. “It is,” I say. I don’t quite feel ready to tell him that Julius Montgomery is now dead. I’m having a bit of a hard time registering that fact as well. I’m in a bit of shock, really. I just watched that man die in the most abrupt way possible. “Great. Let’s get going.”If I have to be completely honest, I never really saw myself packing and going home. I don’t know why that is. Now that I know that Julius planned on killin
I push open the door of my apartment easily and look around. Now that I’m safe and free from danger, I feel very lethargic. I have so much to do so we can get out of here by tomorrow, and to make matters worse, Victor isn’t happy with the decision. I thought he’d be happy. That was what gave me the strength to leave. Things have never been as messy as they are now. I put my bag on the couch, and sit down next to it. I stare at the screen of the television for a long time while I try to organize my thoughts. It’s impossible, though, because all I keep seeing is Julius being shot, and tremors travel down my spine in the process. He died right when he had to. Right when he was going to scare me for life. All thanks to Evan. Gratitude is the last thing I ever thought I’d feel toward the man who ruined my life and allowed me to hit rock bottom for years. I had to struggle to keep afloat. Having a baby so young with no means to provide for it was a challenge that I’ll skip in the nex
Evan’s POVThings have been a mess after Julius’ death, and I’ve had a lot of fucking cleaning up to do. Staging a murder as a suicide takes a lot of effort, particularly because you don’t want to leave signs that a murder could’ve been involved. I made it seem like he killed himself by placing the gun strategically in his hand, and cleaning up all the prints from absolutely everywhere that I could’ve touched. Now that the job’s done, all that’s left for me to do is stand aside and comfort the ladies. Phillippa has come back, and she’s devastated by the death of her uncle. It’s like the last few days haven’t happened at all. Honestly, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it hasn’t been that long at all. It feels like weeks since she left to live with her mother. She’s now relying fully on me to comfort her and it’s like we never separated. Barbara is a different story. I don’t like the way she’s looking at me at all. She’s suspicious of the whole thing and
Two weeks later…Thomas nuzzles the side of my neck and wraps his arm tighter around me. “Good morning, my love.”I find myself smiling as I move inch to him. He begins kissing the side of my neck and I shudder with delight. For the past few weeks, we’ve been in the honeymoon stage of our relationship. Everything has been so wonderful and perfect. I’m glad that I decided to stay, even though my decision upset Anthony, who’s been on my side since day one. He wanted me to leave because he never trusted Evan and he thinks I’m making a mistake. I understand his concern, but at the same time, I can’t stop living my life because I’m afraid of Evan. I have to move on. And this is how I want to move on. For such a long time, I’ve been bitter, and my heart has been cold. Thomas made me feel alive again, and the more time we spend together, the more certain I become of my feelings. “Morning,” I murmur. “I wish I could stay in bed with you all day,” he tells me. “But I have work today. Unfo
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