Chapter 4 Departure

“Get rid of the baby!” Richard said coldly in response to Evelyn's shocking news. “We’re having an abortion today!”

Evelyn furrowed her brows at her father’s words. “But, Dad…” She glanced down at her stomach, gently rubbing it. “The baby isn’t at fault.”

Richard raised an eyebrow. “So what?” He felt uneasy, sensing his daughter had a foolish idea. “The baby might not be to blame, but you are! Aborting the baby is the best way to fix your mistake!”

Evelyn closed her eyes, knowing she could never be right in her father's eyes. She realized that her night with a stranger was her fault. Yet, after reflecting on everything for weeks, she became certain of one thing: someone had set her up.

“I’ll take responsibility for my mistake, but not by getting rid of this baby,” she replied firmly, meeting her father's gaze. “I won’t abort it.”

“Shut your damn mouth!” Richard slammed his hand on the table, unable to contain his anger. “You should know that despite the rumors flying around, I’ve convinced the Sterling family to keep the engagement going!”

“What?” Both Evelyn and Rebecca were shocked by his statement.

Richard scoffed. “In the end, money talks. The Sterlings know joining our families is the best choice. So even though Andre suggested canceling the engagement, the elders didn’t care and forced him to continue it,” he explained with a proud smile.

Evelyn shook her head slowly, feeling this was all wrong. Before she could speak, Rebecca chimed in, “Dad, that’s not fair to Andre!”

Evelyn and Richard frowned at Rebecca, realizing she had crossed a line.

“It’s not just unfair to Andre, but to Evelyn too. Continuing the engagement will hurt everyone,” Rebecca insisted, trying to justify her words. “Evelyn wants a baby born from love, and aborting it will break her heart. Plus, Andre knows Evelyn has someone else in her heart. Their marriage would be unhappy and lead to suffering, Dad.”

Rebecca's explanation deepened the furrow in Evelyn's brow. She had already explained to her sister that her encounter with the mysterious man in room 1010 was an accident.

So why was Rebecca now fabricating stories to link her to that man just to cancel the engagement with Andre?

“Be quiet, Rebecca. Do you think I care?” Richard pointed at Evelyn’s stomach and continued, “The baby is just an obstacle! If you don’t get rid of it, my plans to elevate our family’s status by joining the Sterlings will fail!”

Evelyn felt hurt by her father’s words, but her gaze remained on Rebecca, who was now biting her lip. “Why should Evelyn be the one to suffer?” Rebecca asked firmly. “I can take Evelyn’s place in the Sterling family.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened, and her fists clenched. 'Rebecca...,' she thought in disbelief. A tear silently rolled down her cheek.

Rebecca’s words confirmed Evelyn’s worst fear: the person who had set her up was her own sister.

Rebecca’s eyes landed on Evelyn for a moment. “Compared to Evelyn, who has a scandalous affair with another man, wouldn’t replacing her make the Sterlings happier?”

**

“Seat 21F is right here, Ma’am,” said a flight attendant with a polite smile to the new passenger.

“Thank you,” replied the passenger with an equally sweet smile that made the attendant momentarily mesmerized. When the woman didn’t retrieve her item, she said, “My ticket, please.”

The attendant snapped out of his daze and awkwardly handed her the ticket. “Here you go, ma’am. Sorry about that.”

The woman smiled as she took back her ticket, which read, ‘Evelyn Sinclair.’

Once seated, Evelyn let out a long sigh, putting in her earbuds and turning her gaze to the window. The memory of her father agreeing to let Rebecca take her place in the political engagement made her smile wryly, wanting to laugh at how shallow the old man’s thinking was.

“Since you won’t get rid of that baby, you have to leave New Santerra!” her father’s command echoed in her mind. “From now on, don’t ever use the Collins name again!”

So, Sinclair became Evelyn's last name, the family name she took from her late mother.

‘I’m tired,’ Evelyn thought as she leaned her head back against the hard airplane seat. ‘Power, status, even love… I no longer want any of it.’

As the plane began to take off, she sighed, leaving behind the painful memories of her homeland.

Her gaze fell to her still-flat stomach, marveling at how a new life was forming inside her. She gently rubbed her belly and whispered, “Now, it’s just the two of us.”