Chapter 384
Dominic's question made Evelyn's brows knit together in confusion.
What was he implying? He was interrogating her about his mother's passing?
How bizarre! Why wouldn't he simply ask Eleanor herself?
Even more perplexing was Eleanor's silence - over an hour had elapsed since their conversation. Why hadn't she revealed the truth to him yet?
Evelyn lifted her water glass with trembling fingers, taking a deliberate sip to steady herself.
"Why don't you ask your mother directly?" As the words left her lips, suspicion crept into Evelyn's mind.
Something was terribly wrong. Eleanor wouldn't have kept silent unless...
"My mother is dead." Dominic's voice was thick with grief, each word dripping with barely contained anguish. "You were the last person she spoke to. I need to know what you discussed."
The glass slipped from Evelyn's grasp, clattering against the table. A wave of dizziness washed over her.
"Eleanor's gone? How?" Her voice came out in a whisper.
"Answer me!" Dominic's patience shattered like broken glass. What he'd initially believed to be a tragic accident now seemed shrouded in mystery.
His mother had lived in that apartment for decades without incident. Why would she suddenly fall? Had something - or someone - provoked her?
That final five-minute call to Evelyn of all people... The timing was too coincidental. Too suspicious.
Evelyn's cheeks burned under his accusatory stare.
She'd feared Eleanor might reveal her secret, but never imagined this outcome. While she bore no responsibility for the woman's death, Dominic's tone made it clear where he placed the blame.
An icy realization settled in Evelyn's chest - suspicion could poison even the deepest bonds.
She'd kept her children's existence hidden precisely because she didn't trust him. Didn't believe him capable of being the father they deserved.
His current behavior only confirmed her fears - controlling, volatile, and utterly self-absorbed.
"My conversation with your mother was private!" Evelyn ground out between clenched teeth. "I had nothing to do with her death!"
Dominic's expression darkened with bitter disappointment.
"Your defensiveness speaks volumes," he rasped, voice raw with grief. "My mother's death clearly involves you."
While he mourned, she stood there guarded and evasive, every word like salt in his wounds.
All he wanted was to know his mother's final words. Was that truly so unreasonable?
No - what was unreasonable was her callous refusal.
"You've already convicted me in your mind!" Evelyn's temples throbbed with building pressure. "Nothing I say matters! If you need a scapegoat for your grief, then yes, I killed your mother!"
She drew a shuddering breath before continuing, each syllable precise and cutting. "Dominic. The love I once felt for you has turned to ashes. I'll never hope for anything from you again! I'll carry the weight of your false accusation until my dying day!"
The words poured out in a torrent. She couldn't fathom his pain - her own anguish eclipsed everything.
That very morning, Eleanor had reveled in her suffering. Now Dominic stood here accusing her of murder.
The irony was almost laughable.
Evelyn's declaration turned Dominic's heart to stone. If hatred was all she could offer, then mercy had no place between them.
"Bring Evelyn to me," he commanded the waiting bodyguard, his voice colder than winter frost.