Chapter 7

The computer wasn’t locked. It booted up instantly.

Evelyn’s pulse spiked at how fast it responded.

She inhaled sharply, plugged in the flash drive, and logged into her email.

Within moments, she’d sent the file to her classmate.

It was unsettling how flawlessly it had gone.

By noon, the task was done.

Evelyn didn’t dare linger. As she moved to shut it down, her fingers slipped.

A file flickered open on the screen.

Her breath hitched as her gaze locked onto the contents.

……

Five minutes later, Evelyn stepped out of the study.

Mrs. Wilkins exhaled in relief. "See? I told you Master Dominic wouldn’t be back so soon."

Evelyn’s stomach twisted. She’d stumbled onto something she shouldn’t have.

She never should’ve touched his computer.

"Are there cameras in the study, Mrs. Wilkins?" Evelyn asked, voice tight.

"Only outside," the housekeeper replied.

Evelyn paled.

"Then he’ll know I was in there."

"Just explain it to him when he returns. It was barely ten minutes. He won’t be too upset," Mrs. Wilkins soothed.

A notification chimed on Evelyn’s phone.

Her classmate had wired her payment—three hundred and twenty dollars.

She hadn’t expected that much for two hours of work.

The money eased the knot in her chest.

She hadn’t meant to snoop.

She’d tell Dominic everything when he got home.

They were divorcing anyway. After that, his secrets wouldn’t matter.

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Evelyn retreated to her room after lunch, shutting the door behind her.

At her vanity, she pressed a hand to her still-flat stomach.

"I don’t want to let you go," she whispered. "But keeping you would only make your life harder than mine."

Pregnancy exhaustion pulled her under, and she dozed off at the table.

Frantic footsteps jolted her awake.

Before she could gather herself, the door flew open.

"Madam!" Mrs. Wilkins looked stricken. "Did you tamper with Master Dominic’s computer?"

Evelyn’s throat went dry.

"Is—is he back? Did he find out?"

The housekeeper wrung her hands. "You said you just sent a file! Master Dominic claims you accessed something else. He’s raging in the study! I don’t know how to help you now!"

Evelyn’s heart hammered violently.

One thought consumed her: She was dead.

At this rate, the divorce wouldn’t matter—Dominic might kill her first.

Tears pricked her eyes.

"I’m sorry, Mrs. Wilkins. I didn’t mean to. My hands shook when I tried to close it. I swear, I only glanced before shutting it—"

Mrs. Wilkins believed her, but it didn’t matter.

"He screamed at me. I might lose my job over this."

Evelyn’s pulse roared. She’d face punishment, but she wouldn’t drag the housekeeper down with her.

She marched out, ready to confess.

The elevator doors slid open on the first floor.

A bodyguard wheeled Dominic into the foyer.

The mansion had only three floors, yet an elevator had been installed.

Evelyn’s breath caught as she took in Dominic’s expression—dark, furious, his eyes burning with rage.

She’d expected anger, but not this.

"I’m sorry, Dominic," she choked out. "My laptop crashed this morning. I used your computer without asking. Mrs. Wilkins tried to stop me. This isn’t her fault."

She took full blame.

The bodyguard halted the wheelchair in the living room.

Evelyn forced herself to meet Dominic’s gaze.

His eyes were bloodshot. She’d truly enraged him.

"I’m sorry," she repeated, voice trembling.

"You saw everything, didn’t you?" His tone was lethally quiet.

His hands clenched, knuckles white.

If he weren’t confined to that chair, she had no doubt he’d strangle her.

This reckless, stupid woman.

Did she think she had any right to his things?

Damn her.

Evelyn nodded—then shook her head violently. "I barely remember! I closed it immediately! I didn’t mean to invade your privacy. I was nervous, and my fingers slipped—"

"Silence!" Dominic snarled.

Her excuses sickened him.

"Go to your room. Don’t leave until the divorce is finalized."

Evelyn swallowed her explanations.

She turned and fled.

His loathing was palpable.

The moment her door clicked shut, Dominic’s jaw clenched.

"No meals for her," he told Mrs. Wilkins.

Was he imprisoning and starving her?

The housekeeper pitied Evelyn but didn’t dare argue.

In the Blackwood estate, Dominic’s word was law.

……

Two days later, Eleanor was discharged from the hospital, her blood pressure stabilized.

She headed straight to Dominic’s mansion.

"How’s your recovery, darling?" Eleanor beamed. "What did the doctors say? When will you walk again?"

"The prognosis is good," Dominic replied. "There’s something we need to discuss, Mother."

Eleanor’s smile dimmed. "Is this about your marriage? I arranged it. Evelyn is sweet. I adore her—where is she? You didn’t throw her out, did you?"

"I didn’t," Dominic said coolly, then nodded at Mrs. Wilkins.

The housekeeper hurried toward Evelyn’s room.

Two days without food or water.

She wondered if the girl was even conscious.