Chapter 181
Claire nodded sharply. "Consider this. You trained under master practitioners for years. A rookie mistake like that? Impossible. And Vanessa was standing right beside you that day. If she didn't sabotage you, who else could have?"
Evelyn stayed quiet. All these years, she'd refused to believe the worst in people.
First, she'd just been welcomed back into the Hayes family. She and Vanessa had no history, no prior clashes. That gala was their first real interaction.
Second, Vanessa had been barely fifteen then. To plot something so vile—to take a life just to ruin hers? The idea seemed too monstrous to entertain.
Evelyn had always assumed their rivalry was petty, surface-level. She never imagined Vanessa could harbor such darkness.
"She framed you for a crime you didn’t commit and landed you in prison for three years," Claire pointed out, voice hardening. "Tell me, Evelyn, what lines wouldn’t she cross?"
Claire’s lips thinned. "You’re too decent to fathom how twisted her mind is. But for someone like Vanessa? There are no limits. Only your inability to imagine them."
Silence stretched between them.
Evelyn’s nails dug into her palms.
Was it really Vanessa?
The doubt coiled like a serpent in her chest.
Memories resurfaced—Vanessa’s sweet smile that night, the way she’d "comforted" Evelyn afterward, whispering false sympathy while the police dragged her away.
A chill slithered down Evelyn’s spine.
Claire leaned in. "You need to face the truth. That girl? She’s poison."
Evelyn exhaled slowly.
For the first time, she let herself consider the unthinkable.
What if Claire was right?
What if Vanessa had always been this cruel?
"Perhaps we should leave now," Evelyn murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Claire reached out, her fingers gently encircling Evelyn's wrist. "With your exceptional acupuncture skills, it would be such a waste not to use them," she encouraged with a warm smile.
Evelyn's lips curved upward as she repositioned her fingers against Claire's pulse point. Suddenly, her eyes widened in shock.
"Claire, you..." Evelyn's voice trailed off, her expression unreadable.
"What is it?" Claire teased, her smile playful. "Did you discover something interesting?"
Evelyn's gaze slowly dropped to Claire's abdomen. Following her friend's line of sight, Claire looked down at her own stomach.
A heavy silence settled between them, thick with unspoken realization.
The quiet was abruptly shattered by the sound of the front door opening.
Julian had returned.
That evening, Julian was given the guest bedroom. When morning light filtered through the curtains, Evelyn awoke to find an elaborate breakfast spread across the dining table.
Julian emerged from the kitchen, an apron tied around his waist. His slender fingers carefully balanced the edge of a porcelain plate.
Hearing Evelyn's footsteps, he turned his head instinctively. The morning sunlight caught the sharp angles of his face, highlighting the faint traces of exhaustion around his eyes.
"Sleep well?" he asked, his voice still rough from sleep. Without waiting for an answer, he gestured toward the table. "I thought you might be hungry."
Evelyn's eyes scanned the assortment of dishes - freshly baked croissants, a bowl of mixed berries, and what appeared to be homemade granola. The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.
"You didn't have to do all this," Evelyn said, though her stomach betrayed her with an audible growl.
Julian merely shrugged, a small smile playing at his lips. "Consider it repayment for letting me crash here." He paused, then added, "Besides, cooking helps me think."
Evelyn opened her mouth to respond when Claire's bedroom door creaked open. Both turned to see her standing in the doorway, one hand resting protectively over her stomach.
The unspoken tension from the previous night returned, heavier than before. Julian's gaze flickered between the two women, sensing the shift in atmosphere but saying nothing.
Claire approached the table with deliberate slowness. "Something smells amazing," she commented, though her voice lacked its usual energy.
Julian pulled out a chair for her. "Sit. You look like you could use a proper meal."
As Claire settled into the seat, Evelyn noticed the slight tremor in her friend's hands. The morning light revealed dark circles beneath Claire's eyes that hadn't been there yesterday.
The three of them sat in uneasy silence, the clinking of silverware against porcelain the only sound in the room. Outside, a bird began its morning song, oblivious to the tension thickening the air inside.
Evelyn opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips when Claire suddenly pushed back her chair with a sharp scrape.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Claire gasped, one hand flying to her mouth as she bolted for the bathroom.
The remaining two exchanged a loaded glance. Julian's eyebrows drew together in concern. "Should I...?"
Evelyn was already on her feet. "I've got this," she said, though her voice lacked conviction.
As she hurried after her friend, Evelyn couldn't shake the growing sense that their lives were about to change in ways none of them were prepared for.
"Is Claire still asleep?" Lucas asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Evelyn nodded, stirring her coffee absentmindedly. "She rarely wakes up early. You really don’t have to go through so much trouble with breakfast every morning."
Julian merely smiled in response before disappearing into the kitchen to grab two sets of utensils.
Last night, when Claire had suggested letting Julian stay, everyone knew it was just to get under Lucas’s skin. Evelyn hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
But now, watching Julian move quietly around the kitchen, she realized it might actually be good for Claire to have someone like him around.
Evelyn glanced at the clock. It was a weekday. She remembered Julian mentioning he was a student.
Curious, she tilted her head. "Don’t you have classes today?"
Julian’s hands stilled for a moment before he lowered his gaze. "I… took a leave of absence," he admitted softly.
Evelyn didn’t press further, but the pieces clicked into place.
With his father’s gambling debts hanging over him, Julian had no choice but to put his education on hold.
"What were you studying?" she asked instead.
"Medicine," Julian answered, his voice steady despite the weight of the word.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Were you good at it?"
The corner of Julian’s mouth lifted slightly, but his eyes remained shadowed. "Top of my class."
Evelyn exhaled slowly, struck by the unfairness of it all.
She took another sip of her coffee, watching as Julian set the table with quiet precision.
Maybe fate had brought him here for a reason.
"They're... managing," Julian murmured, his voice laced with hesitation.
Evelyn gave a slow nod. "I'll speak to Claire later and arrange for her to send you an advance." Her tone softened, though her gaze remained firm. "But don't hand it all over to your father at once."
Money given too easily loses its worth. And for a gambler? It only feeds the addiction, making the future bleeder.
She knew this truth intimately. She'd witnessed it play out before.
Julian dipped his head in agreement. "I won't."
In a hurry, Evelyn finished the last few bites of her breakfast before snatching up her bag and heading out.
As she walked, her thoughts lingered on Julian. It would be such a waste for him to abandon his studies now, especially when he was so close to graduating.
But since Claire was the one funding his education and looking after him, it was only right that she be the one to ensure he stayed on track.
The morning air was crisp as Evelyn stepped into the bustling streets of Cresthaven. The city hummed with energy, but her mind was elsewhere.
She couldn't shake the unease coiling in her stomach.
Something about Julian’s situation felt too familiar—like history threatening to repeat itself.
She quickened her pace.
First, work. Then, she’d deal with the rest.
But the thought nagged at her.
Would Claire really be enough to keep Julian from falling into the same trap?
Or was this just the beginning of another downward spiral?