Chapter 189

Margaret's voice trembled with frustration. "Why must you be so dramatic? A few simple words and you're ready to abandon your family!"

Evelyn didn't respond. She adjusted the violin case on her shoulder, her fingers tightening around the strap.

The throbbing in her ankle matched the relentless drumming of rain against the windows. Each step sent sharp needles of pain up her leg.

"Go then!" Richard's shout echoed through the foyer. "But remember—walk out that door and don't you dare come crawling back!" His face flushed with anger. "After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us? With threats and tantrums?"

Margaret tugged at her husband's sleeve. "Richard, that's enough."

A strange ache twisted in Margaret's chest as she watched Evelyn reach for the doorknob. Fifteen years of memories flashed before her—birthday parties, school recitals, that time Evelyn stayed up all night making her a handmade card when she was sick.

The realization struck her like lightning. Of everyone in the household, only Evelyn had remembered her birthday last month.

Perhaps her daughter wasn't the ice queen she'd always assumed.

Across the room, Vanessa hid a smirk behind her champagne flute. The game was progressing exactly as she'd planned.

The rain hammered against the windows as Evelyn stood frozen in the doorway, her fingers tightening around the strap of her cello case.

Vanessa’s smirk was sharp enough to cut glass.

She had already envisioned it—how she would charm Alexander into transferring those shares Margaret had surrendered straight into her name.

Once that was done, she wouldn’t just hold 8% of Horizon Enterprises. She’d also have the deed to the Hawthorne Estate.

More than Oliver ever had.

The thought sent a thrill down her spine.

But there was still one tiny obstacle.

"Evelyn," Vanessa drawled, tilting her head. "You’re really going to abandon Mom and Dad just like that? You claim you’re cutting ties with the Hayes family, but can you?"

Her gaze flickered to the cello case.

"Isn’t that thing on your back from them?"

Evelyn’s hand stilled.

The rain outside roared louder, the wind howling through the open door, spraying droplets across the floor.

Slowly, Evelyn turned.

Her eyes were ice.

Vanessa faltered under that stare. "W-What? I’m not wrong, am I?"

In one swift motion, Evelyn wrenched the cello case off her shoulder and hurled it to the ground.

The impact cracked like thunder.

The case split open, the polished wood of the cello skidding across the wet tiles. A jagged scar split down its body, the strings snapping with a discordant wail.

Vanessa gasped.

Evelyn didn’t blink.

The storm raged on.

Without hesitation, Evelyn vanished into the stormy night.

Margaret stood frozen, her gaze fixed on the shattered remains of the cello lying on the marble floor. A pang of nostalgia twisted her heart.

If her memory served right, that very instrument had been Evelyn's sixteenth birthday present—the year she was officially welcomed into the Hayes family.

Evelyn had adored it at first, playing for hours until her fingers ached. Then one day, without explanation, the music stopped. The cello was abandoned, collecting dust in the corner.

Now it lay in pieces, its polished wood splintered beyond repair.

What a waste.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

Evelyn hadn't planned this disaster, but at least she was finally escaping.

Icy raindrops slid down Evelyn's face like tears, soaking through her thin blouse. The cold seeped into her bones, making her shiver violently.

Her injured ankle throbbed with every limping step, the pain sharp as broken glass. She bit back a whimper.

The Hawthorne Estate's gated driveway stretched endlessly before her. She needed to reach the main road before anyone noticed she was gone.

Then headlights sliced through the darkness, blinding her.

The engine's growl vibrated through the rain.

Too late.

They'd found her.

A sleek black Bentley glided out from the Hawthorne Estate, its polished surface reflecting the afternoon sun. Ethan Caldwell's hands gripped the steering wheel with controlled tension.

Evelyn Carter limped painfully along the tree-lined driveway, her injured leg making each step an ordeal. She'd barely covered a hundred meters when the purr of an engine approached from behind.

The luxury vehicle came to a smooth stop beside her.

"Get in."

The tinted window descended with a quiet hum, revealing Ethan's sharp profile. The dim interior shadows accentuated the hard lines of his jaw, but his gaze burned with unmistakable intensity as it locked onto her.

Evelyn's eyes darted instinctively to the passenger seat.

Vanessa wasn't there.

The leather seats smelled faintly of sandalwood and something distinctly masculine. The silence between them stretched like a taut wire as Evelyn hesitated at the open door, her fingers brushing against the cool metal frame.

Somewhere in the distance, a violin's mournful notes drifted through the autumn air, the melody strangely fitting for this unexpected reunion.

Evelyn took a shallow breath and made her decision.