Chapter 345

Two agonizing days of police interrogations finally yielded results—Damian Cross had altered his testimony.

He vehemently denied any involvement with Vanessa Hart, refusing to admit he had ever accepted money from her.

To Oliver Hayes' dismay, all the evidence he had meticulously gathered at the Hawthorne Estate had inexplicably disappeared.

Evelyn Carter propped her chin on her palm, staring absently out the window.

A thought flickered through her mind: If only Ethan Caldwell would step forward as a witness…

But if he discovered Vanessa had been conspiring with Damian, he wouldn’t remain passive.

Yet days had passed without a single word from him.

Perhaps, now that Vanessa’s pregnancy was secure, Ethan’s anger had softened.

They were still married, after all. Old emotions didn’t just vanish overnight.

Her thoughts drifting to the unborn child, Evelyn reached for her phone and dialed Claire Dawson.

“Claire, how’s the baby?”

Alexander Whitmore, fresh from the shower with a towel slung over his shoulder, froze mid-step.

His ears strained to catch the hushed conversation, but Evelyn was deliberately keeping her voice too low to decipher.

Alexander pushed open the bathroom door, stepping into the bedroom with damp hair.

Evelyn's eyes widened when she saw him. She quickly ended her call with Claire, flashing him a bright smile. "That was fast."

Something about her behavior set off alarm bells in his mind.

"I'm ready," he said, watching her carefully. "You should get moving too. We still have to leave for Whitmore Manor soon."

Nodding, Evelyn brushed past him toward the bathroom.

Alexander grabbed his phone and stepped out onto the balcony. The morning air was crisp as he dialed Lucas's number.

Three rings later, Lucas answered. His voice sounded hollow, drained of all emotion. "What do you want?"

"What's going on between you and Claire?" Alexander demanded.

The line went silent. On the other end, Lucas stared blankly at the freshly signed divorce papers on his desk.

He'd finally surrendered. Letting Claire go meant freeing himself from this torment.

"It's over," Lucas finally said through clenched teeth. "We're divorced."

Alexander's grip tightened around his phone. "You already got the certificate?"

"Not yet." Lucas exhaled sharply. "I'm picking it up this afternoon."

The morning sunlight suddenly felt too harsh. Alexander squinted against the glare, his mind racing. Something wasn't adding up. Evelyn's secretive call. Lucas's abrupt divorce. The timing was too coincidental.

A cold suspicion settled in his gut. Whatever was happening, they were clearly keeping him in the dark. And Alexander Whitmore didn't appreciate being left out of the loop.

Not when it concerned his wife.

Not when it involved his best friend.

And certainly not when the pieces refused to fit together properly.

He ended the call without another word, his jaw set in determination. One way or another, he would uncover the truth.

"Perhaps the child is still with her," Alexander murmured.

Lucas went completely still, then comprehension dawned. "Who are you referring to? Claire?"

Alexander exhaled. "Yes. I overheard Evelyn speaking with her on the phone."

Before he could finish his sentence, Lucas was already sprinting toward the door.

The sharp slam of the door reverberated through the phone line, and Alexander sighed, shaking his head.

"Thank you, Alexander," Lucas called back breathlessly, still gripping his phone.

"Of course," Alexander replied, well aware he was inviting Evelyn’s fury by revealing this.

But Lucas had been drowning in despair for weeks. Someone had to throw him a lifeline.

The moment the call ended, Lucas sped toward Claire’s apartment. Meanwhile, Alexander stared at his darkened phone screen, fingers tightening around it. A prickle of unease crawled up his spine.

Just then, Evelyn stepped out of the bathroom, skin glowing from her shower, her damp hair curling at the ends.

Their eyes met.

A flicker of guilt crossed Alexander’s face before he quickly averted his gaze.

Evelyn, blissfully unaware, hummed as she reached for her towel.

The soft rustle of fabric filled the dressing room as Evelyn adjusted the final touches of her outfit. Just as she smoothed the last wrinkle, strong arms encircled her waist from behind, pulling her into a familiar warmth.

"Hey, love," Alexander murmured, his lips grazing the shell of her ear before pressing a tender kiss to her hair.

The unexpected affection sent a shiver down Evelyn's spine, but she steadied herself, turning slightly in his embrace. "What's on your mind?"

Alexander hesitated, his fingers tracing idle patterns along her arm. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Oh?" Evelyn arched a brow, curiosity flickering in her gaze.

"I overheard your conversation with Claire."

Evelyn froze, her breath hitching for the briefest moment before she forced herself to speak. "What exactly did you hear?"

Alexander exhaled slowly, his grip tightening just slightly. "I called Lucas."

The words hit her like a physical blow. Her carefully maintained composure shattered. "You told him?"

The air between them grew heavy, thick with unspoken implications. Evelyn's pulse raced, her mind scrambling to process what this meant—for her, for them, for everything.

Alexander's expression was unreadable, but the tension in his jaw betrayed his own unease. "I had to."

Evelyn swallowed hard, her fingers curling into fists at her sides. The weight of his confession settled over her, and for the first time in a long while, she felt the ground shift beneath her feet.

The silence stretched, charged with anticipation.

What came next would change everything.