Chapter 360

The bewilderment on Ethan’s face told Evelyn everything. He clearly had no clue what was going on.

This mess wasn’t his doing.

Vanessa—had she orchestrated this?

Evelyn scanned the room, but the source of the strange, cloying scent eluded her.

She strode to the windows and flung them open, letting the crisp night air rush in.

Ethan’s shirt clung to him, drenched, but his cheeks burned with an unnatural flush. His gaze locked onto hers, lost and disoriented.

Right then, he looked like a wounded animal—vulnerable, desperate.

A shiver ran down Evelyn’s spine. She shouldn’t stay.

Even the faintest whiff of whatever was in the air had left her limbs heavy, her thoughts sluggish.

She turned to leave.

A hand clamped around her wrist.

Ethan’s grip was scorching. His usual icy composure had shattered, replaced by raw, unfiltered need. His voice was rough, strained.

"Evelyn… you’re just going to walk away?"

Her pulse stuttered.

This wasn’t the Ethan she knew.

And that terrified her.

Evelyn froze, every fiber of her being locked in tension.

Her breath caught in her throat.

That voice—so vulnerable, so broken. Is this really the same Ethan Caldwell, the untouchable tycoon of Cresthaven?

"What's wrong with you?" she whispered, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Ethan's head dipped lower, his body swaying slightly as he leaned into her. His breathing turned ragged, his forehead glistening with sweat.

The effort to control himself was evident—his voice strained, thick with something raw.

"I'm... fine."

Then she saw it—a single tear tracing down his cheek.

Her heart lurched.

Without thinking, she fished a tissue from her pocket and pressed it into his hand.

"Here. Wipe your face. Don't worry—your secret's safe with me."

She understood. A man like Ethan, a pillar of Horizon Enterprises, couldn't afford rumors of him sobbing while clinging to a woman's leg after a lake mishap. It would destroy his reputation.

She tried to pull away.

His grip only tightened.

"Evelyn," he rasped, his voice cracking. "What do I have to do for you to see me? Why won't you—"

"I've apologized. Isn't that enough?"

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "Some things can't be undone."

Ethan's sobs only grew louder at her words.

A strange heaviness settled in Evelyn's chest. She'd never imagined seeing him like this—vulnerable, broken.

"Did the river water scramble his brain?" she mused.

"The Ethan I knew would rather die than let me see him cry."

Her palm pressed lightly between his shoulder blades, voice steady. "I need to leave."

She attempted to ease away, fingers brushing his chest—

Then recoiled instantly.

His skin scorched her fingertips. Fever.

"So it was just delirium talking." Relief loosened her shoulders. "I'll call a doctor."

The door handle refused to turn beneath her grip.

Locked? Or jammed?

Behind her, Ethan erupted into wet coughing. "Evelyn—clothes. The wardrobe. Please." His teeth chattered audibly.

The mahogany cabinet stood inches from her elbow, its mirrored surface reflecting twin images of distress.

Meanwhile, on the moonlit terrace...

The last sparks of fireworks had faded into the night, plunging the sky back into velvety darkness as guests began drifting away.

Vanessa came stumbling through the thinning crowd, her face ghostly pale, eyes wide with undisguised terror.

Eleanor spotted her immediately, irritation flaring. This girl had no sense of propriety whatsoever.

But with so many influential guests still milling about, Eleanor couldn't reprimand her openly. Instead, she fixed Vanessa with a glare sharp enough to cut glass.

Vanessa recoiled as if struck, backing up blindly until she collided with Sophia's solid frame.

"My goodness, you're shaking like a leaf!" Sophia caught her by the shoulders. "What on earth has frightened you so?"