Chapter 415
Ethan's instincts screamed danger. His voice turned icy. "Zachary, didn't I make myself clear? I won't be part of your illegal schemes."
"Illegal? Don't be dramatic. All you're doing is getting him to show up. Even if something happens to him, it's not your fault. Besides, don't you want Evelyn all to yourself?"
Zachary's arrogant laughter echoed through the phone. Through his binoculars, he spotted a car approaching in the distance, and his expression hardened.
"Well, well. You actually pulled it off. Consider your debt settled."
The call ended abruptly, leaving Evelyn pale and trembling.
The truth hit her like a freight train.
Ethan and Zachary had used her as bait to lure Alexander to the Hawthorne Estate, planning to eliminate him when the opportunity arose.
Evelyn felt sick. She never imagined Ethan could sink this low.
"Betraying your own family, Ethan? You're despicable."
Without wasting another second, she grabbed the car keys she'd just wrested from Ethan and bolted for the door.
In a heartbeat, Evelyn spun around and drove the jagged porcelain shard toward him with deadly precision.
The sharp edge sliced through Ethan’s fingers as he instinctively reached to block her. Blood welled instantly.
He recoiled, giving Evelyn the split-second advantage she needed.
She didn’t hesitate.
Darting toward the door, she moved like a shadow—swift, silent, unstoppable.
The car door slammed shut behind her.
Her foot hit the accelerator before she even fully registered what she was doing. The engine roared as the vehicle shot forward, tires screeching against the pavement.
Whitmore Manor’s security team sprang into action at Ethan’s furious shouts.
"Stop her!"
They lunged toward the speeding car, arms outstretched.
Evelyn didn’t slow down.
She gripped the wheel tighter, knuckles white, and aimed straight for them.
At the last possible moment, the guards scattered, diving out of the way as the car barreled past.
Within seconds, she was through the gates.
Ethan didn’t waste time.
Ignoring the blood dripping from his hand, he sprinted to another car and tore after her.
Northon’s elite villas were few.
Finding Alexander wouldn’t be hard.
But catching Evelyn before she reached him?
That was another story.
If Zachary was truly targeting Alexander, Evelyn calculated that the occupancy rate at Whitmore Manor must be dangerously sparse.
After meticulous deliberation, her focus landed on a freshly constructed estate that had only recently been transferred to its new owners.
Following her navigation system, she reached the destination in just under fifteen minutes.
Ethan was right behind her, pulling up mere seconds after she did.
The moment her car stopped, Evelyn bolted toward the gated entrance.
Ethan leaped from his vehicle and chased after her, shouting her name, but Evelyn pretended not to hear.
He sprinted, cutting her off before she could step inside.
Seizing her wrist, Ethan stared at her with desperate, pleading eyes.
"Evelyn, if you walk away now, this is over. Do you understand that?"
If she returned to Alexander’s side, there would be no more restraint.
Knowing Alexander’s ruthlessness, Ethan would never get another chance like this—and he might not survive the consequences of his recklessness.
Evelyn turned to face him, her expression as frigid as winter.
Every word Evelyn spoke struck Ethan like a thunderbolt to the chest.
His breath hitched.
The world around him blurred into nothingness.
Only her voice remained, sharp and clear, cutting through him with surgical precision.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides, nails biting into his palms.
But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing through his heart.
She wasn’t just speaking.
She was dismantling him.
Piece by piece.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Her gaze held his, unflinching.
No hesitation.
No regret.
Just cold, brutal truth.
His throat tightened.
A suffocating pressure built behind his ribs.
He wanted to scream.
To beg.
To make her take it all back.
But the words wouldn’t come.
Because deep down, he knew.
She meant every single syllable.
And that realization shattered him.
Completely.
Irrevocably.
In that moment, Ethan Caldwell understood what true heartbreak felt like.
Every syllable that fell from Evelyn's lips struck Ethan like a hammer to his chest.
The air between them grew thick with tension, charged with unspoken emotions.
Ethan's hands clenched at his sides, his knuckles turning white.
He could feel his heartbeat thundering in his ears, each pulse a painful reminder of what he stood to lose.
Evelyn's gaze never wavered, her expression resolute yet tinged with sorrow.
The weight of her words settled heavily between them, an invisible chasm widening with every passing second.
Ethan's breath hitched, his throat tightening as if bound by invisible chains.
He wanted to reach out, to pull her back—but the distance between them felt insurmountable.
The silence stretched, suffocating and absolute.
Then, with a quiet finality, Evelyn turned away.
Her retreating footsteps echoed in the hollow space of the room.
Ethan remained frozen, the truth of her choice crashing over him like a tidal wave.
His world splintered in that moment, sharp and irreparable.
And for the first time, he understood what true heartbreak felt like.
Every syllable Evelyn spoke struck Ethan like a dagger to the chest.
Her voice was steady, unwavering, each word sharp enough to pierce through his defenses.
Ethan felt it then—the visceral crack of his heart fracturing.
The air between them grew thick with unspoken regrets.
He had expected anger, tears, even pleading.
But this?
This cold, resolute certainty was far worse.
Ethan’s hands clenched at his sides, his knuckles whitening.
He wanted to argue, to demand she reconsider.
Yet the steel in her gaze told him it was futile.
She had made her choice.
And for the first time, Ethan Caldwell understood what true loss felt like.
It wasn’t just losing her.
It was knowing he had been the one to push her away.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating.
Then, without another word, Evelyn turned and walked away.
Ethan didn’t stop her.
He couldn’t.
Because deep down, he knew she deserved better.
And Alexander Whitmore had already given her what he never could—unconditional love.
The realization settled over him like a shroud.
He was too late.
Far too late.