Chapter 541

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows as Evelyn Carter sat alone at her kitchen table, picking at her breakfast. Just as she finished clearing the dishes, her phone vibrated violently against the marble countertop.

Julian Mercer's name flashed on the caller ID.

"Evelyn! It's Claire!" His usually smooth voice cracked with urgency.

Her fingers tightened around the phone. "What happened?"

"It's complicated. Get to Mercy General now! She might be going into premature labor!" Julian's words tumbled out in a panicked rush.

In the background, Evelyn could make out Lucas Bennett's deep voice shouting for paramedics.

Her stomach dropped. Claire had gone to meet Lucas today.

How bad must it be if they needed an ambulance?

She kicked off her house slippers, grabbing the pre-packed hospital bag Julian had prepared weeks ago.

When Evelyn burst through the hospital doors, Claire was already being wheeled into the delivery suite.

Julian's cream-colored sweater was splattered with crimson stains that made Evelyn's blood run cold.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded.

The amount of blood terrified her. Something was terribly wrong.

Lucas stood nearby, his designer shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal blood-streaked forearms. He stared at the floor, shoulders hunched in obvious guilt.

Evelyn immediately understood this disaster involved him.

"I found her collapsed on the sidewalk, bleeding everywhere," Julian choked out.

His normally warm brown eyes burned with fury as he glared at Lucas. "Ask him. I'd like to hear his explanation too."

Evelyn turned on Lucas, her gaze sharp as broken glass. "Start talking."

Lucas ran a shaky hand through his hair, struggling to form words.

Earlier that morning, he'd arranged to meet Claire at The Copper Kettle. Their conversation began civilly enough, discussing Alexander Whitmore and Isabella Morgan's situation.

Then Claire had made a comparison that changed everything.

"Is Isabella just like Cassandra, throwing herself at taken men?" Claire had asked.

Given how Cassandra Reed had destroyed her own marriage, the parallel seemed obvious.

The mood shifted instantly.

Lucas had snapped back, "And what about you, Claire? You slept with someone else and got pregnant during our marriage."

At eight months along, Claire's baby bump was impossible to hide beneath her summer dress. The sight had triggered Lucas's unresolved bitterness.

Even now, he couldn't stomach the thought of Claire with another man.

Her visible pregnancy during their meeting felt like a public humiliation.

Claire, furious, had thrown her iced tea in Lucas's face.

"You shattered my heart first!" she'd screamed. "Whether I slept with someone else or not, you'll damn well live with the consequences!"

She'd stormed out, her designer handbag swinging violently.

Truthfully, Lucas had only asked to meet because he missed her.

He never expected their encounter to escalate like this.

Of course he'd chased after her - he still loved Claire.

But just steps from the café entrance, a delivery van had clipped her as she crossed without looking.

Seeing her crumpled form on the pavement, blood pooling beneath her, Lucas's mind had gone terrifyingly blank.