Chapter 88
"Your friend gave me her key." Dominic's deep voice broke the silence as he held up the key.
Evelyn glanced at him, her eyes still puffy and red from crying. She nodded slightly to show she understood.
Dominic took two steps forward, concern etching his features. But when she flinched, he immediately retreated, putting distance between them.
She was avoiding him.
And he had no idea why.
Just last night, in that small town, she had melted into his embrace, responding eagerly to his kisses. This morning, though restrained by the presence of her grandfather, she hadn't acted so distant.
But now?
She wouldn't answer his calls.
He'd been forced to leave a meeting early—something unheard of at Blackwood Corporation—just to come find her.
Olivia had stopped him outside her apartment. "Mr. Blackwood," she'd said hesitantly, "I know you and Evie are involved, but... she's been acting strange today. Did something happen between you two?"
He hadn't known how to answer.
Now, standing in her living room, he watched as Evelyn avoided his gaze.
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was flat, emotionless.
She wasn't ready to talk. Not about this. Not yet.
Just then, her grandfather shuffled in from the balcony, his cane tapping against the floor. The old man blinked in surprise. "Dominic? Why are you standing by the door? Come in, sit down."
Dominic nodded and moved to the sofa.
Evelyn remained frozen in place.
"Evie, get Dominic some water," her grandfather instructed.
Reluctantly, she obeyed.
When she returned with the glass, Dominic reached for it—and caught her wrist instead.
She jerked back as if burned.
His grip tightened.
Her grandfather, oblivious to the tension, excused himself. "You two talk. I need to rest—that car ride tired me out."
Once they were alone, Dominic pulled her into the kitchen.
Evelyn finally looked up at him, her expression guarded. "I don't like this."
His jaw clenched.
"Your arrogance, your control—I hate all of it." Her voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes. "These past two days? They meant nothing. I just needed someone—anyone—to make Nathan regret what he did."
Dominic's grip turned painful.
"You were convenient," she continued, forcing a bitter laugh. "A powerful CEO, the perfect weapon to humiliate him. But now that he's marrying that woman, now that they're having a child... I realized how pointless it all was."
A tear slipped free. "I wanted them dead. I wanted myself dead. Nothing else matters—not even you."
Dominic's voice was ice. "You expect me to believe that?"
She didn't answer.
He leaned closer. "I don't care who you loved before. The only thing that matters is that I love you now."
Evelyn shuddered.
The kitchen felt suffocating, filled with the scent of him—cool, masculine, intoxicating.
She wanted to run.
But a traitorous part of her whispered: What if Beatrice isn't really his mother?
The thought was ridiculous.
Dominic was too sharp, too calculating. If Beatrice wasn't his birth mother, he would have known.
Wouldn't he?