Chapter 118

Victoria's venomous threat still hung in the air as she viciously yanked Evelyn's hair, slamming her head repeatedly against the rough bark of an ancient oak. Each impact reopened the barely healed wound on Evelyn's forehead, fresh blood trickling down her temple.

Evelyn now understood why Victoria had hired those thugs earlier - to weaken her for this moment. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest, but she couldn't muster the strength to fight back.

Collapsed against the withered tree trunk, Evelyn resembled a broken doll. Her porcelain skin was smeared with dirt and crimson, the stark contrast making her appear almost ghostly.

Victoria loomed over her, gripping Evelyn's chin with manicured fingers. "Look at you," she sneered. "Pathetic. Did you really think you could steal Alexander from me? And Sebastian?" Her laugh turned shrill. "A high-society man like him would never glance twice at an ex-convict carrying another man's bastard!"

The words dripped with venom, but Evelyn remained silent, her defiant gaze never wavering. This only fueled Victoria's rage.

With sadistic satisfaction, Victoria watched blood trickle from the fresh wounds marring Evelyn's once flawless face. "I warned you what would happen if you crossed me," she hissed. "This is just the beginning of your living hell."

Victoria's confidence stemmed not just from Alexander's protection, but the entire Montgomery dynasty backing her. As she mentally catalogued her next torture methods, Evelyn suddenly sprang forward.

The DNA report vanished from Victoria's grasp before she could react. Realization dawned - Evelyn's silent endurance had been strategic, all for this moment.

"You bitch!" Victoria shrieked, lunging. But Evelyn had already torn open the envelope, her trembling fingers extracting the documents. Panic flashed across Victoria's face as she delivered a brutal kick to Evelyn's spine.

The impact sent Evelyn sprawling across the frozen ground. Metallic blood filled her mouth before she coughed up a crimson spray. Yet her grip on the papers never faltered.

Scarlet droplets stained the pristine snow as Evelyn's vision focused on the damning red stamp: 'CONFIRMATION OF RELATIONSHIP.'

Her heart shattered like glass beneath a hammer. The winter wind howled through the fractures, numbing the pain into something distant yet unbearable.

"Confirmation... of relationship," Evelyn whispered hoarsely.

A broken laugh escaped her lips, morphing into choking sobs. Tears blurred the damning words as they fell freely.

She had parents.

They'd been right beside her all along.

And they despised her very existence.