Chapter 191
Alexander's gaze darted away the moment Evelyn smiled at him.
"I need Dad to sign this," Ethan murmured, clutching his workbook tightly.
Evelyn's warm smile faltered as she noticed the hesitation in his small hands. "How about I sign it for you?"
Ethan's fingers tightened on the edge of the workbook, his hopeful eyes flickering toward Alexander's closed door.
"Let your mother handle it," Alexander's voice came through the door, cold and dismissive. "Don't stay up too late."
The click of the lock echoed in the hallway.
Ethan stood frozen, the light in his eyes dimming into something hollow and afraid.
Without another word, he turned and hurried to his room.
Evelyn's smile vanished the second the door shut.
Fury twisted her features as she stormed after him, slamming his door open before he could close it.
The word Mom trembled on Ethan's lips, but he swallowed it back.
"What's wrong, Ethan?" Evelyn cooed, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I'm your mother. Why do you look so terrified every time you see me?"
She took a step closer, her expression shifting in an instant—like a mask slipping to reveal the monster beneath.
"You always ruin everything!" she hissed, her voice venomous. "If you weren't useful, do you think I'd keep you around? Every time I look at you, I hate you more!"
Ethan darted past her, locking himself in the bathroom.
Evelyn pounded on the door, her words sharp as knives.
She despised him. Just as she had despised Evelyn Sinclair.
Even if he was the reason she had everything she wanted.
People said Ethan had Alexander's eyes, his sharp features. But Evelyn saw her in him.
He was their son, after all.
Of course he would resemble his real mother.
No one knew what she did to him behind closed doors. At five years old, he should have been bright and carefree.
Instead, he crouched in the corner, hands clamped over his ears, tears slipping silently down his cheeks.
Why isn't my mom like other moms?
Why doesn't she love me?
His small frame trembled as Evelyn's voice continued to slash through the door.
Back in her apartment, Evelyn stepped out of the shower, the cold water doing nothing to numb her thoughts.
She wouldn't let Alexander manipulate her again. Not with a single word. Not with a single glance.
Walking to the bed, she gazed down at Amelia, sleeping peacefully.
She should have had a sister.
If not for Alexander and Victoria.
Evelyn's fists clenched. She would make them pay. For everything.
The next evening, rain poured relentlessly as Evelyn arrived at the kindergarten, half an hour late.
Most of the children had already been picked up. Only Amelia and one other boy remained under the shelter of the guardhouse.
As she got closer, recognition struck her.
Ethan Blackwood.
"Mommy!" Amelia squealed, launching herself at Evelyn.
Evelyn scooped her up, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Ethan watching them, his expression unreadable.
Then, hesitantly, he stepped forward.
Evelyn frowned. "What is it?"