Chapter 459

The car window remained shut, yet Evelyn could distinctly hear the tremor in Eleanor's voice.

Eleanor was clearly battling powerful emotions, and Evelyn recognized them instantly.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Eleanor rapped lightly against the glass again.

Her knocks were hesitant—too soft to be demanding, yet too desperate to be ignored.

"Miss Prescott... Vivian..."

At the sound of her name, Evelyn clicked open her seatbelt.

William and Eleanor's faces brightened with hope when they saw her finally exiting the vehicle.

The car door swung open.

Meeting their tearful, expectant gazes, Evelyn remained composed. "Is Ethan in his room?" she asked quietly.

They nodded vigorously. "He's waiting for you!"

"I see." Without another word, Evelyn turned toward the mansion.

Their broken whispers followed her—"Evelyn..."—but she didn't look back.

Old wounds throbbed beneath her skin, both physical and emotional.

She tried suppressing the memories, but the pain spread like ink in water, staining every thought.

Ethan's bedroom door stood ajar. The boy sat propped against pillows, engrossed in a picture book.

At the sound of footsteps, his head snapped up.

His entire face illuminated when he saw her.

"Mommy!" The word flowed as naturally as breathing.

Honey-sweet warmth pooled around Evelyn's fractured heart.

"Ethan, why are you still awake? It's past bedtime." She perched on the mattress, smoothing his tousled hair.

"If staying up means seeing you, I'll never sleep again."

Evelyn chuckled at his earnest declaration.

"Such a charmer. You'll break hearts when you're older."

"Only yours matters, Mommy." Ethan's serious expression dissolved into a grin as he grabbed something from his nightstand—a handmade bunny-shaped device.

"This is for you. My bunny guardian will protect you from bad people."

Evelyn's breath caught. She cradled the tiny self-defense gadget, stunned.

She hadn't realized how deeply she'd rooted herself in this child's heart.

Tears pricked her eyes as she pulled him close.

"My sweet boy," she whispered into his hair. "You may not be mine by blood, but I love you fiercely. I'll keep us both safe."

The embrace tightened as she thought of the daughter she'd lost—the child she'd never held, never comforted.

How she longed to whisper those same words to her own flesh and blood.