Chapter 461

The moment Evelyn heard voices behind her, she turned with deliberate slowness. Eleanor and William stood there, their faces adorned with tentative smiles.

Their expressions couldn't mask the turbulent emotions swirling beneath the surface - guilt, apprehension, and desperate hope.

Evelyn decided there was no point in pretense anymore. The charade had gone on long enough.

"I suppose you already know the truth?" Her voice remained steady, betraying none of the storm inside.

William and Eleanor froze. Their shocked expressions confirmed everything.

After an uncomfortable silence, Eleanor spoke hesitantly, "Miss Prescott—"

"Miss Prescott," Evelyn repeated with a humorless smile, cutting her off. "Shouldn't you be calling me Evelyn Sinclair now?"

The air between them grew heavy.

Eleanor's breath hitched audibly. William's hands trembled at his sides.

Tears welled in Eleanor's eyes as she stared at the woman before her - her daughter, alive after all these years.

"Evelyn!" The name burst from Eleanor's lips as she rushed forward, arms outstretched.

Her fingers trembled as they brushed Evelyn's cheek, tracing the familiar contours she'd dreamed of for decades. "My baby," she sobbed, pulling Evelyn into a crushing embrace. "I've found you at last. Forgive me, please forgive me!"

William approached more slowly, his eyes red-rimmed. "We're so sorry, child," he choked out, his hand hovering uncertainly before resting gently on Evelyn's head.

Evelyn remained statue-still amidst their emotional outpouring. She neither resisted nor returned their embraces, allowing the flood of long-suppressed parental affection to wash over her without response.

Only the faint flutter of her eyelashes betrayed any reaction at all.

The moment stretched until Evelyn's phone buzzed insistently in her pocket. Eleanor reluctantly loosened her grip, though her tear-filled eyes never left Evelyn's face.

Evelyn glanced at the screen before silencing the call.

"Bring the finest Earl Grey and some pastries," Eleanor commanded the waiting staff, her voice thick with emotion. "Evelyn, darling, sit with us. Let me look at you properly."

She reached for Evelyn's hand, but Evelyn stepped back smoothly, evading the contact.

Eleanor's face fell. "Evelyn—"

"I'll be leaving shortly." Evelyn's tone remained cool. "There's no need for such hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley."

The words hung between them like an impenetrable wall.