Chapter 67

"Really?"

"So you only made a vow to Victoria in this lifetime?"

"Then everything you said before was just empty words? And I was nothing more than a fleeting shadow in your life, unworthy of remembrance?"

Evelyn let out a bitter laugh.

She closed her eyes, unable to tell whether the wetness on her cheeks was from tears or the relentless rain.

Before she could gather the strength to stand, Alexander and the officers hauled her and Dominic into the police car.

During those forty-eight hours in detention, Evelyn endured another round of brutal beatings.

But she felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even when she started coughing up blood.

Only her tears betrayed her, flowing uncontrollably. They burned her skin, blurred her vision, and drowned her shattered heart.

Crawling across the cold floor, Evelyn reached for the iron bars. Kicks and punches rained down on her back.

Through the small window, she caught a glimpse of sunlight outside. A broken smile curved her lips.

All these years, she had been living in a fantasy world of her own making. Meanwhile, that man had erased her from his memory completely.

So many years wasted on one-sided devotion.

Nathaniel Sterling fought tirelessly, gathering evidence and pulling strings until he finally secured Evelyn's release.

He rushed her to Benjamin Hayes for an examination. When the doctor saw the results, his face darkened.

The medication had been controlling the tumor's growth, but now her condition had deteriorated rapidly.

Benjamin couldn't fathom what Evelyn had endured to cause such a drastic decline. After prescribing stronger painkillers, he immediately consulted other specialists about emergency surgery.

When Alexander arrived at the station looking for Evelyn, the officers informed him she'd already been bailed out.

Fury ignited in his veins. He stormed to her apartment and seized the exhausted woman who had just returned from the hospital.

"How can you sleep so soundly after all the evil you've done?"

Evelyn's head throbbed violently. Meeting his enraged gaze, she managed a weak smile.

"What do you want now, Mr. Blackwood? More hired thugs to beat me? Or will you finally make it quick and kill me this time?"

Alexander's expression darkened at her defiance. He yanked her upright. "Death would be too merciful for you."

His words cut through Evelyn's haze of pain.

In Alexander's eyes, she saw a chilling darkness she'd never witnessed before.

That terrifying coldness seeped into her bones.

Terror gripped her as she struggled. "Alexander, what more do you want from me? Will my death finally satisfy you?"

"Death would be a kindness. No, Evelyn, I want you to suffer a fate worse than death."

Evelyn had no idea what fresh torment Alexander had devised. She fought against his iron grip, but he effortlessly dragged her from the apartment.

With brutal efficiency, he shoved her into his car and barked orders at the driver.

All the composure Evelyn had painstakingly rebuilt crumbled once more.

"Alexander, I never hurt anyone! Victoria is the one framing me! You're supposed to be so brilliant—how can you not see through her lies?"

Perhaps it was her tears that gave him pause. For just a moment, Alexander seemed to hesitate.