Chapter 654

Evelyn Sinclair found the entire setup far more unsettling than she'd anticipated. The system hesitated for a brief moment—clearly unprepared for her unusual request.

Within seconds, the door swung open.

Dominic Kingsley stood there, lips curved in that infuriating smirk of his. "Against protocol," he drawled, "but since it's you, Ms. Sinclair, we'll bend the rules."

Evelyn arched a brow. One of us playing lab rat is enough.

Dominic snapped his fingers. The system reset instantly, and the wall before them dissolved into transparency. She shot him a sidelong glance, unimpressed.

"Expensive material?"

"Only the best," he murmured, leaning closer. "Safety first."

Her gaze shifted to the man on the other side.

Nathan Blackwood stood motionless, his piercing gaze scanning the space around him. The room mirrored Highland Estates—bright, sterile, suffocating. Evelyn's fingers twitched.

Then his head snapped toward them.

Her breath hitched.

He can see me?

Dominic chuckled. "Relax. The wall's one-way. He can't hear or see us."

She exhaled sharply, schooling her features into icy detachment. "Leave."

Dominic blinked.

Evelyn tilted her head. "You really think Nathan would let you walk away if he knew you were poking around his mind?"

"But you're—"

"I'm not worried."

His smirk faltered. Right. That threat was for me.

With a stiff nod, he left.

Evelyn turned back.

Nathan's attention had drifted, but his expression shifted—distant, then pained. A smile ghosted his lips, bitter and fleeting.

Her stomach twisted.

Damn it.

Dominic hadn't mentioned she wouldn't hear anything. The silence was maddening.

She was about to leave when Nathan suddenly lunged forward, eyes blazing.

"Evelyn!"

No sound—but she read her name on his lips.

Her pulse spiked.

He stumbled back, agony contorting his features.

She couldn't watch.

Every buried memory surged forward, raw and relentless. This had been a mistake.

Evelyn pivoted and strode out, her mask firmly back in place.

Dominic lounged against the opposite wall, briefing his team. At her exit, his brows shot up. "That fast?"

Her voice was frost. "Curious? Go look yourself."

"Hard pass." He grinned. "But seriously—what’s got a man like Nathan Blackwood so torn up?"

The unspoken answer hung between them.

Evelyn thought of Nathan's shattered expression, the way he'd choked on her name.

Her reply was razor-sharp. "I heard nothing."