Chapter 5

Evelyn stumbled back into the Knight household, looking like a total mess. Her hair was tangled, her cheeks swollen and red, the corner of her lip was split, and there were bruises on her skin. The white wedding gown, worth a fortune, was now covered in dust, with the fabric torn at the shoulder—barely hanging on. With her looking like that, everyone from both the Knight and Andrews families took one look at her and didn't need to ask—anyone could guess what might've happened. "Evelyn, disappearing in the middle of your wedding? What do you think marriage is, some kind of game?" The man sitting in the armchair snapped before even asking if she was okay. That was George Knight, Evelyn's father. His face was twisted with fury. Next to him sat Margaret Reed, Evelyn's stepmother, and beside her was Emily Knight, Evelyn's half-sister. Across from them were Nathaniel and his parents. Everyone in the living room looked like they were holding back pure rage. Their eyes when they looked at Evelyn were full of blame. Nathaniel didn't even bother to speak when she walked in—just lazily glanced her way. But after George's outburst, he finally stood up slowly and walked toward her. "Evelyn, where did you go? Why… why do you look like this?" Nathaniel asked, brows furrowed in concern, reaching out like he wanted to comfort her. Evelyn flinched back two full steps before he could touch her. Tears made her eyelashes clump together. Her voice was hoarse, like she'd cried her heart out: "Don't touch me. I'm exhausted. I just want to rest." One look at her ragged voice and red-rimmed eyes, and anyone could tell she'd sobbed hard. Her disheveled wedding dress only made things look worse—expressions in the room went even colder. Nathaniel paused, his hand hanging awkwardly in midair. He was definitely mad, but the second he met Evelyn's eyes, he forced down whatever he was about to say. For a split second, a flicker of something—almost a gleam—flashed through his eyes. Evelyn caught it—she always sensed these things. She remembered it all too clearly—the time before, right before the wedding, when someone drugged and kidnapped her. When she woke up, she was dumped outside the manor gate in ruins. The gate had been swarmed with media. They'd caught her humiliation on camera, broadcasting everything live. Back then, she'd been in total despair… until Nathaniel showed up. He'd taken her hand, sweet as ever, declared he still loved her, ignored his mother Grace Bennett cursing her, and made sure the wedding went ahead. After that, he became the darling of Lichester's social circles, treating her even better than before. If she hadn't personally been strangled to death by this very man… If she hadn't heard him admit that the whole thing had been planned… Evelyn might still believe the fake gentleman act he put on. Clenching her teeth, Evelyn fought back the urge to shred his fake nice-guy mask right there. With a cold, distant look, she turned and headed for the stairs. "Evelyn," Nathaniel reached out again, trying to stop her. "Don't touch me!" she snapped, shoving his hand away. Nathaniel wasn't expecting the force. He stumbled, slammed into the back of the couch, and let out a small grunt of pain. Watching her walk away, his expression darkened. George couldn't stay seated anymore. He shot up, grabbed the nearest teacup from the table, and hurled it toward her. "You stop right there! What kind of attitude is that?!" The teacup smashed to the ground right at Evelyn's feet.