Chapter 1
Evelyn Hart knelt at her husband’s feet as the cabin door of the private jet hissed open.
Her sister, Lily, was bound hand and foot, forced to the very edge of the aircraft’s open ramp.
Evelyn’s palms trembled, but it was nothing compared to the violent pounding of her heart.
“My love, you’ve got three seconds to make up your mind,” Callum Rivers said coldly from his leather seat, legs crossed, voice lined with impatience. “Sign this statement of forgiveness, and I’ll let Lily go. You know I don’t have much patience.”
Just a step away from death, Lily trembled violently, her broken plea barely audible.
“E–Evie, I’m scared…”
Evelyn felt as if her chest had been torn open.
Despair surrounded her like an avalanche.
“Callum, Estelle killed my mom. She ran her down and drove off like nothing happened! My mother’s gone–Lily’s the only family I have left. And now you’re using her to protect your mistress? Do you even understand what Lily means to me?”
The man leaned forward leisurely, brushing a hand over Evelyn’s head in a mockery of tenderness
“My sweet Evelyn,” he murmured, lips curving into a smirk. “When you insisted on pressing charges against Estelle, did you ever stop to think about how important she is to me?”
He arched a brow, then resumed his countdown.
“Two.”
Panic spiraled in Evelyn’s mind. They had been married for five years–five years during which Callum had loved her so devotedly, so obsessively, that she believed she meant the world to him. Even now, some part of her clung to hope that he still cared.
Clutching the hem of his trousers, she whispered, “Callum… at least make her apologize. She killed my mother–she should say she’s sorry.”
He scoffed, annoyed. “Estelle said it was an accident. What’s done is done. And I told you, she’s not well. She has severe PTSD. I asked you to be kind, didn’t I? But you-” his voice turned cold— “you’ve really disappointed me.”
Evelyn stared up at him, horrified, the last traces of illusion shattering in her eyes.
She swallowed the bitterness and rasped, “Fine. I’ll sign. Just don’t hurt Lily.”
Finally, Callum smiled. “That’s my good girl.”
Just as Evelyn exhaled in relief, his smile faded into indifference.
“But sweetheart,” he said softly, “you’ve crossed me one too many times. You need to be punished.”
“One.”
The countdown ended. A bodyguard kicked Lily hard in the back. Her slender frame tumbled out of the aircraft like a ragdoll, vanishing into the sky.
“No–1”
The scream ripped from Evelyn’s throat, slicing through the roaring wind. She lunged after her sister, only to be wrenched back by the guards. The hatch slammed shut in her face,
Pain ravaged her, as if her heart had been shredded into a thousand pieces. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she glared at the man she once loved, and any lingering affection died in that moment.
Just six months ago, she had been Mrs. Rivers–envied, adored, living a dream.
But everything changed after that one accident.
That afternoon, her mother was struck by a speeding car while out on a walk. The driver didn’t stop. By the time Evelyn arrived, her mother had already. At the time, she and Callum were vacationing. He held her close while she sobbed and swore he’d find the culprit,
But when the dashcam footage was uncovered, and Callum saw the driver’s face–he froze. The woman looked exactly like Estelle Moore, his first love who had supposedly died ten years ago,
Shockingly, further investigation revealed it really was Estelle. She hadn’t died–she had been held captive overseas, tortured for years before finally
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escaping..
Overcome by guilt, Callum forgot all about Evelyn’s mother.
Evelyn insisted on pressing charges, but Callum tried to placate her. When that didn’t work, he kidnapped Lily to force her hand.
“My love,” he’d said with a smile, “just one signature, and this nightmare is over. Why hold on to the past?”
Evelyn never imagined it would come to this.
She had once believed in their love.
Callum Rivers, the Astoria’s Heights prince, had pursued her relentlessly. No one believed he could truly love a girl who struggled to survive at the
bottom.
She didn’t either–at first. She thought she was just a fling, a novelty.
But Callum made such a big fuss about pursuing her that it became the talk of the town. She faked her death and vanished.
Callum had gone mad. The polished, poised heir had wept like a child, diving into the sea when he found her clothes by the shore.
Her heart softened.
She thought it was real.
Years later, she discovered a sealed letter in his safe–a suicide note addressed to Estelle Moore, dated the very day she faked her death.
His grand gesture of grief wasn’t for her. He had planned to die for Estelle.
She was just the substitute.
Evelyn cried for three days.
Callum begged her to stay.
“Sweetheart,” he whispered, “she’s gone. Why be jealous of a ghost? You’re the one I love. If you don’t believe me, I’ll jump again. I’ll do it until you trust me.”
And he did. He walked to the edge of a cliff without hesitation.
She broke. She held him tight, trying to believe him again.
Later, he gave her command of his most private team of mercenaries.
“They’re yours now. If I ever betray you, just give the order. Have them kill me. Deal?”
She laughed through her tears. “I’m not a killer, Callum. Do you love me?”
His arms tightened.
“I do. Callum only loves Evelyn in his whole life.”
But when Estelle returned, he never said he loved Evelyn again.
“Evelyn,” he said gently, “Estelle was tortured for years. She’s mentally unwell. Please, give her time. Once she’s better, I’ll make it up to you.”
Evelyn believed it was guilt. That he just needed closure and he still loved her most.
But that naivety cost her everything,
Her mother was dead. Her sister–missing, possibly dead.
The sound of Lily’s terrified scream haunted her.
When the plane landed, Evelyn went insane trying to find her.
Then a bodyguard approached, carrying an unconscious Lily in his arms.
“Ma’am, Miss Lily is alive. She just passed out. Mr. Rivers had rescue cushions deployed under the aircraft.”
Evelyn collapsed in tears.
Callum seemed pleased.
He cupped her chin, brushing the wet hair from her cheek.
Chapter 1
“This is what happens when you disobey me,” he said. “Don’t let it happen again.”
Then he left with his men.
Rain poured from the sky.
Left alone, Evelyn dialed a number on a phone Callum hadn’t monitored.
“It’s me. I want out. In a month, erase every trace of me from this world.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
