Chapter 5
Evelyn drifted in and out of consciousness as they brought her back to the estate.
Her body was wrecked–hypothermia from the ice–water, emotional trauma from what she’d witnessed. The grief was too deep this time.
She collapsed. And never truly got back up.
The days passed in a fog.
Only the housekeeper looked after her now.
Callum? He was too busy.
Busy flying across the globe with Estelle–the woman who claimed to have lost more than a decade of her life and wanted every moment of it returned.
And Callum, of course, had said yes without hesitation.
Photos of them vacationing hand–in–hand by the Seine, pressed cheek–to–cheek at the Louvre, wrapped in each other’s arms inside Antarctica’s crystal blue caves… dominated entertainment headlines.
America’s golden heir and his resurrected first love.
Evelyn stared at those photos until the ache inside her heart became numb.
She peeled herself away from every memory of him, piece by painful piece.
A week later, they returned.
Callum’s first words to her?
“Estelle says her biggest regret is never getting to marry me. I want to give her that.”
He wasn’t asking. He was informing.
Evelyn stared at the man who once whispered love into her hair as she cried herself to sleep.
The man who once shut down an island just to make her smile.
Who once told her she was the reason he still believed in love.
Now he was just… a stranger.
She wanted to ask: “Do you love her?”
But the answer already echoed in her mind—
Of course he does. He always has.
She almost asked another question: “Did you ever love me?”
But just then, Estelle opened the door and called his name softly.
And Callum turned toward her without hesitation, eyes filled with tenderness that Evelyn hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
Evelyn inhaled deeply.
Then smiled.
A faint, brittle smile that crumbled as it formed.
“Congratulations,” she said. “I hope you two are happy.”
He didn’t catch the second half of what she’d murmured under her breath.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she replied sweetly. “Just… good luck with the wedding.”
His hand paused on the doorframe.
He looked back, as if wanting to say something more. But then Estelle’s voice floated in from the hallway.
He let go.
Chapter 5
And left.
The following days passed in a blur of wedding preparations.
Photoshoots. Dress fittings. Venue scouting. Guest lists.
Callum was there for all of it–attentive, devoted.
Even more meticulous than he had been for his wedding to Evelyn.
Then, just days before the ceremony, Estelle made a special request.
“Evie,” she said with a bright smile, “I don’t have a flower girl. I was hoping Lily–your sister–could be mine.”
Evelyn’s body went stiff.
“Estelle, there are hundreds of kids you could ask. Why Lily? What are you really after? The answer is no.”
Estelle’s eyes instantly welled with tears, her voice soft and trembling as she turned to Callum.
“Callum… I just… I don’t want a stranger handing us the rings. Lily is your little sister. I’d feel more comfortable with her. That’s all. I swear I didn’t mean anything by it–Evie misunderstood me…”
Callum chuckled, pinching the tip of her nose with affection.
“You little troublemaker… Fine, whatever you want. Happy now?”
Then, his gaze shifted–cold and sharp as a blade–as it landed on Evelyn.
She didn’t protest.
She knew it was useless.
Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into flesh.
Because now, her plan to escape was ruined.
She couldn’t leave Lily behind.
Not now.
So that night, Evelyn dialed that number again.
