Chapter 6
“The plan’s changed,” Evelyn said in a hushed voice. “Lily’s going to be the flower girl. I can’t leave without her.”
She paused, then added, “And the bigger problem–five years ago, after I faked my death, Callum had a tracker implanted in me. He’s terrified I’ll run again. I can’t just vanish.”
There was a long silence on the line before a calm, steady voice finally responded,
“No problem, ma’am. I’ll handle everything. You just need to get that tracker out.”
A breath left her lungs, and a faint glimmer of relief crossed her face.
“Alright, I’ll wait for your signal-
“Evie.”
Callum’s voice sliced through the air behind her.
She hung up instantly and slipped the phone behind her back, heart racing.
He stepped aside, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Who are you waiting for?”
She barely had time to answer before his hand clamped around her throat, the chill in his eyes cutting like ice.
“You’re not trying to pull the same trick again, are you?” His voice was dangerously low. “Faking your death a second time? Or is it some other man this time?”
“I told you,” she gasped, struggling for air, “I’m waiting for Lily. She doesn’t know where the ceremony’s happening.”
His grip loosened, just enough for her to suck in a breath.
But the next second, his mouth crashed down on hers, stealing the very air from her lungs.
His hands were already on her, flipping her over, yanking her skirt up as he drove into her with brutal force.
She bit her lip, bearing the storm like she had a thousand times before.
An hour later, Callum finally pulled away, his fingers brushing her hair back as he pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Evie,” he murmured, almost gently, “never betray me. You still have my tracker. Don’t forget that.”
As ií to make his point clearer, his thumb grazed the ring on her finger–the one he had personally designed.
“The Eternal Love collection,” he said casually. “Estelle wants to wear it on the wedding day. Give it to her, will you?” Her eyes turned glassy, tears brimming at the edge.
“That ring was our symbol, Callum. Doesn’t it mean anything to you?”
He kissed her fingertip as if trying to soothe a child. “It’s just a ring. I can get you a hundred more. Don’t be difficult.“.
Of course.
Just a ring.
Because what really mattered was Estelle’s happiness.
Biting back the scream in her throat, Evelyn slowly slid the ring off, leaving behind a pale, empty band of skin.
Once he left, she allowed herself a moment to breathe.
Then she got to work.
She’d been preparing for this for a while now–selling off every last asset he’d ever given her, liquidating everything into offshore accounts,
She still had Lily to protect. And they’d need every dime to stay free.
Everything she couldn’t take, she gathered into a steel barrel behind the estate.
Photos. Matching sweaters. The 999 love letters he’d written when he was obsessed with winning her over…
Last came a leather–bound journal, filled with Callum’s meticulous notes.
Daily observations. Her habits. Her favorite tea. The way she tied her hair when she was nervous. How many sugars she liked in her coffee. Chapter 6
He’d studied her. Memorized her. Loved her in his own twisted way.
She lit a match.
The fire crackled to life.
She stood there, watching the flames devour everything-
His devotion. His madness.
Their past.
A single tear slipped down her cheek, falling into the ashes.
It was over.
The fire hissed out as quickly as it had started, smoke curling into the sky like a final goodbye.
“Goodbye, Callum,” she whispered.
And this time, she meant it.
