Chapter 4 - The Sister’s Letter
By the fifth month of her pregnancy, Evelyn’s belly was visibly round beneath her aprons.
The diner owner, a burly, quiet man named Hank who had lost his own wife years ago, never asked about the father. He simply left a wooden chair by the prep station so she could sit while chopping onions, and brought her fresh milk at the start of every shift.
One afternoon, while cleaning out an old coat she had worn the night she fled, Evelyn found something jammed deep inside the lining.
A small, folded note written in Chloe’s messy, looped handwriting.
Evelyn’s fingers trembled as she unfolded the paper. It was dated two days before she had walked into Marcus’s study.
Evie, If you’re reading this, it means I failed to tell you in person. He’s not who you think he is. He’s been keeping files on you since before you met. He didn't meet you by accident at the gala—he targeted you. Please, Evie, don't trust him. He doesn't love people. He collects them.
Evelyn dropped the note onto the table, her breath hitching in her throat.
The memory of that awful night flooded back—the study door, the scent of vodka and sandalwood, Chloe’s silver pendant swinging against the leather blotter.
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Was Chloe a willing participant, or had Marcus used her sister as the ultimate leverage to keep Evelyn contained?
The realization made Evelyn’s stomach churn with a new, terrifying horror. Marcus hadn't just betrayed her; he had destroyed her family long before she ever noticed the cracks.
