Chapter 7 - EVELYN CAME BACK FOR THE WRONG THING
Evelyn returned to the estate at 1:12 in the morning.
Not through the front gate.
Through an old service entrance her access credentials should no longer have opened.
Except Marcus had created a secondary code months earlier.
Security watched.
Police waited.
She entered Roman’s old private office.
Opened a locked cabinet behind the bookcase.
Removed a slim folder.
Then froze.
Roman sat in the dark.
No dramatic spotlight.
Just him.
“Looking for this?”
He held up another folder.
Decoy.
Evelyn stared.
“You set me up.”
Roman’s face was unreadable.
“You tied Elise Harper to a chair for six days.”
“You don't understand.”
“Everybody keeps saying that.”
She began crying.
“I was scared.”
“Of Marcus?”
“Yes.”
“Did he force you to kidnap her?”
Silence.
“Evelyn.”
“No.”
Truth.
“He said she had noticed too much.”
“And?”
“I thought if she disappeared, everything could still work.”
“You thought a nine-year-old boy could lose his sister.”
Her face crumpled.
“I never meant for them to hurt her.”
Roman laughed once.
Cold.
“You asked for her last wish.”
Evelyn stared.
Then realized.
“You heard.”
“Yes.”
Everything changed in her face.
Roman continued:
“You listened while she begged you to tell a child she hadn't abandoned him.”
Evelyn whispered:
“I loved you.”
Roman closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“You loved me.”
“Yes.”
“Doesn't that matter?”
“It matters.”
Hope.
Then:
“Not enough.”
She stepped toward him.
“Roman—”
Officers entered.
Evelyn stopped.
No escape.
No heroic fight.
Just consequence.
As they approached, she looked at Roman.
“Marcus chose me because he knew you wanted a normal wife.”
Roman’s face tightened.
“He said you were so desperate to believe somebody loved Roman instead of Calder that you would never look closely.”
That one landed.
Evelyn almost looked sorry.
Maybe she was.
People can regret what they chose and still deserve consequences.
She was arrested.
Later, she cooperated.
Kidnapping.
Fraud conspiracy.
Evidence tampering.
Other charges.
Her cooperation reduced the eventual sentence.
It did not erase six days in a warehouse.
May you like
I was satisfied with that.
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