Chapter 129

No.1

"I'm sorry." She turned to leave.

Alexander's grip tightened.

"Grandfather asked for you the moment he woke," he forced her to meet his eyes. "Now you just walk away?"

Evelyn looked up at him.

"What do you want from me?" Her voice remained steady. "I can't stay, I can't leave."

Seven years of suppressed grievances surged forth.

So he'd believed her unfaithful all along.

William's carefully forged evidence had made him tolerate her for years.

No.2

"If you truly love Julian Ashford," Alexander ground out, "why come back to deceive me?"

"Alex!" Eleanor Kingsley appeared, yanking him away. "Have you lost your mind?"

She shielded Evelyn behind her.

"Take your tantrums to the gym!" The matriarch glared at her son, pulling Evelyn inside. "You stay out!"

The door slammed in Alexander's face.

On the bed, the weakened patriarch reached out.

"Evelyn..." He struggled with his oxygen mask.

Tears finally spilled down Evelyn's cheeks.

No.3

"Grandfather, I'm so sorry..."

"Evelyn, I understand everything." Patriarch Kingsley's clouded eyes held rare clarity. "You and Julian are innocent in this. That worthless Alexander doesn't deserve you..."

The entire Kingsley family had witnessed Evelyn Sinclair's devotion to Alexander Kingsley.

Her gaze toward Julian Ashford remained as pure as freshly fallen snow, devoid of any improper affection.

Only Alexander remained willfully blind.

"Grandfather..." Evelyn bit her lower lip hard.

Her eyes burned, but she forced back the tears.

"Most of Mrs. Wilson's accusations tonight were baseless." She drew a shaky breath. "But it's true... I can't conceive."

No.4

The words sliced through the silence like a blade.

"This secret has weighed on me for years." Her voice trembled. "I couldn't face it..."

Alexander chose to ignore the evidence.

Hadn't she also been running from this truth?

She'd clung to those fleeting moments of warmth, deluding herself: He'll never marry me anyway.

Let me steal just a little more time...

Until the Butterfly Brooch incident became the final straw.

"Grandfather, I'm sorry." Evelyn lifted tear-filled eyes. "Alexander and I are over."

No.5

She'd intended to play her role until the birthday banquet ended.

But fate demanded the truth tonight.

"Evelyn, modern medicine—" Madeline Kingsley interjected urgently.

"Enough!" The patriarch cut her off sharply. "Whether she can bear children or not, Alexander will marry Evelyn! The Kingsleys don't betray those who've shown us kindness!"

Evelyn smiled.

The dam broke at last.

"Grandfather, this isn't about gratitude." Her voice softened. "The warmth your family gave me will stay with me forever."

When the old man tried to protest, she gently stopped him.

No.6

"You should rest now." She tucked his blanket securely. "I'll keep watch tonight."

At 2 a.m., Eleanor Kingsley forcibly sent her to a hotel.

In the car, Evelyn texted Julian:

[Returning your ring tomorrow.]

No reply came.

As she stood before her hotel room door, her phone suddenly rang.

"Evelyn, where are you?" Julian's voice held uncharacteristic urgency.

"The hospital." The lie came easily as she swiped her keycard.

No.7

"I'm coming now."

"It's too late—" The door resisted when she pushed.