Chapter 6
Adrian went to see his mother alone.
He found her in the penthouse suite of the most expensive hotel in San Francisco, sipping tea and looking out at the view of the bay. She did not look surprised to see him.
“Adrian, darling. Come in. Sit down.”
“Drop the lawsuit, Mother.”
Eleanor sighed and set down her teacup.
“Always so dramatic. Can't we have a civilized conversation first?”
“No. We can't. Drop the lawsuit. Or I will disown you publicly. I will tell every reporter in this city exactly what kind of woman you are. How you cared more about your social standing than your own husband when he was alive. How you abandoned your own daughter when she needed you most. How you're now trying to steal from a woman who has already lost everything.”
Eleanor's face hardened.
“You would do that? To your own mother?”
“You're leaving me no choice.”
She studied him for a long moment. Then she smiled, a cold, knowing smile.
“You love her.”
It was not a question.
Adrian did not deny it.
“Yes.”
Eleanor laughed. It was a sharp, bitter sound.
“How adorable. The rich boy falls for the damaged girl. Tell me, Adrian, have you actually slept with her yet? Or are you still playing the noble savior?”
Adrian's hand curled into a fist at his side.
“Get out of my life, Mother. And drop the lawsuit. Or I will destroy you. I swear to God, I will.”
He turned and walked out.
He did not see the cold, calculating look that crossed his mother's face as the door closed behind him.
Eleanor Bennett was not a woman who accepted defeat gracefully.
That night, Adrian returned to the hotel room he was sharing with Evelyn. He found her sitting on the balcony, staring out at the city lights, a glass of wine in her hand. She had changed into a simple silk robe, her hair loose around her shoulders.
She looked beautiful.
Adrian stopped in the doorway and just watched her. He thought about the first time he had seen her, walking down the aisle of that church, her head held high, refusing to hide behind a veil. He thought about the wedding night, when he had seen her scars and realized the truth about her life. He thought about the way she had stood up to Victor in the study, brave and unyielding.
He had married her for business. For money. To save his family.
Somewhere along the way, he had fallen in love with her.
Completely. Hopelessly. Irrevocably.
Evelyn turned and saw him standing there.
“Did she drop it?”
Adrian shook his head. He walked out onto the balcony and stood beside her. The night air was cool against his skin.
“No. But she will. I'll make her.”
Evelyn was silent for a moment. She swirled the wine in her glass, watching the liquid catch the light.
“You don't have to do this, you know. Fight her for me. The money… I don't care about it. I never did. I just wanted the truth. I just wanted my mother's name cleared.”
Adrian turned to look at her.
“I'm not fighting her for the money. I'm fighting her for you. Because you deserve to have something good in your life. Because you deserve to be happy. And because…”
He paused, his throat tight.
“Because I love you, Evelyn.”
The words hung in the air between them.
Evelyn's breath caught. She stared at him, her eyes wide, searching his face for any sign that he was lying. That this was just another arrangement. Another deal.
She found none.
Adrian reached out and cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed gently against her cheeks, one calloused finger tracing the edge of her birthmark.
“I love you,” he said again. “Every part of you. The brave part. The scared part. The part that has survived everything life has thrown at you. I love you.”
Evelyn felt tears spill down her cheeks.
For twelve years, she had been told she was unlovable. That she was a monster. That no one would ever want her.
And now this man. This kind, brave, stubborn man was looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
She leaned into his touch.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Adrian kissed her.
It was soft at first. Tender. A gentle meeting of lips that sent shivers down Evelyn's spine. Then it deepened, growing hungry, desperate, as all the months of tension and fear and longing finally broke free.
Adrian lifted her into his arms and carried her inside.
He was gentle with her. So gentle. He kissed every scar on her body, every mark that Victor had left behind, and told her she was beautiful. He held her when she cried, when the memories threatened to overwhelm her, when she felt like she might break into a million pieces.
That night, for the first time in her life, Evelyn felt safe.
She felt loved.
She felt free.
But their happiness was short-lived.
The next morning, Adrian's sister, Lila, arrived in San Francisco.
She was nineteen, with her father's dark hair and her mother's sharp eyes. She had been staying with relatives in Boston since the scandal broke, and Adrian had not seen her in months.
She threw her arms around him the moment she walked in.
“Adrian! I've missed you so much! Mom told me everything. About Victor Whitmore. About the murder. About the lawsuit. It's all so crazy!”
She pulled back and looked at Evelyn, who was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, wearing one of Adrian's shirts, her hair messy from sleep.
Lila's eyes widened.
“Oh. You must be Evelyn. Adrian's wife.”
Her tone was polite, but there was something in her eyes. Something cold. Something judgmental.
Evelyn recognized it immediately. She had seen it a thousand times before.
“Hello, Lila,” she said quietly.
Lila did not answer. She turned back to Adrian, her voice dropping to a stage whisper that Evelyn could still clearly hear.
“Adrian, can I talk to you? Alone?”
Adrian's jaw tightened. He glanced at Evelyn, then back at his sister.
“Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of my wife.”
Lila sighed dramatically.
“Fine. Mom called me. She told me about the lawsuit. And she's right, Adrian. You have to think about the family. About our future. About my future! I'm supposed to start college in the fall. I'm supposed to have a debutante ball next year. How am I supposed to do any of that when everyone thinks my brother married the daughter of a murderer?”
She gestured at Evelyn.
“No offense. But this is all your fault. If your father hadn't done all those terrible things, none of this would have happened. And now you're just using my brother to get back at everyone who ever made fun of you. Well, I'm not going to let you ruin our lives too.”
Adrian's face went red with anger.
“Lila! That's enough!”
“It's true!” Lila shouted. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Dad is dead because of her father! Our family was destroyed because of her father! And now she's here, living in our hotel, eating our food, pretending she's one of us! She's not one of us, Adrian! She's a Whitmore! And Whitmores are nothing but poison!”
SLAP.
The sound of Adrian's hand connecting with his sister's face echoed through the room.
Lila stared at him, her hand pressed to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. Tears spilled down her face.
“You hit me.”
“Get out,” Adrian said. His voice was low, dangerous. “Get your things and get out. I don't want to see you again until you can apologize to my wife and mean it.”
Lila looked from Adrian to Evelyn, her face twisting with rage and humiliation.
“I hate you,” she whispered. “Both of you.”
She turned and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Adrian stood there, his chest heaving, his hand still stinging from the blow. He had never hit his sister before. He had never wanted to. But the things she had said about Evelyn…
He turned to apologize, but Evelyn was already walking back into the bedroom.
She closed the door behind her.
Adrian leaned his forehead against the wall and closed his eyes.
May you like
The drama was tearing his family apart.
And it was only going to get worse.
