Evelyn knew the verdict before a single word was uttered. It was written in the way her mother stood—spine rigid, chin tilted, a calculated three feet of distance maintained between them like a biohazard barrier. It wasn't the posture of a grieving mother reunited with her lost child. It was the posture of a high-stakes PR manager containing a catastrophic leak.
"Evelyn," Eleanor Carter's voice was clipped, devoid of the warmth that usually flowed toward Iris. "It's just you. That space... the outbuilding... it's enough for now."
Evelyn didn't respond. She had spent three years in a locked shed, sleeping on damp earth beside animals that were treated with more dignity than she was. She had hallucinated this homecoming a thousand times—the door swinging open, the comforting scent of her mother's lavender perfume, the whispered promise of you're safe now. Instead, she had escaped one hell only to find herself in another, and this one had her family's name etched into the iron gate.
"This is wrong," Ethan snapped, his sudden outburst shattering the stifling silence. "Aunt Eleanor—she's your biological daughter. You can't put her in a kennel."
Iris's hand tightened on Ethan's sleeve, her voice a soft, jagged blade. "Why so emotional, Ethan? Is it because you still love her?"
The room turned to ice. Ethan's gaze flicked to Evelyn. For a split second, he looked like the boy she had once loved—the one who had promised to protect her forever. But then his eyes took in her sallow skin, her ragged clothes, and the dark rumors that clung to her like a shroud. The man who had once been her world looked away. "I don't," he said, his voice flat. "I just... I feel sorry for her."
"Pity is fine," Iris purred, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But pity doesn't make her healthy. Letting her stay at all is an act of charity, given the circumstances."
Charity. As if Evelyn hadn't once owned half the ground Iris was currently standing on.
"You can use the servant's bathroom downstairs," Eleanor added, her tone softening as if she were granting a massive favor. "Stay in the back house for now. We'll discuss a more permanent arrangement once things settle."
Every word was a precision strike. Evelyn understood now. They had already mourned her—quietly, privately—and in the void she had left behind, Iris had taken root like a weed. Evelyn didn't argue. She walked to the velvet sofa, sat down, and faced them with a calm that made Iris's smile falter.
"The kennel is yours," Evelyn said evenly. "I'll take the couch."
By evening, the house could no longer ignore the "stain" in the living room. Eleanor eventually relented, tossing a stack of clothes onto the sofa. "Go shower. There's a maid's room downstairs. You'll stay there."
Evelyn sat up, looking at the silk fabric. "These aren't mine."
"They're Iris's," Eleanor said, refusing to meet her gaze. "Your room was... cleared during the renovations. We combined your old suite with Iris's. She needed a larger walk-in closet for the wedding prep."
Evelyn let out a short, dry laugh—the sound of a final tie snapping. "So you assumed I was dead, and within a year, you turned my life into a shoe rack."
Eleanor didn't flinch. She returned a moment later with a jewelry case. Iris followed, her eyes bright and predatory. "I kept these for you," Iris said sweetly, holding out a diamond bracelet. "Now that you're back... consider them a gift."
Evelyn didn't touch the jewels. She didn't see memories; she saw liquid assets. "Thank you," Evelyn said lightly. "Does it hurt? Giving back things you got used to wearing?"
Iris's smile didn't reach her eyes. She touched the ruby pendant at her own throat—the one Ethan had given Evelyn for her twentieth birthday. "Which one do you like? I can help you put it on."
"That one," Evelyn pointed at the ruby. "I like that one."
Iris went still. Her fingers flew to the necklace. "Ethan gave this to me. It's... special."
"Evelyn," Eleanor warned. "Don't be unreasonable."
"And she wasn't? When she took what was mine?" Evelyn's voice dropped to a chilling whisper. She gathered the jewelry case and walked away. She didn't need their bread. She just needed their gold.
The next morning, the Carter house felt lighter. The "problem" had vanished. But Evelyn was miles away. She spent the morning at a high-end pawn shop. No negotiation. No sentiment. She sold every diamond, every gold link, every scrap of the Carter name. She wasn't selling ornaments; she was funding a war.
She changed into a sharp, understated suit, cut her hair into a blunt, lethal bob, and bought a burner phone. Then, she logged into her hidden investment account—a legacy from her grandmother. The balance had grown. Seven figures. Money didn't judge. Money didn't care if you'd slept in a shed.
At the private hospital, she booked a full forensic medical exam. She stepped into a crowded elevator, and there, in the corner, stood a man in a pristine white coat. Lucien Hale.
His gaze flicked to her, and for the first time, a shadow of surprise crossed his unreadable features. The elevator surged, and Evelyn stumbled, her shoulder brushing Lucien's chest. She felt the hard muscle beneath the lab coat—a wall of cold, clinical power.
"Sorry," she said curtly.
Lucien's eyes dropped to the lab forms in her hand. "Still checking for ghosts?"
"Unlike your performance yesterday," Evelyn replied, her eyes meeting his with a defiance that would have withered any other man, "I prefer certainty over a 'professional opinion'."
Lucien's gaze sharpened. "You have a dangerous talent for making enemies out of your only allies."
"Then stop giving me reasons to doubt you," she countered.
As the doors opened, Lucien leaned in, his voice a low vibration near her ear. "Now I understand why your family doesn't believe you. You're far too sharp to be a victim, Evelyn. And people hate being reminded that they failed to kill you."
The air between them turned sharp enough to cut. Evelyn stepped out without looking back, but she could feel his eyes on her spine all the way down the hall.