Chapter 97

Ethan Sullivan's fingers trembled slightly over the documents.

He remembered the icy glare Evelyn Laurent gave him when he tentatively asked about the psychiatric hospital.

"Ethan, you've crossed the line."

Those words stabbed through his heart like a knife.

Just reading these records made it hard to breathe.

And Evelyn had lived through it all.

Those days locked in dark rooms had given her crippling claustrophobia.

Bang!

He slammed the files onto the desk.

His chest heaved violently.

Everything he'd uncovered before had been whitewashed.

Now the brutal truth lay exposed, choking him like an invisible hand around his throat.

Vincent Lowell and his family were absolute monsters.

Sophia Lowell was no better.

Gritting his teeth, he picked up the documents again with shaking hands.

He read every word detailing Evelyn's childhood.

The pain hidden beneath a calm facade.

Her family's cruelty had left deep scars.

That's why she armored herself like a porcupine.

Even the Langley family had faced her wariness at first.

Only their patient love had slowly melted her defenses.

Now Evelyn could accept her real family.

But him...

Ethan suddenly stood, grabbing his car keys.

"Monarch Lounge. Bring Xander."

Oliver Valentine barely processed the call before it disconnected.

The black sports car roared out of the garage like an arrow.

Oliver blinked, then dialed another number.

"Xander, get to Monarch now!"

"Miss me already, Ollie?" Xander Quincy's lazy voice drawled.

"It's Ethan!"

In the KTV booth, Xander pushed away the girl clinging to him.

"Emergency. Gotta go."

All traces of playfulness vanished from his face.