Chapter 85
Kevin let out a sigh, his voice heavy with mixed feelings.
"Matt can be so obsessive sometimes."
"He was deliberately set up again today, and in his sadness, he couldn't help but lose his sanity."
Evelyn found no comfort in Kevin's words. She just felt drained and bitter.
Even Kevin could see she'd been framed. So why wouldn't Matthew give her even a chance to explain?
If Kevin hadn't stepped in, the baby would really be gone by now...
The relief of being saved faded, and Evelyn felt her heart being pierced by a thousand needles all at once.
The pain was so overwhelming she could barely breathe.
She sat on the operating table, completely drained of strength.
Tears rolled down her face without a sound, one after another, soaking into the sheets beneath her.
The doctors around her stood quietly, not daring to make a sound.
Kevin sighed again, not knowing what to say to make things better.
If he tried to imagine things from Evelyn's point of view, it felt hopeless just thinking about it.
After a while, Evelyn's sobbing finally quieted down.
She looked at Kevin with red-rimmed eyes.
"Mr. Graves, thank you," she said, her voice rough. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Go ahead."
"When we leave, act like the surgery already happened. Don't let Matthew know the baby is still alive."
Kevin paused. "You..."
"He doesn't deserve to be my child's father," Evelyn said each word slowly and clearly. "He never will."
"Okay." Kevin nodded, his expression complicated. "I'll have the doctors falsify the records."
He paused. "What are you going to do after this?"
"I'm leaving him," Evelyn said without hesitation. "I will never forgive him."
"He probably won't let you go easily," Kevin said, sounding worried. "Either way, if you ever need help, just come to me."
Evelyn nodded at him gratefully.
A moment later, something else came to her, and she grabbed his wrist. "One more thing. My friend Monica is here too. She had an accident, and she's still unconscious."
"Can you look after her? It would be better to transfer her to another hospital. I'm worried Matthew might..."
"Don't worry," Kevin said. "I'll take care of it."
After a while, the doctors figured enough time had passed.
They hooked Evelyn up to an IV to protect the pregnancy, had her lie down, and wheeled her out of the operating room.
Matthew was still sitting on the floor in the hallway.
He heard the movement and instinctively stepped forward.
Evelyn lay with her eyes closed, her face pale, like a lifeless doll.
"Eve..." His voice trembled.
He reached out to take her hand.
Just as he was about to touch her, she opened her eyes and shoved his hand away hard. "You murderer, don't touch me!"
Matthew's hand froze in mid-air.
He spoke with a pained look on his face. "Eve, we can still have our own children..."
"Get away from me! I never want to see you again!" After those words, Evelyn shut her eyes tight again, tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes one by one.
Matthew didn't dare upset her any further.
He stood there and watched in silence as she was wheeled into the hospital room, feeling like a piece of his heart had been torn out.
Inside the room.
The nurse settled Evelyn in and spoke softly. "Miss Arden, please get some rest."
"Someone will be right outside. Ring the bell if you need anything."
Evelyn nodded and closed her eyes.
It had been an exhausting day. Her body was worn out, and her heart was in pieces.
She fell asleep quickly.
After learning that Evelyn had fallen asleep, Matthew quietly slipped into the room and stood by the bed, watching her.
There were still traces of dried tears at the corners of her eyes, and her face was a little pale.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, her eyelashes trembling, as if she were having a bad dream.
Matthew instinctively wanted to smooth out her brow with his hand, but pulled back sharply just before he touched her face.
She didn't want to see him. He lowered his hand with a pained look and quietly left.
Evelyn had nightmares all night.
She saw two small children running through a field, wrapping their arms around her legs, looking up at her, and calling her mom.
She smiled and bent down to hold them.
But in an instant, Matthew appeared.
He stood not far away, his face dark and stormy.
Behind him were two tall doctors holding enormous surgical knives, the blades glinting in the sunlight.
"Mommy... Mommy, I'm scared..."
The children hid in her arms, their little hands clutching tightly at her clothes.
She held them and ran, ran as hard as she could, but she couldn't escape his shadow no matter what.
No matter which direction she turned, he was already there waiting for her.
She jolted awake, realizing it had all been a dream.
Her pillow was soaked with sweat. Evelyn sat up, gasping for breath, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
"Miss Arden, you're awake?" The nurse came over and lowered her voice. "Don't worry. All the nurses and doctors on duty are Mr. Graves' people. Everything we're giving you is to protect the pregnancy."
Evelyn nodded gratefully.
She was about to say something when the door swung open.
Matthew walked in.
There were deep dark circles under his eyes, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked completely worn down.
"Eve," he said, walking to the bedside. "I brought you your favorite porridge."
"Please eat a little."
Evelyn turned her head away without a word. Matthew didn't seem to care.
He carefully lifted the lid, picked up the spoon, and scooped out a spoonful.
He blew on it until it cooled down, then held it up to her lips.
Evelyn thought about everything that had happened yesterday and angrily knocked his hand away.
The spoon and bowl spilled all over Matthew.
"Get out!" Her voice was shaking, filled with rage. "I never want to see you again!"
The back of Matthew's hand turned red from the burn, but it was nothing compared to the pain inside him.
"Eve," he said, his voice badly hoarse. "Please don't hate me..."
"Don't hate you?" Evelyn let out a laugh. It looked worse than crying, heartbreaking to see. "Keep dreaming!"
She turned and stared at him. Tears poured down her face, blurring her vision. "I will hate you for the rest of my life!"
Her voice grew louder and louder, more and more frantic. "You tried to hurt my brother who raised me. You tried to hurt my baby."
"Nothing happened between me and Ron. Yesterday Monica fell and I was at the hospital waiting for her surgery."
"You didn't believe me. You believed someone else's lies instead, and you killed our baby!"
"Matthew, we are done. Get out. Get out!"
By the end, her voice had gone hoarse, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
Matthew sat frozen, as if nailed to the spot.
He wanted to say something, but it was like something was blocking his throat. He couldn't get a single word out.
The nurse beside him quickly stepped forward. "Mr. Perkins, Miss Arden just had surgery. She can't get too worked up."
"Maybe you should step outside for now?"
Matthew nodded and walked out of the room looking defeated, leaning against the wall outside.
Thinking back on what Evelyn had just said, a flicker of unease stirred inside him.
Monica?
He snapped his eyes open, pulled out his phone, and called Thomas.
"Find out what Monica was doing yesterday. And find out why Ronald showed up at the hospital. Fast."
After hanging up, he opened the report in his email again.
The hospital watermark and the date of the pregnancy were both clear and unmistakable. There was no way they were faked.
So where had things gone wrong?
Matthew dug his fingers into his hair in anguish, a wave of helplessness washing over him.
His phone rang. It was Emma.
"Matthew, come back to the Perkins Estate. Right now."
Matthew was quiet for a moment, then agreed.
The tip had come from his mother. He did need to go back and look into it.
But first...
Knowing Evelyn still needed to recover at the hospital for a while, he decided to stop by the apartment first.
He would pack up her daily essentials and have a bodyguard bring them over, then head to the Perkins Estate after.