Chapter 86
The elevator ascended.
Matthew stood in the car, his face expressionless.
He suddenly remembered yesterday morning, before Evelyn left, she'd said to him: "Come home early tonight. I have a surprise for you."
At the time, her eyes had been bright, her lips curved in a smile she couldn't hide.
A surprise.
What kind of surprise would it have been?
None of it mattered now.
The way she looked at him was so cold, so full of hate—like looking at a murderer.
He closed his eyes, trying hard to suppress all those images.
The elevator stopped. He walked out and stood before the apartment door.
Fingerprint unlock. The door opened.
Matthew froze in place.
Balloons covered the entire floor. Pink ones, blue ones, large and small, filling the whole room.
Most were still full, though some had deflated—like expectations that had lost their air.
He slowly walked in.
Balloons rolled under his feet, making soft rustling sounds.
A banner hung on the living room wall, one end drooping down, suspended in mid-air.
He walked over, picked up the banner, and unfolded it.
"Congratulations on becoming a daddy."
Those words struck like a heavy hammer, pounding brutally on his heart.
Becoming a daddy?
Why would Evelyn have ordered such a banner?
The child in her belly was clearly...
A surge of unease and panic flooded through him.
Matthew looked down and only then noticed arrows laid out among the balloons.
He followed the arrows, each step feeling like walking on cotton, terribly unsteady.
Pushing open the bedroom door, his breath caught.
Beside the large bed sat two small baby cribs.
Matthew stood there, staring at those two cribs.
His hands began to tremble as he silently followed the floor arrows toward the study.
An envelope lay on the desk.
On it were printed two chubby angel babies with wings, grinning widely.
His trembling hands tore it open.
The first thing that caught his eye was an ultrasound image.
The outlines of two babies were already quite clear.
Two tiny heads curled together, sleeping peacefully.
The date was printed beside it, along with the gestational week—16 weeks.
Four months.
The baby was already four months along.
Matthew felt his heart seize violently.
The child was his.
Really his.
He remembered how Evelyn had cried frantically outside the operating room.
She'd struggled so desperately, shouting so hopelessly "this baby is yours," begging him to believe her just once, just once.
But what had he said?
"Get rid of the child, and I can pretend nothing happened."
With his own hands...
He trembled as he unfolded the letter.
Delicate handwriting, each stroke written with utmost care.
He could imagine what Evelyn looked like writing this letter: she must have had a smile on her lips, pausing after a few strokes to touch her belly.
"Congratulations, Daddy! In six more months, you'll get to meet us."
"Mommy said you'd be so happy reading this letter."
"Mommy also said you'll definitely be a good daddy and give us the best protection."
"Oh, and Daddy, we're twins! Excited? Go ahead and praise Mommy—she's amazing!"
"Can't wait to come into this world and experience everything."
Matthew's eyes turned bloodshot, his breathing growing more rapid.
He saw the last character, staggered, and collapsed heavily to the floor.
He coughed up blood that splattered onto the letter.
What had he done?
He had killed his own children with his own hands.
Outside the operating room, Evelyn had called him a "murderer".
That word struck like a hammer, blow after blow on his heart, causing pain so intense he could barely straighten up.
His hands trembled uncontrollably. The letter slipped from his fingers.
Only then did he see there was writing on the back.
"Matthew, it wasn't easy for us to get this far."
"Thank you for your tolerance and trust, which has always supported fragile me."
"The doctor said my body isn't well, getting pregnant wasn't easy, and there might be risks during delivery too."
"But because I have you, I feel it's all worth it."
"We still have such a long, long road to walk together, don't we?"
Matthew felt another sharp pain in his chest. He coughed up blood, staining the letter with mottled red. "Eve, I'm sorry... You probably... will never forgive me, will you?"
"I will absolutely never forgive him! I'll hate him forever!"
In the hospital room.
Evelyn leaned against the headboard, crying emotionally as she spoke.
Monica sat by the bed, her head still wrapped in gauze, her face somewhat pale.
She cried along with her, eyes as red as a rabbit's, tears falling in large drops.
"Eve..." She didn't know what to say, only gripping Evelyn's hand tightly, patting it again and again.
Evelyn took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions. She raised her hand and roughly wiped the tears from her face. "Mon, does your head still hurt?"
"Not anymore." Monica shook her head and forced a smile. "Just a little dizzy still. Nothing serious."
Evelyn nodded and looked at Kevin standing to the side. "Thank you."
Last night, Kevin had transferred Monica to another hospital not far away.
This morning, when Monica woke up and learned Evelyn had nearly lost her baby, she was beside herself and insisted Kevin bring her over.
Kevin was silent for a moment before speaking. "Evelyn, there's something I need to tell you."
He paused, his expression serious. "Monica's fall yesterday wasn't an accident. Someone did it deliberately."
"A person in black wearing a baseball cap and mask pushed Monica and quickly left the hospital."
"They avoided the key surveillance cameras. I'm still tracking their whereabouts."
Evelyn nodded, showing no surprise on her face.
She'd already guessed.
From Monica's incident to Ronald's sudden appearance to the falsified prenatal report.
Every step interlocked perfectly, all calculated just right.
She'd also decided she would ruthlessly root out these people and punish them one by one.
For her children, for Ronald, and for Monica.
"I've also shared this information with Matthew," Kevin added with some hesitation.
Evelyn's expression was indifferent.
"Whether he knows or not has nothing to do with me," she said calmly. "There's no possibility between us anymore."
Kevin looked at her, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't speak.
He nodded, turned, and closed the door behind him, leaving the space to them.
Monica watched him leave, then turned to Evelyn. "Eve, what are you planning to do next?"
"I'll leave as soon as possible," Evelyn said. "I already have an idea, just need to refine it a bit more."
She looked at Monica, her gaze softening. "Mon, don't worry about me. I won't give anyone another chance to hurt you."
"What are you saying?" Monica's eyes reddened somewhat awkwardly as she gripped Evelyn's hand tightly. "Between us, we don't need to say such things."
She paused. "Who exactly wants to harm you? So vicious."
Evelyn didn't answer.
She had a few vague answers in her heart, but whoever it was, she would make them pay.