Chapter 885 Now

Chapter 885 Now

Staring at the marriage certificate, Rita's heart pounded with fear as Evan said, "Keep me happy, and I'll help the Grey family rise again."

Rita didn't care about the Grey family's future; she wanted it to crumble. Her only concern was Evelyn. "Where's my sister? She must've tried to reach me. She must be worried."

Evan's voice turned icy. "She's dead."

Rita's heart skipped a beat. "What did you say?"

Evan leaned in, whispering, "I said, your precious sister is dead."

Rita shouted, "You're lying!"

Evan continued, "Your family sent her to entertain some big shot. He got too rough and killed her."

Rita felt her world collapse. She crumpled to the ground, speechless.

She dreaded hearing more because she knew the Grey family was capable of such horrors.

In a daze, she vaguely heard Evan's urgent voice, "Rita, I'll get you to the hospital. Hang in there. If you die, I'll destroy the Grey family!"

He said more, but all she heard was a buzzing in her ears.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital bed. She looked around and saw a TV.

She turned it on, and the news was blaring. "Ava has been arrested on suspicion of murder..."

'Could Royce and Tyrell's deaths be linked to Ava?' Rita thought.

Before she could finish watching, the door opened.

She thought it was Evan and quickly turned off the TV.

To her surprise, it was Amelia, Evan's caretaker. "Rita, I made some soup you like. Get up and have some."

Rita shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"You've been out for days, living on IV drips. You need to eat." Amelia set down the thermos and helped Rita sit up. "Look how much weight you've lost in just a month."

Seeing Rita's frail state, Amelia wiped her tears. "With Evan around, you don't need to worry about the Grey family."

So Amelia didn't know the truth, and Rita wasn't about to tell her.

She took a small sip of the soup and casually asked, "Amelia, Ava..."

Mentioning the name made Amelia furious. "Ava's so vicious, hurting her own family! Thank goodness for Evan. He not only took over the Smith Group but also caught the murderer."

From Amelia, Rita learned that after Evan locked her up, he quickly took over the Smith Group and exposed the killer behind Royce's and Tyrell's deaths.

Amelia, usually quiet, couldn't stop talking until Evan's cough interrupted.

Both Amelia and Rita jumped.

Amelia was the first to react. "Evan, you're here. You take care of Rita; I'll leave."

After Amelia left, Rita lost her appetite and didn't want any more soup.

She closed the lid, but Evan's voice cut through the air, "Finish the soup."

His tone was so cold and deep that it sent a shiver down Rita's spine.

"You wanted to marry me, have my child, and have me help the Grey family rise again. I've done all that." Evan stepped closer, lifting her chin to meet his gaze. "From now on, your life is mine. Take care of your body so you can be at my disposal."

Rita didn't say a word and continued drinking the soup.

Seeing her tremble, Evan added, "Your sister isn't dead."

Rita's head snapped up. "My sister? I have a sister?"

Evan was taken aback, "You..."

She didn't remember having a sister?

She had fainted from the news of her sister's death and slept for a whole week, waking up so calm.

He should have known something was off.

Did she really not remember? Or was she pretending?

Evan couldn't be sure, but he knew his lie had cut deep.

Memories flooded Evan's mind.

He had known for years why Rita had schemed against him. He knew everything but still hurt her relentlessly.

Even when she fled from his abuse, he didn't realize his mistake. It wasn't until she faked her death to escape that he finally understood how wrong he had been all those years.

He realized how deeply he had hurt her.

All Rita ever wanted was to live with dignity. However, he destroyed her dignity by treating her like a pet and making her life a living hell.

For two years after her fake death, he lived like a zombie. Clinging to the hope that Rita was still alive, he searched for her worldwide.

Just as his hope dwindled, she reappeared before him.

Evan stared at Rita under the streetlamp. Even from a distance, though he couldn't see her clearly, his heart pounded in his chest.

Evan suddenly coughed violently.

Nathan, behind him, rushed to support him. "Evan."

Evan's eyes remained fixed on the distant woman. "Is that Rita? Is she really alive?"

He was terrified—terrified that it was just a dream and that he would wake up alone again.

Nathan said, "It's Rita. She's really alive."

Evan seemed not to hear Nathan, repeatedly asking, "Is Rita really alive?"

Nathan said, "If you don't believe it, let's go over. Once you touch her, you'll know she's truly alive."

Nathan helped Evan take a step forward, but Evan stopped. "I can't go. I can't disturb her life now."

Nathan looked at Evan in confusion. "You've been searching for her for two years. Now that you've found her, why..."

Before he could finish, Evan clutched his chest and coughed violently again.

Nathan was shocked. "Evan, what's wrong?"

Even though he was too weak to stand, Evan's eyes remained fixed on Rita.

Even after Rita went inside, leaving no one in sight, he couldn't look away.

He said, "I'm scared!"

Nathan was even more confused. "You've found her. What are you still afraid of?"