Chapter 296

Chapter 296
Evelyn's POV

Hunter stood in the foyer, flanked by half a dozen men, their faces hard and their postures menacing. My stomach dropped as I recognized the glint of metal in their hands—weapons. Hunter’s eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw the man I’d trusted, the man who’d held my hand through chemo, who’d promised to be there no matter what. But there was something different in his gaze now—something cold, calculating.

“Evelyn,” he said, his voice calm but laced with steel. “Get down here.”

I stayed where I was, my hands gripping the banister. “Hunter, what are you doing?”

Dorian stepped forward, positioning himself between me and the men below. “Get out of my house, Hunter,” he said, his voice steady but laced with warning.

Hunter’s lips curled into a smirk. “Your house? Not for long, Dorian. Not after I’m done with you.”

My heart pounded as I descended the stairs, unable to stop myself. “Hunter, stop this. Whatever you’re planning, just stop.”

He ignored me, his eyes fixed on Dorian. “Evelyn, I’m going to kill him. You’re not going to betray me, are you?”

The words hit me like a physical blow. “Betray you? Hunter, what are you talking about? Why are you doing this?”

He stepped closer, his men fanning out behind him, their hands resting on their weapons. “Three years, Evelyn. Three years I spent by your side, playing the dutiful boyfriend, the caring partner. All to get to this moment. To take him down.”

My blood ran cold. “You… you used me? My leukemia, my treatments—you were just using me to get to Dorian?”

He didn’t deny it. Instead, he pulled a gun from his jacket, the metal gleaming in the dim light of the foyer. “I spent three years building this plan, Evelyn. I’m not going to let it fall apart because of some misplaced feelings. Step aside.”

I shook my head, my voice trembling with anger and betrayal. “No. You can’t do this. I helped you get the Sunset Ridge project. You got what you wanted. Why do you need to kill him?”

Dorian’s voice cut through the tension, calm and defiant. “Let him try, Evelyn. He can’t kill me.”

“No, Dorian!” I shouted, stepping in front of him, my hands raised. “Hunter, you’re wrong. You’ve been wrong this whole time. You don’t need to do this.”

Hunter’s grip on the gun tightened, his eyes narrowing. “You think you can talk me out of this? After everything he’s done? After the way he’s manipulated you, used you?”

“Manipulated me?” I snapped. “You’re the one who’s been lying to me for years! You, Lila, Sage, Blake—all of you! Dorian showed me the proof. I know what you’ve done.”

Hunter’s expression faltered for a split second, but then he laughed, a cold, bitter sound. “Proof? You think Dorian’s some saint? He’s been playing you just as much as I have. He stole you from me! He drugged me and made me sleep with another woman—that’s why I couldn’t bring myself to touch you for three years! What the hell did I even do wrong?! You saw it yourself—when I was stuck working at that godforsaken KTV, those disgusting customers harassing me every damn day! How could I ever forgive him?! Everything I’ve done… has been to destroy him!”

Before I could respond, a figure appeared at the edge of the foyer—Blake. His scar stood out starkly against his pale skin, and his eyes were wild, almost unhinged. “Hunter, what the hell are you doing?”

Hunter’s smirk returned. “What does it look like? Finishing what we started.”

I froze, my mind racing. Blake had warned me about Hunter, hadn’t he? Said he’d make him fall. So why was he here now, acting like he was part of this? Was it all an act, a performance for Dorian’s benefit?

“Blake,” Dorian said, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re with him?”

Blake’s eyes darted between Dorian and Hunter, his hands clenching into fists. “I was. But I’m done playing your games, Hunter.”

Hunter’s expression darkened, and he raised the gun, pointing it directly at Dorian. “You’re done when I say you’re done.”

I lunged forward, my heart in my throat. “Hunter, no!”

But before he could pull the trigger, Blake moved—faster than I’d ever seen him. He threw himself in front of Dorian, his body shielding him as the gun went off. The sound was deafening, echoing through the foyer like a thunderclap. Blake staggered, blood blooming across his chest, and collapsed to the floor.

“Blake!” Dorian shouted, dropping to his knees beside him.

Blake coughed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “Hey, Dorian,” he rasped, his voice weak but steady. “Sorry. You’re my friend. Always have been. Consider this… my debt paid.”

His eyes fluttered closed, and his body went still. I stared, my mind blank, unable to process what had just happened. Blake—dead. For Dorian.

Hunter stood frozen, the gun still in his hand, his face a mask of shock and rage. “You idiot,” he spat, his voice shaking. “You think this changes anything?”

Before he could raise the gun again, sirens pierced the air outside. Red and blue lights flashed through the windows, and the sound of boots on gravel filled the estate. The police.

Hunter’s men scattered, but he didn’t move, his eyes locked on Dorian. “This isn’t over,” he said, his voice low and venomous.

“It is for you,” Dorian said, rising to his feet, his expression unreadable.

The police burst through the door, weapons drawn, shouting for everyone to get down. Hunter dropped the gun, his hands raised, but his eyes never left mine. “You’ll regret this, Evelyn,” he said as the officers cuffed him and dragged him away.

I stood there, trembling, as the reality of what had happened crashed over me. Blake was gone. Hunter was gone. And Dorian… Dorian was still here, his hand reaching for mine.

“Evelyn,” he said softly, his voice breaking through the chaos in my mind. “It’s over.”

I looked at him, my vision blurring with tears. “Is it?”

He pulled me into his arms, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t pull away.

---

The aftermath was a blur. The police took statements, their questions endless and exhausting. I told them everything—about Hunter, about Blake, about the evidence Dorian had given them. They confirmed that the documents were real, that arrests were being made. Sage, Lila, Hunter—they were all going down.

Dorian stayed by my side through it all, his presence a quiet anchor in the storm. When the police finally left, the estate was silent again, but it didn’t feel empty anymore. It felt… different. Like something had shifted, not just in the house, but in me.

We sat in the library, the fire crackling in the hearth, casting long shadows across the room. Dorian poured me a glass of water, his hands steady despite everything that had happened.

“I meant what I said,” he said quietly, sitting across from me. “I love you, Evelyn. I always have. And I’m sorry for everything I put you through.”

I looked at him, really looked at him, and saw the man I’d fallen for all those years ago. Not the manipulator, not the cold, calculating figure I’d built up in my mind. Just Dorian. Flawed, broken, but trying.

“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” I said honestly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Not yet.”

He nodded, his expression pained but accepting. “I’ll wait. As long as it takes.”

I didn’t respond, but I didn’t leave either. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could breathe. Like maybe, just maybe, there was a way forward.

The fire crackled, and outside, the world kept turning. But in that moment, it was just us. And for now, that was enough.