Chapter 102
Ryan POV
As I pulled into my parents' driveway with Evelyn beside me and Magnus following in his own car, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension. The day had already been emotionally draining, and now Magnus had invited himself to dinner with my parents. I hadn't even had time to warn them about our extra guest.
"You know," I whispered to Evelyn as we stepped out of the car, "most people wait for an invitation before showing up for dinner."
She gave me a gentle, sympathetic smile and squeezed my hand. Despite everything she'd been through, she still found ways to comfort others. That was just one of the countless reasons I loved her.
Magnus approached us, straightening his tie as he walked. "Beautiful neighborhood," he commented, glancing around at the manicured lawns and brick homes. "Your parents have good taste."
Before I could respond, the front door swung open, and my parents emerged onto the porch.
"Ryan! Evelyn!" My mother called out cheerfully, her face lighting up at the sight of us. Dad stood beside her, offering a warm smile and a wave.
"And who's this?" Dad asked, eyeing Magnus with polite curiosity.
"This is Magnus," I said, trying to keep the resignation out of my voice. "He sort of invited himself along."
Magnus chuckled and extended his hand. "I hope I'm not imposing. I just thought it was time I met the parents of the man who plans to marry my daughter."
"Daughter?" My mother repeated, confusion crossing her face as she shook Magnus's hand.
Dad snorted good-naturedly. "Well, I hope you're not here to threaten him with bodily harm if he doesn't treat her right. Because I've already got that covered."
"I might take you up on that," Magnus replied with a grin. "Though from what I can tell, Ryan's already proposed, so I'm a bit late to the intimidation game."
Evelyn tapped my arm gently and began signing. I translated for my parents. "Evelyn says she should explain. Magnus is her biological father, not Francis."
My parents' expressions shifted from polite welcome to stunned surprise. Mom's mouth dropped open slightly, and Dad's eyebrows shot up toward his hairline.
"Let's head inside," Dad suggested after a moment, gesturing toward the door. "Sounds like we have some catching up to do."
Once settled in the living room, Evelyn explained through sign language, which I translated, how she had recently discovered that Magnus was her real father, not Francis. She told them about the letter from her mother and how Magnus had been searching for Amelia for years without knowing about Evelyn's existence.
"That explains a lot," Mom said softly, her eyes filled with compassion. "No wonder Francis treated you so poorly. You weren't even his child."
Magnus nodded, his expression darkening. "I only wish I had known sooner. I could have protected her from him."
"So," Dad said, breaking the tension, "you're here because we're about to become one big happy family?"
"Precisely," Magnus replied, his smile returning. "And I wanted to thank you both for accepting Evelyn and her baby into your lives. They're very fortunate to have you."
Mom reached out and squeezed Evelyn's hand. "Oliver will be a wonderful boy. Blood relation or not, he's part of our family now."
"How is Winston doing?" Magnus asked, changing the subject. "I understand he's been through quite an ordeal with his son."
"He's recovering well," Dad replied. "We had lunch with him last week. He's looking forward to meeting his great-grandson."
Mom nodded enthusiastically. "Oliver will have five grandparents to spoil him. Can you imagine?"
I noticed Magnus's expression change slightly at the mention of five grandparents. "Irene may not be as welcoming," he said quietly. "From what I understand, she's been... difficult."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," I said firmly. "What matters is that Oliver will have plenty of people who love him."
"Speaking of which," Magnus turned to me, his expression serious. "I want to thank you, Ryan, for taking care of Evelyn and Oliver. I can see how much you care for them."
"I'd do anything for them," I replied, meaning every word. "They're my family now."
"Good answer," Dad interjected with a laugh. "And if you ever fail to live up to that promise, Magnus and I will both be having words with you."
We all laughed, the tension in the room finally dissipating. Even Evelyn joined in, her shoulders shaking with silent mirth.
As the evening progressed, Evelyn began to show signs of fatigue. The pregnancy was taking its toll, and the emotional weight of recent events hadn't helped. After dinner, she excused herself to lie down in the guest bedroom, and I kissed her forehead before she headed upstairs.
Once Evelyn was out of earshot, Magnus's expression turned grave. "There's something else we need to discuss," he said quietly, glancing toward the stairs to ensure Evelyn couldn't see us.
"What is it?" I asked, my body tensing at his tone.
"The detective has been updating me on the investigation," Magnus explained, his voice low. "They've discovered something... disturbing."
"About what?" Mom asked, leaning forward.
"About Amelia," Magnus replied, his voice catching slightly. "About what happened to her after she died."
A cold feeling settled in my stomach. "What did they find?"
Magnus took a deep breath, his hands clasped tightly together. "According to what they've gotten out of Francis, he... he disposed of Amelia's body. He didn't even give her a proper burial. The detective said Francis claims he can't even remember where he left her."
I shot to my feet, anger surging through me. "You're saying he just dumped her body somewhere? And Evelyn doesn't know?" My voice rose despite my efforts to keep it down. "She'll be devastated if she finds out."
"That's why she can't know," Magnus said firmly. "At least not now. Maybe not ever."
"That's..." Mom shook her head, her expression a mixture of horror and disgust. "That's so low and cruel."
Dad placed a hand on my shoulder, gently encouraging me to sit back down. "Take a breath, son."
I sank back into my seat, but the anger still burned in my chest. All I could think about was Evelyn—how she had spoken of wanting to visit her mother's grave, to introduce Oliver to his grandmother someday. The thought of telling her there was no grave to visit felt like a knife twisting in my gut.
"So she'll never get to say goodbye," I said quietly, my voice tight with emotion. "She'll never have a place to take flowers or talk to her mom."
Magnus nodded, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'll never get to say goodbye either. The woman I loved... I'll never be able to stand at her graveside and tell her I'm sorry for not finding her in time."
The room fell silent. Dad reached across the coffee table and took Magnus's hand, offering what comfort he could. Mom kept her hand on my shoulder, her grip warm and steadying.
After a moment, I looked up at Magnus. "I think we need to do something," I said slowly. "To find her."
Magnus's eyes narrowed. "You're not suggesting asking Maxwell for help, are you? Using his criminal connections?"
I held his gaze. "Sometimes it's easier to find things through illegal channels than legal ones."
A surprised look crossed Magnus's face, followed by a grim smile. "Great minds think alike, it seems."
In that moment, I knew we shared the same goal: to bring peace to Evelyn, whatever it took. The road ahead would be challenging, but we would walk it together—for Evelyn, for Oliver, and for Amelia.