Chapter 71 Darkness I
The cruise never recovered from the chaos.
Because of the incident, the captain turned the ship back toward shore.
By the time they docked at the resort, the sky had gone black a heavy, suffocating night that mirrored every shaken soul on board.
Heaven walked numbly to her suite.
She didn’t change.
She didn’t shower.
She curled into a ball on the bed small, defeated, exhausted beyond tears. Her chest hurt with every breath. Her cheeks burned. Her knees burned. Her mind felt like it had been clawed open.
She just lay there.
Still.
Empty.
Done.
Meanwhile, every ounce of attention shifted to Eva.
Doctors flooded her room. Nurses took vitals. Someone fetched oxygen, even though she didn’t truly need it.
Maverick stood at the far end of the room, shoulders rigid, watching silently. His eyes were sharp but far away, not in the room he was in.
His mind was replaying the same horrifying image in a loop:
Heaven’s hands on Eva’s arms.
Eva flying backward over the rail.
He had seen it.
With his own eyes.
But… why? Why would Heaven do something so reckless?
So openly?
His jaw tightened.
He didn’t finish the thought.
When the doctors finally stepped back and said Eva was stable, just shaken, exhausted, and in need of rest his parents sagged with relief.
Of course they did.
Eva was the only surviving child of the Edwards.
She could not die.
Not when the alliance depended on them having an heir for the two families.
Eleanor kissed Eva’s forehead; General Richard murmured reassurance.
Then they left the room.
And the silence began.
Eva glanced at Maverick from under lowered lashes.
Maverick stepped into the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, then came back out eyes darker, colder, calculating.
Eva pretended to sleep until his shadow fell over her.
Then she opened her eyes.
That was when he asked the question no one had bothered to ask.
His voice was deep and quiet the kind that made the air tighten.
“Why would Heaven push you?”
Eva’s fingers clenched beneath the duvet.
Her eyes flickered.
She couldn’t say she knew about the affair — that would open floodgates she couldn’t control.
She stammered, letting fear shake her voice.
“Uh… I… I—”
Maverick’s gaze locked on her.
Unblinking.
Piercing.
She swallowed hard.
“I… I saw her texting.”
His jaw tightened, just slightly.
“A… heart emoji to a number… and a message saying… ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone know about us. Not him.’”
The room stilled.
Maverick went ice-cold.
Eva saw it that flicker of betrayal, suspicion, something dark and she pressed harder.
“I told her I was going to tell everyone,” Eva whispered, acting hurt. “She panicked… and she pushed me. I think… I think she’s hiding an affair.”
“Affair?” Maverick repeated, voice low enough to burn.
“Yes.” Eva leaned into the drama. “With the male servant. I’ve seen them steal glances at each other at home… whispering… disappearing at odd times.”
His eyelid twitched.
“You’re telling me,” Maverick said slowly, “that Heaven is sleeping with a servant.”
Eva lowered her eyes, sniffing.
“She’s lonely, Maverick… she’s young… and she’s been a widow for years. I don’t blame her… but to hide it?”
A fake tremor. A perfect tear.
“She didn’t want anyone to know. That’s why she...”
The lie was smooth.
Seamless.
Beautifully crafted.
And it hit Maverick exactly where she wanted:
Right where the wound she created for him before laid.
His face became ice.
Still.
Frozen.
Dead.
Not a single flicker of warmth remained.
Eva relaxed under the covers, hidden from his eyes.
She had him.
She had him exactly where she wanted him.
“Rest.”
His voice cut clean through her performance.
Eva froze.
Then her panic flared because he turned and walked out.
Was he going to confront Heaven?
If the lie cracked, everything would collapse.
She grabbed her phone with shaking fingers and texted Killian:
“Send a message. Now.”