Chapter 58
Before Evelyn could think it through, a cold laugh cut through the room.
Iris shook off Howard's hand and walked straight to Susan's bedside, looming over her with a sneer.
"Susan, calling you Mrs. Gray is a courtesy—don't take it for granted. And you have the nerve to bring up me and Howard?"
Her voice climbed higher. "My mother's heartache all these years was entirely your doing. If you hadn't driven Emily away, would she have spent decades in misery?"
Susan's breathing quickened, her chest heaving.
"You show up, and my mother is gone." Iris's words came like knife strikes. "Who knows if you—she hated you so much, maybe you actually—"
"Enough."
A clear, cold voice cut her off.
Evelyn stepped forward, planting herself between Iris and Susan. She was half a head shorter than Iris, but when she met her eyes directly, Iris instinctively stepped back.
She caught herself, her face cycling between red and pale. She'd held her own in the Maple family for years—when had a young woman ever made her back down with just a look?
She opened her mouth to speak, but Evelyn was already ahead of her.
"Mrs. Maple just passed, and you're in here making a scene. Are you trying to deny her even a moment of peace?"
Evelyn's voice wasn't loud, but every word landed clearly.
"Her body isn't even cold yet. Instead of sitting by her side, you come here making accusations. Where were you when she was dying?"
Iris blinked, then looked Evelyn up and down. "Who do you think you are?" she scoffed. "You're an outsider. This is none of your business."
"You're right, I am an outsider." Evelyn's voice carried a chill.
She took one step forward. Just one—but Iris stepped back again without thinking.
"And yet I was here before either of you. Where were you when Mrs. Maple was fighting for her life? You couldn't be bothered to visit then, but now that she's gone, you circle back like vultures."
"You—!" Iris's expression darkened.
"What?" Evelyn pressed. "Afraid you'll miss out on the inheritance? Or worried about what Mrs. Maple might have revealed before she died?"
Both Iris and Howard's faces changed.
Iris drew a slow breath and composed herself. "What do you know, you little—this is Maple family business—"
"I'd think carefully before you say another word," Evelyn interrupted, her voice cooling further. She stepped aside, letting Susan come into view.
"Mrs. Gray is the president of the Gray Group. If something happens to her here because of you two..." She paused. "Can you afford that responsibility?"
The words lodged in Iris's throat.
She looked at Evelyn, then at Susan, the anger in her eyes gradually giving way to wariness. Susan was old, but she was no one to trifle with.
Howard quietly tugged at Iris's sleeve. Iris clenched her jaw, lips pressing into a thin line. She stared at Evelyn for a long moment, then said nothing.
She turned, pulled Howard to the side, and took out her phone.
"Hello, the lawyer? My mother's gone. Get here as soon as possible..." Her voice was low, but words like "will" and "as soon as possible" drifted across the room.
The tension in the room finally eased.
Evelyn turned back to Susan. She was leaning against the headboard, still pale. But when she saw Evelyn, the corner of her mouth moved—a faint, exhausted smile.
"Eve," she said softly, her voice unsteady. "Thank you."
Evelyn shook her head. She leaned in and gently patted Susan's back, steady and unhurried, helping her breathe easier.
"It's over now, Mrs. Gray," she said, her voice soft. "Let's get some fresh air. We don't need to stay here."
Susan looked at her, eyes reddening slightly, then gave a quiet nod.
Logan brought the wheelchair. Evelyn helped Susan into it and tucked a blanket over her legs. The three of them slowly made their way out.
Without realizing it, evening had arrived. A night breeze met them at the door, cool and light. Evelyn took a deep breath, letting out everything she'd been holding in her chest. She finally felt a little better.
Susan sat in the wheelchair for a long time without speaking. When she finally did, her voice was quiet.
"Eve, I really am getting old."
Tiredness ran through her words, along with resignation and a loneliness that was hard to name.
"Just now, I let them get to me." She shook her head. "Back in my day..."
She didn't finish. Just shook her head again.
Evelyn patted her back gently. "You're not old," she said. "You're just tired."
Susan looked up at her, her gaze lingering on Evelyn's face with unmistakable warmth and fondness.
"Eve," she said, "do you know what I was thinking, watching you stand there just now?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"Those things you said—sharp, direct, every word hitting exactly where it needed to." A trace of a smile entered Susan's voice. "You reminded me of myself when I was young."
Evelyn didn't know what to say to that.
Susan's gaze drifted to the lake in the distance, her voice gradually settling.
"I was even more fierce than you at your age. Nobody dared cross me, because I'd hit back ten times as hard. Once, a business partner tried to trap me in a contract. I tore it up on the spot, threw it in his face, and told him, 'You're going to need to try a lot harder than that.'"
Evelyn couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips.
Susan laughed too. It was brief, but for that one moment, the exhaustion in her eyes lifted.
"Now I really am slowing down," she sighed. "Slower to react, slower to speak, even slower to get angry."
Evelyn's heart ached a little. She crouched down and gently took Susan's hand.
"Mrs. Gray," she said softly, "slow is fine. We're right here."
Susan looked at her. In the fading evening light, Evelyn's eyes were clear and steady—attentive, tender, with a quiet certainty that made everything feel a little less heavy.
Susan smiled. "Yes," she said. "You're right here."
Logan pushed the wheelchair along the path at a leisurely pace, Evelyn walking alongside. After a while, Susan spoke again.
"Eve, what you said back there—it wasn't just well-said." She paused. "It took courage. Not everyone would have the nerve to stand up and speak like that in that situation."
Evelyn was quiet for a moment. "I just couldn't stand watching them treat you that way."
Susan looked at her, something deepening in her eyes. She smiled softly but didn't say anything more.
What she was thinking was this: Eve is every bit the person I'd want to carry things forward. The presence, the instincts, the nerve.
A shame she's still tied to the Perkins boy.
Susan's gaze dimmed slightly, and she let the thought go.
Evelyn had no idea what Susan was thinking. Her own mind had drifted back to the two people in that room. Iris and Howard—they had to be married. One playing the villain, the other playing the reluctant peacemaker, perfectly in sync.
Emily had left so decisively, taking nothing. Had she known, by then, that she'd been betrayed by the person she loved?
Evelyn exhaled quietly.