Chapter 152: Old Memories
"I looked for you for one thousand, four hundred and sixty days. In every city I visited, I went to every gallery and fabric market. I showed your photo to everyone like a madman."
"Someone said they saw you in Milan. I flew there overnight, only to find a stranger who looked like you from behind."
"Someone said they saw an iris design in London. I bought out the store's entire stock just to find a lead."
Ryan reached out as if to touch her cheek but stopped halfway, his fingers curling back.
"I never gave up. Even when everyone told me you were dead, even when the police closed the case, I didn't believe them."
His deep eyes were swirling with four years of suppressed longing, despair, and the shock of having her back. Evelyn looked at the digital copies of missing person fliers on the screen. Her heart felt as if it were soaking in acid. She could feel the weight of his words. It was a heavy, unfiltered devotion.
If she were the naive Evelyn from four years ago, she would have been in tears, throwing herself into his arms. But these four years in Paris had taught her how ugly people could be. She had learned to expect the worst.
After the initial emotion, a stronger fear took over. The fear of being controlled.
"So? Are you bragging about how powerful your network is, Mr. Lawrence? Or are you telling me that no matter where I run, I can never escape you?"
Ryan’s face stiffened. "You think this is a threat?"
"What else is it?" Evelyn stepped back, creating distance. "This constant surveillance, this obsessive 'devotion'... it’s suffocating."
She took a breath and said the words she knew would hurt him most. "Ryan, you are no different from Damian."
"You both love controlling everything from your high thrones. You love forcing your will on others. To you, I’m just an object to be tracked and monitored, not a living person!"
"I barely escaped one control freak. I’m not stupid enough to fall into another’s trap."
The air froze. Ryan’s tall frame swayed slightly as if he’d been stabbed. The light in his eyes died out, leaving only a dull, gray emptiness.
"No different..." he whispered. He let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "So in your heart, I’m the same as the man who tried to destroy you."
He wanted to explain. He wanted to say he was only afraid for her, that he just needed to know she was alive. But looking at her hostile, disgusted eyes, his words felt useless. She had been hurt too deeply to tell the difference between a blade and an embrace.
Ryan closed his eyes, hiding his emotions, and sighed. "Fine."
He pocketed his phone and straightened his sleeves. "If that’s what you think, I have nothing more to say." He turned toward the door, his silhouette looking lonely. He paused at the handle without looking back.
"But I will prove you wrong. I don't use those cheap tactics. What I want is for you to come to me willingly."
The door clicked shut.
Evelyn’s strength evaporated instantly. she slumped into her chair. The empty room and the sound of the rain outside made her chest ache. She knew her words were cruel. She knew Ryan wasn't Damian. Damian controlled to use; Ryan searched to love.
But she couldn't gamble. The woman who had screamed for help at the docks had lost the courage to be loved.
Her phone vibrated. It was a text from Ryan. No accusations, no explanations. Just one sentence.
Stay safe. Get some rest.
Evelyn stared at the words, remembering his bloodshot eyes and the way they had reddened before he left. Her fingers trembled, and a warm tear splashed onto the screen.
The next day, New York was under heavy clouds. Evelyn stood before a weathered tombstone, holding a bouquet of white daisies. It was the grave of the late Director Worth.
"Director, I’m back," Evelyn whispered.
She told the headstone about the last four years—the struggle, the fear, and how she had survived for Elias.
Suddenly, footsteps crushed the dry leaves behind her. Evelyn gripped the pepper spray in her coat pocket and spun around. She froze.
Standing a few feet away was a man holding the same flowers. He was breathing hard, his face filled with shock and joy.
"Evelyn?" Ethan Reed’s voice shook. "It really is you! My God... I’ve looked for you for so long."
"Ethan." Evelyn relaxed. "Are you here for the Director too?"
Ethan Reed, once her shy junior in college and now a prominent doctor, rushed toward her. He looked as if he wanted to hug her, but seeing her distant gaze, he stopped and simply gripped her shoulders.
"Four years... not a word. I thought you were..." Ethan choked up. "I’m just glad you’re alive."