Chapter 107
Evelyn's POV
We found them near the bow—Isabella and Adrian standing close together, her hand on his arm as they spoke with a cluster of guests.
Isabella saw us first. Her smile froze, her eyes going wide as she took in our appearance—my soaked red dress clinging to my body beneath Julian's jacket draped over my shoulders, his white dress shirt plastered to his chest and arms, both of us dripping water onto the polished deck. "Oh my God. Evelyn? What happened?"
The conversation around them died instantly. Adrian turned, and I watched his expression shift from polite attention to sharp concern in the space of a heartbeat. His eyes swept over me, cataloging every detail—the torn fabric, the blood on my hands, the way I was shaking despite Julian's steadying presence beside me.
"Are you hurt?" Adrian's voice cut through the sudden silence, and he took a step toward me before seemingly remembering where we were, who was watching. "What happened?"
"I'm fine." The lie came easily, practiced. "I just—I slipped near the pool. Fell in. The water was colder than I expected, and I panicked for a moment." I held out my hand, opening my fist to reveal the ring. "Your ring. I'm so sorry, Isabella. I should have been more careful."
Isabella's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, Evelyn. I don't care about the ring. Are you okay? Did you hit your head?"
"I'm fine," I repeated, pressing the ring into her palm. "Really. Julian pulled me out before I could do anything stupid. Just... embarrassed."
Julian stood close enough that I could feel his presence like a shield, but he kept his hands carefully to himself, maintaining the professional distance we'd agreed upon. His voice was smooth and unconcerned when he spoke. "She gave me a hell of a scare. One minute she was there, the next she was in the water."
Adrian's gaze shifted to Julian, and something complicated flickered across his face—relief, gratitude, and perhaps something darker underneath. "Thank you," he said, the words formal but weighted. "For pulling her out. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."
Julian's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, a muscle jumping beneath his skin. When he nodded in acknowledgment, the movement was curt, barely more than a dip of his chin. To anyone else, it would have looked like simple professional courtesy. But I'd learned to read the subtle shifts in his expression, the way his eyes went flat when he was suppressing something.
He was furious—not at Adrian's gratitude, but at the necessity of it, at having to stand here and accept thanks for saving me when what he really wanted was to get me off this boat and away from all of them.
"We should get you checked by a doctor," Adrian continued, turning back to me. There was an edge of command in his tone that reminded me he was still a Winthrop, still used to being obeyed. "The yacht has a medical—"
"That won't be necessary." I cut him off as gently as I could. "I'm just cold and wet. I'd really like to go home and change."
"Of course." Isabella squeezed my hand, her concern genuine and somehow making this worse. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to hold onto it. If you hadn't been worried about the ring—"
"It's not your fault." The words came out sharper than I intended. I softened my tone. "Really. I'm just clumsy."
"Clumsy?" The voice came from behind us, sweet and poisonous. "Is that what we're calling it?"
I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Scarlett and Vivian had been circling the party all night like sharks, their eyes tracking me with barely concealed malice. Of course they'd materialized now, drawn by the scent of scandal.
"We saw what happened," Scarlett continued, moving into view with Vivian at her side. Both wore expressions of exaggerated concern that fooled absolutely no one. "It was terrible. We tried to help."
"Help?" Julian's voice dropped several degrees. "That's an interesting interpretation."
"We accidentally knocked Evelyn's clutch near the pool edge," Vivian said, her tone dripping false regret. "We were going to get someone from the crew to retrieve it, but Evelyn insisted on going after it herself." She turned to the growing crowd, playing to her audience. "We had no idea she'd be so... impulsive."
I felt the rage building in my chest, hot and vicious, but I forced it down. This was exactly what they wanted—a scene, a scandal, proof that Arthur's widow was unstable and unsuitable for polite society. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
"It's fine," I said, my voice flat. "Accidents happen."
"But that's just it," Scarlett pressed, sensing weakness. "We told you we'd handle it. You didn't need to risk yourself over a clutch." She glanced at Isabella, her smile sharp. "Though I suppose if you were holding something valuable, that changes things."
"It does change things." Isabella's voice cut through the murmurs, surprisingly firm. "Evelyn was holding my engagement ring. Of course she was worried about it. I would have done the same thing."
Scarlett's expression flickered—surprise, then calculation. "Your engagement ring? The Winthrop—"
"Yes." Isabella's chin lifted. "I asked Evelyn to hold it because the band was loose and I was worried about losing it. She was doing me a favor. So if you're implying she overreacted, you're wrong."
"We weren't implying anything," Vivian said quickly, but her eyes were already scanning for another angle of attack. "We're just concerned. The way she went after it, so desperately, almost like she was—"
"Almost like she was what?" Julian's voice was pure ice. "Finish that sentence. Please."
Vivian's mouth snapped shut. Even Scarlett had the sense to look uncertain, though she recovered quickly. "We're just saying it looked... dramatic. Like she was trying to make a scene."
"A scene?" I laughed, the sound hollow even to my own ears. I closed my eyes, suddenly too tired to care about any of this. "Right. Because I love being the center of attention at my stepson's engagement party. That was definitely my goal tonight."
"We didn't mean—" Scarlett started.
"Yes, you did." Isabella's voice was sharp now, cutting. "You've been circling all night looking for something to gossip about. Well, congratulations. You found it. Evelyn nearly drowned trying to retrieve my family ring because you two knocked her clutch into a dangerous area. Feel better?"
The crowd had grown larger now, drawn by the confrontation. I could feel their eyes on me—some sympathetic, others calculating, all of them filing away details for later dissection. This was why I hated these events. Why I'd spent years learning to disappear rather than perform.
"It wasn't like that," Vivian protested, but her voice lacked conviction. "We didn't mean for her to fall in. We were going to get help—"
"Is that so?"
The new voice cut through the tension like a blade. I opened my eyes and turned toward the sound, my breath catching in surprise.
Catherine Winthrop stood at the edge of the crowd, her expression unreadable.
She wasn't looking at me. Her gaze was fixed on Adrian, her phone held up in one hand. "The videographer just showed me the footage from the pool area. He wasn't filming there intentionally, but the microphone picked up audio."