Chapter 155

"When the Lockharts died, it was like the world collapsed. Master Arthur followed soon after. Then you married into the Blackwood family. Lockhart Manor stood empty, a prize for vultures. They stripped it bare—down to the floorboards if they could."

Evelyn's voice trembled. "I fought to protect this place for you. Every scar was worth it. But some wounds never healed before new ones came. The worst time... they left me for dead in a grave."

Isabella's fists clenched. Fury burned through her veins. "Evelyn, I swear—every one of them will pay for what they did to you."

"Don’t waste your anger, Ms. Viv. Seeing you again makes it all worth it."

They clung to each other, tears washing away years of pain.

"How did you survive?" Isabella finally asked, wiping her cheeks.

"Luck. A stranger pulled me from the earth. He said a powerful man sent him—someone who wanted me gone from Newport City."

"A powerful man?" Isabella frowned.

Who would help them when the world wanted them destroyed?

Evelyn hesitated. "Could it have been Mr. Blackwood? Only the Blackwoods would dare shield a Lockhart. He knew I raised you. Maybe he didn’t want you to grieve."

"Impossible." Isabella’s laugh was bitter. "He never cared. He left after our wedding. When I was trapped in that hell for weeks, he never once checked on me. He wouldn’t lift a finger for you."

Once, she’d loved him blindly. Now, the memory stung.

Evelyn’s eyes softened. "You deserved better. The divorce was a blessing."

"I’m free now," Isabella agreed. She changed the subject. "How did you live all these years? Why didn’t you reach out?"

"I obeyed my savior. Stayed hidden. But I couldn’t abandon Lockhart Manor. So I haunted it—scared off thieves with ghost stories. It worked. No one dares come near now."

Evelyn knelt suddenly, pressing her forehead to the floor. "Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart... Master Arthur... I kept your home safe. Until she came back."

Isabella’s throat tightened. "You saved us, Evelyn. Without you, the Lockharts would be nothing but dust."

Evelyn shook her head. "I failed them. I couldn’t stop—"

Guilt choked her. The memories were too brutal.

Then she remembered. "Wait. They left something for you."