Chapter 146

Before anyone could speak, Evelyn shoved her teacup aside with a sharp clatter. "Beatrice," she demanded, her voice trembling with suppressed rage, "if you have issues with me, say it to my face. These underhanded tactics are beneath you."

The audacity of Beatrice's attack stemmed from one simple fact - Liam had moved out of their shared bedroom last night. She was convinced the entire household now shared Liam's apparent disgust toward Evelyn.

With a sweeping gesture at the gathered family, Beatrice sneered, "It's not just me who can't stand you. Everyone here despises a fraud like you. Have you no self-awareness?"

Richard's voice cut through the tension. "Beatrice, that's enough."

"Stay out of this, Richard," Beatrice snapped. "Today we're cleansing the Blackwood family of this trash. We can't let her continue living here, tarnishing our reputation."

Her eyes gleamed with malicious triumph. "I've already contacted the Art Council's appraisal team, along with media reporters. And of course, our legal team will be present to file charges."

The announcement sent murmurs through the room - some shocked, others visibly excited.

Liam's knuckles turned white around his silverware, veins protruding like cables beneath his skin. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, though Beatrice remained oblivious to the storm brewing beside her.

Growing more emboldened, she continued, "I've even arranged for the real Isabella Grayson to appear in person. By day's end, Evelyn Carter will be exposed as a fraud and thrown out of Blackwood Manor."

"Let the world see the scheming gold-digger for what she really—"

A deafening crash silenced her. Every head swiveled toward Liam as his chair toppled backward. The fury radiating from him was palpable, his gaze so intense it pinned Beatrice in place like a predator sighting prey.

"If living with my wife displeases you," Liam growled, each word dripping with menace, "then leave. No one's stopping you."

The room collectively held its breath. They'd all assumed Liam's move to the guest room signaled marital discord. Yet the protective way he said "my wife" now suggested otherwise.

Even Richard dared not intervene as Liam's wrath filled the dining room.

Beatrice paled, still not comprehending her misstep. "Liam, I'm trying to help you! Why are you turning on me?"

Sebastian chose that moment to speak up. "Can't you see Aunt Beatrice means well? You're Aldenria's military leader - a decorated war hero. How can you let some woman blind you to reason?"

His voice took on a sneer. "She crawled out of the slums, trading on her looks to climb social ladders. Married into wealth just to—"

"Enough." Liam's voice cracked like a whip, silencing Sebastian mid-sentence.

In the heavy silence that followed, Liam circled the table to stand before Evelyn. When his fingers intertwined with hers, Evelyn looked up with tentative hope. After a night of despair, this small gesture of solidarity mended something fractured in her heart.

Perhaps Liam didn't completely hate her after all.

"Let's go," he murmured.

Evelyn hesitated. "Where?"

"Anywhere you want. Anywhere but here."