Chapter 258

Liam's knuckles turned white as he fought to control his rising anger.

Victoria's voice cut through the tension like a knife. "She's completely useless - can't advance your career, can't even take care of herself without you and the servants. She's like an overgrown child."

Her words grew sharper with each sentence. "In your entire relationship, it's always you making the effort while she remains emotionally detached."

"Is it just her pretty face that has you so obsessed?" Victoria's composure cracked, her voice trembling with fury. "Are you satisfied having her as nothing more than decorative furniture in your home?"

"Or is it her bedroom skills that have you so enthralled?" she spat out, her eyes flashing with contempt. "Have you really sunk that low?"

Benjamin froze, his face draining of color as he stared at his twin sister. He couldn't comprehend Victoria's sudden recklessness in front of Liam.

Liam dabbed his lips with a napkin, his pale face contrasting with the fire in his icy gaze. He'd always considered Benjamin a brother and Victoria a close friend.

Tossing the napkin aside, Liam's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "You want to know why I married her?"

Both siblings fixed their attention on Liam, waiting for his answer.

"Because I crave her." The words came out rough with suppressed emotion. "That's why."

Victoria looked utterly bewildered. She shot a questioning glance at Benjamin, who could only shrug in equal confusion.

"She's like air to me." Liam's voice thickened. "Even if she doesn't know anything, even if she can't do anything - I can't live without her because losing her would suffocate me." With that, he pushed back from the table and strode toward the door.

For years, he couldn't understand his physical attraction to Evelyn despite loving Cassandra. When pressured by Margaret to marry Evelyn, he hadn't resisted. Instead, he'd accepted the arrangement willingly.

After their first night together, Liam found himself not only comfortable sharing a bed with Evelyn but actively craving her touch. His desire for her only grew stronger with time. It wasn't until he realized she was the woman he'd once loved deeply that everything made sense.

Having been separated from his true love for a decade, having forgotten her identity and even mistaken her for someone else - when their eyes met again after all those years, his mind and heart waged war.

Yet in that moment, his body recognized her instantly.

Liam tore through the garden in a panic, calling Evelyn's name. No response came. Even the security guard confirmed she hadn't left the property.

Heart pounding, Liam sprinted back to the house. He took the stairs two at a time, throwing open every door in his path.

"Cassandra! Where are you?" His voice echoed through the empty rooms. He found her phone in their bedroom, but no sign of Evelyn.

Benjamin stood abruptly as he took in Liam's disheveled state. "What's wrong? Didn't Evelyn just step outside? Maybe she's still in the garden."

Liam's face was a mask of barely controlled panic as he rushed to the study. "She's not out there. The guard confirmed she didn't leave."

Abandoning their meal, Benjamin and Victoria followed Liam to review the security footage.

Victoria frowned. "She only left minutes ago. She couldn't have just vanished."

Liam's fingers flew over the keyboard, his eyes glued to the monitor as fear gripped his heart.

The footage showed Evelyn exiting the house and walking toward the garden gazebo. Then she stepped into a blind spot - and never reappeared on any camera.