Chapter 271

Evelyn Carter stood frozen as the words left her lips. "Rosalind, I'll be staying at your place tonight."

Rosalind Baskins blinked in surprise before letting out an exasperated sigh. "But I've been living in hotels this entire time."

Liam Blackwood's brow furrowed deeply at this revelation. Evelyn took a tentative step forward, her lips curving into a hesitant smile. "What's wrong with your place? Can't we stay there?"

A bitter laugh escaped Evelyn as she stared at the floor. "I divorced Liam as 'Cassandra Wright.' That identity no longer exists, which means I'm technically homeless now."

Rosalind studied her friend with calm detachment. "You're a millionaire several times over. Just buy another property."

Evelyn's shoulders slumped. "This is Aldenria, not Solterra."

Rosalind smacked her own forehead with a chuckle. "God, I'm an idiot. All your assets are tied up in Solterra." Her expression turned serious. "If you try transferring that kind of wealth as Cassandra Wright, you'll have every intelligence agency in Aldenria breathing down your neck."

Evelyn's lips twisted into a wry smile. After a long pause, she confessed in a whisper, "Actually, I'm six hundred thousand dollars in debt."

Rosalind's eyebrows shot up. "To whom?"

"Liam Blackwood."

"Your ex-husband?"

"Yes."

Rosalind crossed her arms. "How did that happen?"

Evelyn's fingers twisted the hem of her blouse. "I borrowed money for a friend whose father needed emergency surgery. I didn't have cash, so I used Liam's card."

Rosalind shook her head slowly, exhaling through her nose. She sank onto the couch beside Evelyn. "Evelyn, your friend could have asked Liam directly. Why involve you?" She gave Evelyn's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're still too kind, even without your memories."

The light drained from Evelyn's eyes as she turned toward the balcony. "I'm not kind," she murmured. "I've done terrible things."

"There you go again." Rosalind hauled Evelyn to her feet. "Come on. We'll figure out the hotel situation later."

As they reached the doorway, Liam Blackwood materialized before them like a storm cloud, flanked by two stone-faced aides. Evelyn stopped dead in her tracks while Rosalind stiffened beside her.

Their eyes met - Liam's dark with unspoken emotion, Evelyn's shimmering with unshed tears. He closed the distance between them in three strides. "Are you feeling better?" His voice was rougher than usual.

Evelyn nodded, forcing a tight-lipped smile.

"I came to take you home," Liam said quietly.

She shook her head. "That's not necessary. I'll stay with Rosalind."

Liam's gaze flicked to Rosalind for a brief second before returning to Evelyn's guarded expression. He could read the resolve in her eyes - she'd recovered something from her past that demanded distance between them.

Affecting nonchalance, he asked, "Is there any chance for us in the future?"

Silence stretched between them like a widening chasm. Evelyn's heart hammered painfully against her ribs.

Liam pressed on, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you intend to return to your life from three years ago?"

Evelyn's teeth sank into her lower lip as her fingers clenched around fistfuls of fabric. Longing and regret warred within her, but reason won out. As Solterra's top chemical weapons engineer, her duty lay with her country.

Just as Liam served as Aldenria's foremost military strategist. Though their nations weren't at war, their interests would always collide.

Liam's heart shattered at her continued silence. "Was there someone else?" he asked hoarsely. "From before?"

Evelyn's reply came out in a broken whisper. "I'm sorry, Nate."

Liam's lips quirked in a painful imitation of a smile as his vision blurred. He'd be damned before admitting these were tears.

Turning abruptly toward the corridor window, he willed the moisture in his eyes to dissipate. If he didn't look at her, maybe he could pretend this wasn't happening.