Chapter 449

"Evelyn?" Liam's voice cut through the silence.

"Ten years of heartache was the price I paid for loving you. Do you really think I'm strong enough now to taste happiness, only to endure a lifetime of pain?"

Evelyn's head dipped slowly. She bit her lip, but the tears escaped anyway.

She wished she could erase everything—return to being just Evelyn Carter, the woman whose heart and soul belonged only to Liam, the woman who dreamed of nothing more than being his wife.

She longed for a life unburdened by duty, where love was pure and simple. But reality was cruel. Liam had his obligations, and she had hers.

Tears streaked her cheeks as she brushed past him, leaving Blackwood Manor without another word.

Less than thirty seconds later, Liam's composure shattered. He stormed outside, his strides urgent. Spotting Evelyn walking down the tree-lined driveway, he caught up in seconds and seized her wrist.

Under the glow of the streetlights, Evelyn wiped her tears and looked up at him.

His breathing was uneven, his jaw tight. Yet his voice softened as he said, "It's late. It's not safe for you to go alone. Let me drive you home."

Evelyn gave a silent nod.

"Wait here," he instructed before heading to the garage.

Moments later, his car pulled up. Evelyn slid inside, and they left Blackwood Manor behind.

The city glittered around them—neon signs, streams of headlights, the hum of nightlife. Inside the car, darkness swallowed them, broken only by fleeting flashes of streetlights.

The silence between them was suffocating.

Lost in thought, Evelyn stole glances at the passing world outside. Liam slowed the car, letting others overtake them.

As Wright Manor came into view, Evelyn finally spoke. "Liam... if I never come back, would you marry someone else? Have children?"

Liam hesitated. "I've never considered it."

"Consider it now," she pressed.

His answer came reluctantly. "Yes."

The word struck like a blade. If she couldn't return to Aldenria, Evelyn had already decided—she would never marry. She'd bury herself in science, in research, in anything but love.

His answer settled in her chest like a thorn. Would he really move on if she were gone?

Despite loving her for years, Liam had once bowed to family pressure and married another. Even if fate had twisted that marriage into something real, the truth remained—he would marry again.

The car stopped outside Wright Manor. Evelyn unbuckled her seatbelt. "Drive safe," she murmured.

She walked away without looking back.

Liam killed the engine and leaned back, watching her disappear into the manor with a hollow ache in his chest.

"Go chase your dreams. I won't stand in your way. You've left me twice. I can't love again. I can't even think of another marriage."

"Cassandra... just be happy. That's all I want for you."

Night deepened. His car remained parked outside Wright Manor, a shadow in the quiet hours.

The next afternoon, Evelyn lay in bed, exhausted from a sleepless night. She had no appetite, no energy—just the weight of a chemistry book in her hands.

Unaware of her return—she'd gone to bed too early—Rosalind, now recovered from her illness, had gone hiking with Nathaniel.