Chapter 49

The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of Evelyn's office, casting golden patterns across her drafting table. Her fingers hovered over the architectural blueprints as her mind replayed last night's confrontation with Nathaniel. The memory of his stormy expression made her pencil tremble slightly against the paper.

Gabrielle knocked lightly before entering, her arms laden with coffee and documents. "You look like you didn't sleep at all," she observed, setting down the steaming cup. "The Carter project revisions came in. They want the north wing completely redesigned by Friday."

Evelyn groaned, rubbing her temples. "That's impossible. We'd need at least two weeks for proper structural analysis." She reached for the coffee, the bitter taste mirroring her mood. The sudden vibration of her phone made her jump. Nathaniel's name flashed on the screen.

Her assistant raised an eyebrow. "Trouble in paradise?"

Ignoring the comment, Evelyn swiped to answer. Nathaniel's deep voice came through, unusually strained. "We need to talk. Tonight. At the penthouse."

Before she could respond, the line went dead. The abruptness sent a chill down her spine. Their argument last night had been explosive, but this felt different - more final.

Gabrielle cleared her throat. "Gregory wants to see you in Conference Room B. Something about the Martin Group's new waterfront development."

Evelyn's stomach twisted. Of course it would be about Nathaniel's family business. It seemed she couldn't escape him, even professionally. Gathering her composure, she stood, smoothing her pencil skirt. "Tell him I'll be right there."

As she walked down the corridor, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was an unfamiliar number. The message contained only two words: "He knows." Her breath caught. Knows what? About her secret meetings with Edward Martin? About the documents she'd copied from Nathaniel's study?

The conference room door loomed ahead like a gateway to another battlefront. Evelyn squared her shoulders, pushing aside her personal turmoil. Whatever storm was coming tonight, she'd face it head on. But first, she had a company to run and a facade to maintain.

Little did she know, Nathaniel had already set things in motion that would change everything between them. The game was afoot, and the stakes had never been higher.

"Nathaniel, you're my everything. If even you don't want me anymore, I might as well not exist."

Isabella's voice grew fainter with each word. Before Nathaniel could respond, she ended the call abruptly. The tires of her Porsche screeched as she sped away from Pineview Villa, determined to confront him at Martin Manor.

Nathaniel assumed she needed space. He'd explain everything when he returned home that night.

But Isabella never came back.

His calls went unanswered. When Nathaniel contacted Vanessa, she claimed not to have seen Isabella either.

A storm had been raging over Mayby for days. At 10:23 PM, rain lashed against the windows like liquid nails. Nathaniel's jaw tightened as he dialed Samuel. "Pull up today's security footage. Find out where Isabella went after leaving Pineview."

"On it, sir," Samuel responded instantly.

Thirty minutes later, the report came in: surveillance showed Isabella driving aimlessly before stopping at a bar. Later, she'd taken the wrong turn toward Martin Manor, disappearing into an unmonitored mountain pass as the storm worsened.

Nathaniel's knuckles whitened around his phone. "Organize search teams. Contact the police."

"Yes, sir."

The bedroom door creaked open as Evelyn emerged from the shower, towel-drying her hair. Their eyes met.

"Isabella's missing," he stated flatly.

Evelyn remained silent.

"You shouldn't have told her those things today." His voice was glacier-cold. "That was my responsibility."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "So now her disappearance is my fault?"

"I'm not blaming you. But your words sent her driving drunk into a storm." He grabbed his leather jacket, pausing at the doorway. "She could be dead in a ditch right now because of this."

The slam of the front door echoed through Pineview. From her window, Evelyn watched his Audi vanish into the downpour.

Nathaniel met Samuel at the search headquarters. Rain hammered the windshield as his car sliced through midnight roads. A fork of blue lightning illuminated the valley—then darkness swallowed everything again.

Upstairs, Evelyn flinched at the thunderclap. She despised Isabella, but no one deserved to disappear in this weather. Not even her.

Nathaniel's expression haunted her—that icy disapproval when he'd said she shouldn't have revealed their marriage would continue. He hadn't raised his voice. He never did. But the way his eyes frosted over...

For Isabella, he'd brave a hurricane. That truth cut deeper than any argument.

Another lightning strike. Evelyn's stomach twisted with foreboding.

The phone jolted her awake at 3:17 AM. An unknown number.

"Mrs. Martin?" Samuel's voice crackled through static. "You need to come to St. Mary's. Mr. Martin's been in an accident—he's in surgery—"

The world tilted. "What... happened?"

"Head-on collision on Ridge Pass Road—"

The phone slipped from her fingers. Evelyn dressed mechanically, her reflection in the mirror ghost-pale. The roads were rivers of ink as she drove, windshield wipers fighting a losing battle against the storm.

Please let him be alive.

Dawn bled through the hospital windows when she arrived. The OR doors hissed open.

"Multiple fractures, severe lacerations, but stable," the surgeon reported. "He'll need observation when the anesthesia wears off."

Evelyn's knees buckled with relief.

The private suite smelled of antiseptic and rain. Nathaniel lay motionless, face mottled with bruises. All for a woman who'd never loved him the way Evelyn did.

Samuel handed her water. "You should rest, Mrs. Martin."

"I'm fine."

The lie tasted bitter. Outside, the storm had passed, leaving behind a bruised sunrise. Samuel brought breakfast she couldn't stomach.

Evelyn studied Nathaniel's still form. Soon he'd wake—to what? More lies? More pain?

"Where's Isabella?" she finally asked Samuel.

The silence stretched too long.

Samuel's phone buzzed. His face drained of color. "They found her car... at the bottom of Blackridge Gorge."