CHAPTER 5 — The Truth Behind the Ditch
Evelyn Sterling was discharged quietly.
No press.
No announcement.
But she did not go home.
She went somewhere hidden.
And Ethan was brought there against his will.
A private estate outside Austin.
Large gates.
Silent grounds.
Too quiet to feel safe.
Ethan was escorted inside.
And there she was.
Evelyn.
Standing.
No longer injured.
Still pale.
Still recovering.
But very much alive.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Ethan said immediately.
“I asked for you,” she replied.
Victor stood nearby.
Watching both of them.
Evelyn stepped closer.
“You saved my life,” she said.
Ethan shook his head.
“I already told you—”
“No,” she interrupted. “You didn’t just save my life.”
A pause.
“You interrupted something.”
Ethan frowned.
“What are you talking about?”
Evelyn looked at her father.
Then back at Ethan.
And said:
“They tried to erase me.”
Silence.
Victor spoke quietly.
“Someone inside our organization arranged the accident.”
Ethan stiffened.
“…Accident?”
Evelyn nodded.
“It wasn’t random.”
Ethan felt the ground shift under him.
“I’m a mechanic,” he said. “I don’t deal with billionaire conspiracies.”
Victor replied calmly:
“You are dealing with one now.”
May you like
And then Evelyn said the final truth:
“If you hadn’t stopped… I would be dead.”
