Chapter 116

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Julian Ashford's voice trembled with fury. "An abortion? How could Evelyn possibly have been pregnant?"

Moments ago, he'd thought Alexander had gone too far striking a servant.

Now he wished he could strangle this venomous liar himself.

Mrs. Wilson waved the medical documents tauntingly.

"These are hospital records. Educated people like you should understand what 'D&C surgery' means." She shook the papers triumphantly. "And ruptured fallopian tubes... The doctor said she'll never bear children!"

Nearly illiterate, she'd memorized every damning phrase fed to her.

Julian lunged for the documents.

Alexander seized them first.

His eyes scoured the page, each medical term carving deeper into him. When he finally looked at Evelyn, devastation fractured his gaze.

D&C surgery.

Infertility.

If this record was authentic...

Then the bloodstained sheets from their first night had been an elaborate deception.

Seven years ago, Alexander had obtained proof of Julian and Evelyn traveling abroad together.

He'd suppressed his rage then—they weren't officially together.

Until that fateful night.

He'd doubted her, but at least believed she'd given him her virginity.

Now this document claimed sixteen-year-old Evelyn had aborted Julian's child overseas.

What did that make their relationship?

He'd rather have never met her than face this betrayal.

"Let me see!" Eleanor Kingsley's shaking hands snatched the papers, her eyes scanning unfamiliar medical jargon. "What does this actually say?"

Madam Winslow smirked. "Sterility. Even a fool could understand that."

"Out!" Eleanor slapped the papers across Madam Winslow's face. "This is none of your concern!"

The pages grazed Madam Winslow's cheek, igniting her temper.

"Are the Kingsleys blind? Treasuring this damaged goods!"

Mr. Kingsley shoved her aside. "Mind your tongue!"

Mr. Winslow tried restraining his wife, only to receive a stinging slap.

"Dad! Mom!" Isabella stamped her foot in frustration.

Chaos erupted in the room.

Only Evelyn remained still.

Not once had she defended herself.

Alexander's gaze locked onto her.

A chilling realization struck him—the calmest person in this storm was its eye.

Neither the accusations nor the "evidence" had ruffled her composure.

This silence cut deeper than any denial.

"Explain." Alexander's voice emerged from some abyss.

Evelyn traced the edge of her phone absently.

"Nothing to explain."

The words shattered Alexander's last restraint.

He remembered tonight's meticulously planned proposal.

The ring designs revised countless times.

What a fool he'd been.

With trembling hands, he thrust the document before her.

"One last chance. Is this true?"

Evelyn studied the paper.

Those clinical terms had once brought unbearable pain.

She remembered the snowy night.

The metal pipe striking her abdomen.

The biting cold.

What she'd fought so desperately to protect.

Waking up thinking the nightmare was over...

Only to learn it had just begun.

"What's written here..." Evelyn's lips curved into a faint smile, her eyes glimmering with something fragile, "...is all..."

"D&C isn't just for abortions!"

Julian's interruption came like a lifeline.

He could've stayed silent. This was his chance to reclaim her.

But he couldn't watch the light fade from her eyes.

Couldn't bear her smiling through the agony.