Claire’s POV
"What does she want from you?" I narrowed my brows as my tone was sharp.
Eliam was Evander’s son! There was no way Gloria could snatch him away from him. But the real question was, Why would she even try? I couldn’t see any motive behind it.
"Are you trying to play gas with again?" I gritted my teeth, crossing my arms defensively. "She is your mother, Evander! I don’t believe she would do this to you. What could she possibly gain from it?"
"Claire, do you really not know her by now?" Evander’s tone turned serious, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. "Haven’t you been through enough to understand what kind of person that woman is?"
His words left speechless. I had never seen him talk about his mother like this before. In fact, he rarely ntioned her at all, and when he did, it was with respect, always referring to her as Mother.
"What are you implying?" I asked cautiously as the hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge.
Evander leaned forward as his expression turned dark and unyielding. "I am implying that she is not the woman you think she is," he said slowly. "And she never has been. Gloria only cares about one thing— control. And right now, she sees Eliam as a way to control !"
My breath hitched, a cold chill creeping up my spine. "Control over what, Evander? You? ? What could she possibly gain from taking Eliam?"
"Everything," he said bitterly. "She doesn’t see Eliam as my son or even as family. To her, he is leverage and a pawn in her endless ga to tornt . And she won’t stop unless I am dead!"
"Why would she want you dead?" I asked as my eyes widened, my voice trembling as a shiver ran through . No matter how much I hated him, I could never imagine wishing for his death. "She is your mother!"
"Indeed, she is. But she also had two other sons," Evander replied, his voice heavy with bitterness. "And in her eyes, I am the reason for their demise. Killing is her way of avenging them."
"Excuse ?" A cold wave of disbelief swept over . "Are you saying she tortured ... to tornt you?"
He said nothing, but the weight of his silence was deafening.
"Say sothing, Evander!" I demanded, my frustration building up.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, as his voice was low. "Claire... she orchestrated our marriage because she thought I loved Susan."
I froze, the na slicing through like a blade. "Didn’t you?" I asked cautiously, though my voice betrayed the ache I tried to hide.
"Haven’t I told you before?" he said, his brows drawing together. "You are my first and last love, Claire."
I said nothing, unsure how to process his words as my heart raced one again even in this serious situation.
He noticed my silence as he spoke up, his voice growing firr. "I never liked Susan, Claire. I tricked Gloria into thinking the opposite. I told her Susan’s best friend—you—was soone I couldn’t stand, soone I never wanted to see again." He let out a bitter laugh. "That was how I got married to you. I played her ga to win you. And when Gloria found out the truth... when Susan probably confird that I had loved you all along, she was furious. That’s when everything changed."
His words hit like a storm, each revelation peeling back layers of the twisted reality I had lived through.
"Evander," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why... why didn’t you tell this before?"
"Because I was a fool," he admitted. "I thought I could protect you by keeping you in the dark. And as long as I avoided you and turn cold toward you, she might leave you alone. But I was a fool." He said and inhaled deeply. "But now, I see that hiding the truth only made things worse for both of us."
I felt my chest tighten as I felt a number of emotions churning in ! Could I believe him? Could any of this even be true?
I still had doubts, but I could see the sincerity in his eyes. I was still in my thoughts when a thought stuck to my mind.
"Wait! Evander! Did you just say you had two brothers?" I asked, my eyes widening in shock. Everything was coming at so fast that I had almost overlooked that detail.
Evander sighed deeply and nodded. "You have t Elijah!" He said, and continued. "We were twins, Claire. You might have t him before. briefly. He looked just like , but he was born weak and frail. Later, he passed away... and Gloria blad for his death."
I stared at him, disbelief washing over . "How... how could she bla you? You were just a child! That’s insane!"
Evander’s gaze dropped to the floor, a flicker of pain crossing his face. "To Gloria, I was the stronger twin—the one who should have protected him. She never forgave . In her mind, I was responsible for his death, according to her."
My mind was reeling. How could a mother place such a heavy burden on her child? The cruelty of it made my stomach churn.
Before I could ask more, Evander shook his head and spoke firmly. "Let’s not dig into my family’s history right now. I will tell you everything, Claire—if you are willing to give the chance soday. But for now, I wanted you to understand why Gloria is so determined to destroy ."
"Hm," I humd softly, still trying to process all the revelations. There were so many questions swirling in my mind, but I knew we had to focus on the issue at hand.
"Here," Evander said, pulling out a file from his desk drawer and sliding it across the table to . "Take a look at this if you think I am lying."
I hesitated for a mont before opening the file. The contents made my blood boil. It was a legal notice from Gloria, claiming that Evander was unfit to take care of Eliam on his own since "his wife had run away two years ago."
"What rubbish is this?" I snapped, my anger flaring as I slamd the file shut. "No matter if you have a wife or not, you are still Eliam’s father! How can Gloria claim the right to take him away?"
Evander’s jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the armrest of his chair. "She is trying to use the court against , Claire. She knows the system will favor her if it looks like I am an irresponsible single parent. She is counting on public perception to paint as unfit, especially with the rumors she has been spreading about and Susan!."
"That’s absurd! She is involved in the rumors also!?" I shouted, the frustration bubbling in my chest. "Eliam isn’t just so pawn for her gas! He is just a child—a human being! How can she stoop so low?"
Evander scoffed. "This is what she had done till now! She will manipulate, lie, and twist everything to get her way. That’s why I need your help. If you are willing to stand by , I might have a chance to fight her."
I froze, unsure of what to say. The man sitting before was so different from the cold, distant Evander I thought I knew. There was vulnerability in his voice, a quiet plea that I hadn’t expected.
In the past, when we were first married, Evander was always around . He wasn’t a man of many words, but his presence was constant. I rembered one ti when I accidentally cut my finger while cooking. Instead of just fetching a bandage, he had called an entire dical team for !
I was overwheld by his gestures, touched by the lengths he would go to for . At the ti, I thought this was just who he was—a man who cared deeply, even if he didn’t express it with words. He never left alone when I needed him, always quietly ensuring I was okay.
But there was another side to him: whenever other people were around. In public, Evander was cold, distant, and almost unrecognizable. At first, it hurt—his lack of warmth felt like rejection, like I wasn’t enough to be acknowledged in front of others. Still, I told myself it was fine. As long as he was good to in private.
However, now that I think about it as though he was walking on a glass wall, carefully balancing every step. The mont he pressed too hard, the glass would crack, and everything would co crashing down.
Looking back, I realized I never truly understood him. I saw his gestures but not the man behind them or the battles he was fighting within.
My eyes were fixated on him, looking at his every action as Evander exhaled deeply, his hands curling into fists on the desk. "Eliam... He isn’t my biological son," he revealed, his voice thick with emotion. "He is my brother’s son!"
What did he an that Eliam wasn’t his son? Even a blind man could tell the similarity they had. However, the revelation hit like a thunderclap, and I shot up to my feet. "What are you talking about? How could that be possible? Sister-in-law couldn’t get pregnant!"
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Sorry, guys! I got carried away and wrote a very long Chapter! Hope you will enjoy! Do comnt If there is a flaw!
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