For a horrifying second, no one could tell what had happened.
The sound of the gunshot still echoed faintly in the living room.
Evelyn blinked several tis, her breath catching in her throat.
The world seed to slow down.
She looked down at herself, unexpectedly calm, half-expecting to see crimson spreading across her clothes, readying for pain blooming sowhere around her chest or stomach.
But there was nothing.
She was standing, completely unhard.
Her gaze returned to her father. The gun had fallen from his trembling hands. And she spots blood on him.
William Walters’s face twisted in disbelief, his bloodshot eyes wide as he looked down at the spreading stain across his abdon.
His body swayed like a falling tree before collapsing to his knees, the gun clattering beside him.
Then, the silence returned... heavy and suffocating.
Evelyn’s heart pounded wildly in her chest.
Slowly, she turned toward the direction the shot had co from.
Her eyes widened.
Standing at the doorway, half-shrouded in the light, was Axel Knight, her husband.
He held a gun in one steady hand, his posture composed, his eyes sharp and deadly. Those cold, dark eyes never left William’s fallen figure.
"Axel..." Evelyn whispered, her voice firm but slightly trembling.
All the emotions that had been tearing her apart... fear, anger, heartbreak, slowly lted away at the sight of him.
The ice that had frozen her veins lted instantly.
He had co for her.
He always did.
Axel walked toward her with deliberate calmness, his expression unreadable.
However,
As he reached her side, his gaze softened, the edge of violence fading into quiet concern.
Without a word, he slid an arm around her waist, drawing her close.
His presence alone was enough to make her breathing steady again.
Evelyn looked up at him, tears blurring her vision. Her lips parted, her voice shaky. "You... shoot..."
Her words wavered upon seeing his faint smile, offering a gentle reassurance that conflicted with the fierce anger lingering in his eyes.
Axel cupped her cheek with his free hand, his thumb brushing lightly across her skin.
His voice, when it ca, was low, firm, and terrifyingly calm. "He pointed a gun at my wife." That was all he said. It was all he needed to say.
Evelyn’s lips curved into a trembling smile. Her tears spilled freely now, warm and unstoppable.
"I didn’t bla you," she whispered hoarsely. "I’m happy you did that."
A quiet sound ca from Axel’s throat, half a sigh, half a chuckle.
His eyes softened completely for a brief mont, and that small, genuine smile made her heart loosen.
But it didn’t last.
His expression hardened again when he saw William Walters on the floor, blood seeping between his fingers as he tried to reach for the fallen gun.
"Stop trying anything funny, William Walters," Axel warned, his voice slicing through the air like a sharp blade. "If you try to hurt my wife again, the next bullet I fire will be in your temple."
His cold, asured tone sent a visible shiver through the room.
Even Nolan Palr’s calm expression faltered.
"Lisa!" Axel’s voice snapped through the air.
Lisa didn’t need further orders. In a blur of movent, she rushed forward, kicked the gun away from William’s grasp, and secured it.
Within seconds, the weapon was out of reach.
William slumped back, panting, his mind spinning. He barely noticed the pain now. All he could hear, over and over, were Axel’s words. ’My wife.’
His chest tightened painfully. His breath ca out in ragged bursts as his mind struggled to understand what he had just heard.
"Y-you..." William’s voice was trembling, the words barely audible. "What... what is the aning of that?" He swallowed hard, looking between Evelyn and Axel. "Your wife?"
Everyone turned toward William, his broken voice slicing through the heavy silence.
Alicia sank back onto the sofa, pressing a shaking hand against her chest. Tears brimd in her eyes, and her lips quivered. She didn’t know whether to cry for relief or grief.
Stella’s wide eyes darted from her father’s crumpled form to Axel, confusion and disbelief twisting across her face.
Nolan stood quietly in the corner, his eyes filled with sorrow. The great William Walters, who once boasted about power and family honor, was now trembling in his own blood.
’This is what pride and greed do to n,’ he thought bitterly, before glancing toward Axel Knight.
"Yes," Axel said simply, his voice calm but carrying undeniable authority. "Her na is Evelyn Knight. She is my lawful wife."
The words struck William Walters like a deadly slap. His face turned ghostly pale. It was as if every drop of blood had drained from his body.
His lips trembled, his gaze darting wildly between Axel and Evelyn. He tried to speak but failed. His chest heaved, and the hand clutching his wound began to shake violently.
Evelyn looked at her father silently. She had no more tears left for him, only quiet pity.
And then,
Axel turned his gaze toward the others. "Everyone out," he ordered, his voice steady. "I need to speak with him alone."
His tone left no room for argunt.
The command shocked the room.
Evelyn’s eyes widened slightly. "Axel..." she murmured. "You can’t—"
He looked down at her and smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek.
"I just want to talk to him," he said quietly. "I promise you, I won’t take his life, even though he deserved it."
Evelyn stared at him, uncertain, then gave a weak smile. "I’m not worried about that," she muttered softly. "But..." She trailed off, realizing what he likely intended to do.
Whatever Axel had to say to her father, it wasn’t sothing anyone else should hear, including her.
She sighed, then nodded. "Don’t take too long. I’m tired."
He leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I won’t."
Evelyn’s heart fluttered despite the chaos around them. She took one last look at William Walters, then turned away, following Nolan, Stella, and Alicia out of the room.
Only Axel and William remained.
Lisa and Liam stood near the door, silent and alert.
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