Chapter 291

Hearing those familiar voices, Evelyn Sinclair's brows knitted together.

"That sounds like Isabella Montgomery," Lucas Sterling murmured doubtfully. He rose from his chair and stepped outside, returning moments later with Isabella, Natalie Beaumont, and Sebastian Hart in tow.

All three visitors had red-rimmed eyes.

Isabella rushed forward the moment she spotted Evelyn. "Evie!" Natalie moved to embrace her too, but Lucas caught her sleeve.

"One at a time!" Lucas chided. "Don't jostle my sister's injuries!" Natalie immediately stilled.

The concern in her gaze was palpable. "You're hurt?" Evelyn patted Isabella's back while smiling at Natalie.

"I'm nearly recovered now," she assured them.

Sebastian stood apart, looking utterly disheveled - gaunt, exhausted, with days' worth of stubble shadowing his jaw. Seeing Evelyn alive and well, he suddenly dropped to one knee beside her hospital bed and broke into loud sobs.

Isabella's own choked-back tears halted in surprise. Natalie looked stunned into silence.

The previously somber atmosphere dissipated instantly.

William Sterling, pretending not to notice the scene, stood and carried Leo from the room. At the doorway, he muttered, "Anyone walking in would think there's been a death."

Lucas watched Sebastian's dramatic display with equal parts amusement and secondhand embarrassment. Unable to bear it, he escaped into the hallway for air.

Natalie finally managed to haul Sebastian upright. "What are you crying for? Evelyn's safe - this calls for celebration!"

Sebastian continued weeping while clutching Evelyn's sleeve. "I thought you were dead, Evie. You scared the hell out of me!"

Isabella sniffled. While everyone was emotional, Sebastian had completely shattered first. "Evelyn Sinclair, how could you not tell us you were back? We mourned you!"

Evelyn's nose tingled. She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I didn't want you seeing me in that condition. I planned to wait until I'd healed..."

Even typically composed Natalie couldn't stop her tears now. "It doesn't matter. You're here. You survived something impossible!"

They pressed for details, and Evelyn shared her ordeal - there were no secrets between them. The harrowing experience already felt like another lifetime.

Isabella and Natalie listened raptly, but Sebastian grew increasingly sullen. When the tale ended, Evelyn nudged him with her foot. "Sebastian, you didn't react at all to my story."

He lowered his hands from his face, expression devastated. His voice cracked with regret. "Why wasn't I the one who saved you? Why does it always have to be Nathan Blackwood?"

The room plunged into silence so absolute they could hear the IV drip.

Natalie shot Sebastian a warning look, then deliberately blocked Evelyn's view of him as she changed subjects. "Adrian Blackwood released that video. That's how we knew you were alive."

"You've gone viral," she continued, pulling up trending topics on her phone. The footage had amassed millions of views in hours, far exceeding expectations.

Evelyn pursed her lips, unsurprised. Adrian had warned her on the island that if they survived, she might feature in his work.

"Let Alexander handle the publicity," Evelyn said. "I've purchased private planes. I'm learning to fly them myself." After her traumatic experience relying on another pilot, she'd decided to take control.

Isabella squealed. "That's incredible!"

Natalie, ever practical, cautioned, "Maybe think this through..."