Chapter 387

Evelyn Sinclair and Isabella Montgomery left the aquarium with little Oliver Sinclair in tow.

Nathan Blackwood followed a few steps behind them.

"How about lunch? I know this amazing seafood place," Nathan suggested with a hopeful smile.

Evelyn, Isabella, and Oliver turned simultaneously, their voices blending in perfect unison: "No way!"

Nathan chuckled as Evelyn quickened her pace toward the car, deliberately maintaining distance. She couldn't shake the feeling he'd cling to her like ivy on a brick wall.

A sleek black sedan idled fifty meters away, its driver watching intently. The moment Evelyn stepped onto the pavement, the engine roared to life.

Tires screeched as the vehicle accelerated directly toward her.

"Evelyn!" Isabella's scream pierced the air.

A blur of movement. Strong arms shoved Evelyn aside with bone-jarring force.

The world became a cacophony of crushing metal and shattering glass.

The car plowed into an ancient oak, its hood crumpling like paper. Smoke curled from the wreckage.

Silence descended like a shroud.

Oliver trembled, his small voice quivering. "Pretty Lady... that strange man..."

Evelyn lay sprawled across the sidewalk, her left arm screaming in protest. Her pulse hammered against her ribs, each beat echoing the moment of impact.

She turned her head slowly.

Nathan lay motionless in the street, his designer suit now a canvas of crimson.

Just minutes ago, those piercing gray eyes had sparkled with amusement as he teased her about lunch. Now they stared blankly at the sky.

Something inside Evelyn fractured.

"Call an ambulance!" Isabella scrambled to Evelyn's side. "Are you hurt?"

The words sounded distant, muffled as if underwater.

Oliver tapped frantically on his smartwatch, his forced calm betrayed by the tremor in his voice as he spoke to emergency services.

Evelyn crawled toward Nathan on hands and knees. Dust coated his usually immaculate hair. His lips had lost all color.

Blood pooled beneath him, spreading in dark tendrils across the asphalt.

Her vision blurred. Each breath became a struggle, her lungs constricting with invisible bands of iron.

He'd saved her. Again.

Isabella shook her shoulders. "Evelyn! Snap out of it!"

The world snapped back into focus. Evelyn pulled her cracked phone from her pocket and began issuing commands with military precision.

First Bennett - arrange the best medical team. Then Harrison - secure the hospital. Preston Sinclair - come collect Oliver immediately. Finally, the police.

Her voice turned arctic as she addressed Isabella. "Stay here. Guard that driver. Alive or dead, I want answers."

The ambulance arrived in under four minutes.

At the hospital, time stretched into agony. Evelyn sat statue-still in the waiting room, her hands clenched so tightly her nails left crescent moons in her palms.

Harrison appeared with tissues. "Ms. Sinclair... you're crying."

Only then did Evelyn notice the hot tears carving paths down her cheeks. A sob wrenched itself from her throat as she doubled over, shoulders shaking.

Raw terror washed over her in waves.

She was petrified. Not of the attack. Not of the pain.

But of losing Nathan forever.

The operating room doors burst open.