Chapter 846

At Bianca Langley and Vincent Croix's wedding years ago, Alexander Hamilton and Evelyn Carter were still legally married but had become like strangers. They silently skipped the ceremony and never set foot in the newlyweds' mansion.

Alexander glanced at Evelyn, waiting for her decision.

She checked her watch—just past nine. "Alright, we'll take you up on that."

Bianca pushed open the car door, breathing in the night air. "I've been alone too long. Need someone to talk to. These days I barely see sunlight—my sleep schedule's completely reversed."

"But tonight—" Evelyn hesitated, eyeing Bianca's pallid complexion.

Bianca tossed her curls. "Right. Tonight's different."

The two women walked toward the villa side by side, Alexander parking before following. At the threshold, he suddenly turned toward the darkness—only rustling trees met his gaze.

Probably just his imagination.

The bridal suite blazed with light, crystal chandeliers casting prisms across marble floors. Yet closer inspection revealed broken furniture piled in corners, a rolled-up carpet, and scorch marks on the walls.

Bianca rummaged through the kitchen, producing two water bottles. "Make do with these." She grabbed a half-empty brandy bottle from the fridge and took a deep swig.

Evelyn remembered Bianca's deft fingers mixing cocktails at the lounge bar—back when Adrian Valentine was still alive, when her eyes still sparkled.

"Forty-proof liquor," Alexander frowned. "This will end badly."

"Miss Langley, you can talk to us," Evelyn said, watching Bianca's reddened fingertips.

Bianca shook the bottle. "I wish I could get drunk. Just pass out cold." She didn't mention the insomnia that haunted her without alcohol.

Evelyn scanned the room. The vaulted living room walls held glaring blank spaces—where wedding portraits should've hung.

"Maybe a change of scenery—"

"I need this." Bianca suddenly raised her bottle. "To my success." Her smile sent a chill down Evelyn's spine.

A phone rang sharply. Bianca checked the unknown number—her gaze instantly sharpening.

"Mm."

"Unnecessary."

"Let him."

The call ended abruptly.

Evelyn blinked. "You reactivated your old number?"

Bianca coughed on her drink. Alexander handed her a tissue: "The hospital? Not worried Vincent will trace it?"

"I hope he does." Bianca wiped her lips. "That man—the more obvious the clue, the more convoluted paths he'll take to believe it."

Her laugh turned bitter. "Back then I gave him my heart, and he thought I was acting. Now? Everyone around him is dead. Satisfied?"

Evelyn remembered the pregnant woman who took her own life, fingers turning cold. "Don't follow her example. People like him never stop testing—who but the dead could pass forever?"

Alexander's jaw tightened, his expression unreadable.

Evelyn unconsciously thought of Baby Chloe. That pure little life, mercifully spared from the monster.

"I know." Bianca gazed into the night, her eyes drifting far away.