Chapter 274

Dylan approached Serena with a grim expression, his jaw clenched tight.

"I owe you an apology, Serena. This mess is my fault," Dylan admitted, his voice heavy with regret.

"What?" Serena blinked in confusion, her fingers tightening around the edge of her coat.

Dylan exhaled sharply. "I was the one who took those photos. I sent them to Evelyn. I thought they would prove to her that Nathan only had eyes for you—that he loved you more than anyone else. I never imagined they'd end up online."

The backlash had been far worse than he'd anticipated, spiraling out of control before he could react.

Serena's breath hitched, her face paling.

So Dylan had been the one behind the photos?

After a moment of stunned silence, she swallowed hard. "Dylan... do you think Evelyn leaked them?"

"Who else would?" he snapped, his eyes darkening with anger.

"But what do we do now?" Serena's voice trembled, her nails digging into her palms. "The entire internet is calling me a homewrecker! My social media is flooded with hate. If I don’t fix this, my career is over." Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill.

Dylan placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "Just breathe, Serena." He hesitated, then squared his shoulders. "I started this. I'll end it."

A flicker of hope lit up her face. "How?"

"First, I need to figure out what really happened." With that, Dylan turned on his heel and strode out of the hospital room.

He marched straight to the Cardiac Surgery Department. When he arrived, he spotted Evelyn inside a patient’s room, speaking softly to a young boy.

Dylan paused in the doorway, struck by the tenderness in her expression. The boy—clearly nervous about his upcoming surgery—clung to Evelyn’s every word as she reassured him. It was a side of her Dylan had never seen before. Her voice was soothing, her touch gentle, radiating warmth that could melt even the iciest of hearts.

For a moment, he was mesmerized.

Then the boy pointed at him, and Evelyn’s head snapped up.

Her expression instantly hardened, her lips pressing into a thin line. After a beat, she turned back to the boy. "Be good for your mom, okay? I’ll see you before your surgery tomorrow."

The boy nodded eagerly. "Promise?"

"Promise." She ruffled his hair before standing, her smile vanishing the second she faced Dylan.

Without a word, she brushed past him. "Follow me," she ordered coldly.

Dylan gritted his teeth, snapping out of his daze. How had he let himself be distracted by her? Scowling, he quickened his pace to catch up.

They reached the rooftop garden before Evelyn finally stopped. She whirled around, her eyes sharp as ice. "What do you want?"

Dylan met her glare head-on. "Evelyn. Did you leak those photos?"