Chapter 16 The Show Started
A cold gust of air brushed past Evelyn’s check as Seth lifted his hand to strike.
A few loose strands of her hair fluttered by her ear.
But the hit never happened.
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Someone nearby stepped in and caught Seth’s wrist just in time. He barely squeezed, but the pressure felt like solid metal digging into Seth’s arm. It hurt so bad that his face went pale in seconds.
Seth tried to say something, but no words came out.
The guy who grabbed him had a calm voice that somehow made everything around him feel even colder. His eyes were sharp–like they could cut right through you. “You really thought you could lay a hand on my girlfriend without checking with me first?”
Hannah’s jaw dropped. “Evelyn, your boyfriend is so cool.”
And to be fair, she wasn’t wrong.
Evelyn lifted her chin slightly and gave a proud little smirk. “Obviously.”
It took Seth a moment to collect himself, and when he did, he snapped at Philip. “Let me go!”
This was only the second time they’d crossed paths, and both times, Seth ended up completely embarrassed.
Now people were whispering and pointing as they watched on.
He wanted to vanish.
Philip leaned in, voice low but firm. “I don’t want to see this happen again. Otherwise, you won’t like what happens.”
Then he finally let go.
Seth’s wrist throbbed like crazy.
But he didn’t say another word.
He looked completely shaken and embarrassed by the stares.
Without saying anything else, he turned around and ran off.
He even forgot he came for Alice in the first place.
With him gone, Evelyn felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
She looked over at Philip. “How’d you know to show up?”
“I was worried about you,” Philip replied.
Even though they went to the same university, the training grounds were like their own separate world.
Hardly anyone over there cared about school gossip.
Quade was the exception.
Since he wasn’t on duty lately, he’d wandered around the foreign language department flirting with underclassmen. That was when he overheard the drama.
He sprinted back and gave Philip the rundown.
Philip didn’t hesitate. He shut down the day’s drills and headed straight for the medical department.
That was how everything unfolded.
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Chapter 16 The Show Started
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Evelyn glanced around, noticing people still sneaking looks at them. She felt a little awkward. “Can we go somewhere quieter
Hannah, catching the mood, gave her a thumbs–up. “I’ll head off and prep for my presentation. See you later!”
Evelyn and Philip walked over to the little lake behind the school.
The grass was bright and soft. The lake was still, and ducks floated across the water like they had all the time in the world.
Evelyn filled Philip in on the entire story–from how it all started to how it ended.
When she was done, she gave him a light smile. “Honestly, I had it covered. You didn’t need to worry.”
But Philip looked right at her and said, “Oh? So when you asked Quade for that medicine… Was that nothing, too? Something I didn’t need to be concerned about?”
Just like she expected, Quade couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.
“Relax. I didn’t get hurt,” Evelyn said casually.
“I know,” Philip replied, giving a small nod.
If she’d really been injured, he would’ve taken action sooner.
Evelyn seemed to realize that too and gave him a faint, amused smile.
They stood there in silence for a moment.
Then she turned to him again. “Since you’re already involved, want to help me with one more thing?”
“Yeah. Just say the word,” he said instantly.
That actually caught Evelyn off guard. “I haven’t even told you what it is yet. What if it’s too hard? Or puts you in a tough spot?”
“As long as it’s for you, I’ll do it–even if it means walking into a fire,” Philip said without flinching.
Her cheeks flushed slightly.
That sounded a little over–the–top.
What she needed wasn’t anything dramatic at all.
After they were done talking, she stood up. “I’ve got to go prep for my thesis defense. Catch you later.”
She had barely taken a few steps when Philip called her name.
She turned back and locked eyes with him. Those deep, steady black eyes seemed to pull her in.
“If something like this ever happens again,” he said, “don’t deal with it alone. Come find me.”
Evelyn smiled, eyes crinkling. “Okay.”
Back in the classroom, she pulled out another copy of her thesis from her backpack.
She’d seen this move in her past life.
Alice used to play this trick too. Back then, it was during a fight for a department head position at the hospital.
To take someone down, Alice had secretly switched their paper. It turned into a huge scandal that shook the entire hospital.
The doctor being framed kept saying she was innocent, but it didn’t matter–public opinion crushed her, and she ended up resigning
Now in this life, Alice had recycled the same tactic. This time, Evelyn was the target.
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It just goes to show that people like that don’t change. No matter how many years go by.
The second Alice offered to run an errand to Bethany’s office, Evelyn already had her number.
D
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But there was no need to call her out right away. Sometimes you let the bait dangle longer so you can catch a bigger fish.
And today, the catch was more than worth it.
After sitting with her thoughts for a bit, she shifted gears and started organizing her defense materials.
That afternoon, her presentation went off without a hitch.
Bethany praised her more than once, and Evelyn’s delivery was sharp, smooth, and impossible to pick apart.
She graduated with no issues.
Hannah passed too.
She was so excited she practically bounced around, dragging Evelyn to celebrate over dinner.
But Evelyn shook her head and smiled. “I’ve got something to handle at home. There’ll be plenty of chances later. I’ll treat next time.”
Hannah instantly got what she meant.
She narrowed her eyes. “You say you’re over your family stuff, but I bet once you get back home, it’s the same story.”
Going home means facing her own blood. Will she really stay firm?
“We’ll find out,” Evelyn said with a grin. “Just wait–I’ll have good news.”
The smile on her face looked sweet and innocent, almost too gentle to be real. Under the sunlight, her eyes sparkled like glass.
That look eased Hannah’s nerves.
She stopped worrying..
“Next time–burgers. I want two!” she shouted while waving goodbye.
Evelyn waved back, all sunshine and charm.
But the second Hannah turned away, that smile vanished like smoke.
Not a trace of warmth was left behind.
Evelyn didn’t rush home. She wandered along the little shops outside the campus and bought a cheap plastic hair clip for less than a dollar.
She picked up some snacks and ate until she was full. Then she slowly made her way back, walking off the food.
But just as she reached her front door, she heard crying. It was sharp and full of fear.
There was a faint metallic smell in the air.
Evelyn opened the door and stepped inside. She stopped near the shoe rack, eyes scanning the room. Her voice came out calm and soft. “I’m home.”
All three people in the living room froze and turned to look at her.
The sunset outside was fading, but the dark red stains inside were still vivid.
Evelyn stood in the shadow of the hallway, her expression unreadable.
But her gaze missed nothing.
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Chapter 16 The Show Started
She saw Zand holding a belt, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white.
She saw Yvonne sobbing, desperate, pleading through her tears.
And she saw Alice–collapsed on the floor, her back cut and bloody, kneeling and trembling in pain.
Perfect
Looks like the show started without me.
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