Chapter 25 Ever Heard of a Negative?
The room looked like a storm had ripped through in
Evelyn’s side was a total mess–every fragile item smashed into pieces.
J
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Alice’s half wasn’t any better. Everything was flipped, tossed around, like someone had lost their mind tearing the place apart.
The little piggy bank Yvonne had once gifted Alice was now broken in pieces across the floor.
And the money the used to be inade Completely gone.
What did you do? Yvonne’s voice cracked. Her throat felt dry, and the words barely came out.
Evelyn was sitting at the edge of the bed calm as ever, with a faint smirk playing on her lips. “Mom, come on. You already know the answer to that better than I do, she said, raising an eyebrow.
And it was true. Yvonne did kron
Per she didn’t want to believe it
She wanted to pretend it wasn’t real. Pretend Evelyn was the one to blame for everything.
No. This can’t be happening. She wouldn’t let herself accept it.
In a burst of fury, she lunged at Evelyn, hand reaching to grab her by the collar, face twisted with rage.
She caught Yvonne’s wrist mid–swing right on a pressure point.
With just a light squeeze, Yvonne cried out and dropped to her knees, unable to hold herself up.
And just like that, she ended up kneeling in front of Evelyn.
The shame burned her from the inside out. She looked up, ready to scream and curse. But the moment she did, she met Evelyn’s eyes.
Those eyes were crystal clear, cold, and sharp like shattered glass. They were filled with mockery and something else- something that made Yvonne’s heart drop.
A chill ran down her spine.
Her body started shaking, completely out of her control. She felt like a helpless animal facing a predator. Like she was about to be eaten alive.
“Mom Evelyn said, her voice low and cool, you’re the one making this whole mess–you should deal with the consequences”
Then she shoved her away.
Yvonne fell back into the mess on the floor.
A shard of broken ceramic cut into her palm. It wasn’t deep, but the blood came quick, running down her hand in a thin red Trail
Evelyn didnt even blink. She didn’t care.
She’d done what she needed to do. That was enough.
She said again, tone soft but carrying a warning, “Maybe you should go check your room. If anything else turns up missing, don’t think it’s gonna be as easy to walk away this time
She was clearly talking about the time she was framed for stealing.
The remunder marle Yvonne’s eyes flare with anger. She clenched her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt. But she had to take it. There wasnt time to argue
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Chapter 25 Ever Heard of a Negative?
She turned and bolted out of the room.
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Zaid was still upstairs. If he found out Alice had stolen the money, there was no telling what he’d do. He’d lose it. Maybe even snap.
And if that happened, no one–not even Irene–could stop him.
Yvonne rushed through the living room, heading for the bedroom.
Irene saw her and thought she’d come around. She opened her mouth, about to say something.
But Yvonne walked right past her without a glance. She didn’t have the strength to deal with her mother right now. She pushed open the bedroom door and stepped in.
Nothing had changed.
Zaid was standing by the window, holding a cigarette. The smoke curled through the air, thick and heavy. It hit Yvonne’s throat, and she started to cough.
Her heart was racing like crazy, but she forced herself to keep calm and pretend like nothing had happened.
“Zaid, my mom came by. I just remembered I left something for her in the cabinet. I’ll go grab it real quick.”
Zaid didn’t say a word. He just lit up another cigarette, not even bothering to look at her.
Which honestly made things easier for Yvonne.
She moved fast, heading to her secret stash.
But once she opened it, her heart dropped.
Everything was gone. Only she and Alice knew about that hiding spot.
So it was Alice who took the money.
There were almost 100 dollars in there. That was months of Zaid’s paycheck.
And she’d taken it and vanished.
The realization hit Yvonne like a truck.
She only had one daughter. If something happened to Alice … Just the thought of it sent her over the edge.
And before she could react, everything faded to black.
Yvonne was taken to the hospital.
The doctor said she hadn’t suffered anything serious–just passed out from emotional overload.
As for what set her off? Only Evelyn knew for sure.
Her hand had been cleaned and wrapped up. What really happened would have to wait until Yvonne woke up and explained
it
Until then, she had to stay under observation.
It was getting late. Irene didn’t want to sit around all night.
And Zaid was fuming. He couldn’t smoke indoors, which only made his mood worse. He had no intention of hanging around
So Evelyn offered to stay the night and keep an eye on Yvonne.
Zaid agreed, left a few instructions, then drove Irene home.
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Chapter 25 Ever Heard of a Negative?
Spending the night in a hospital room wasn’t exactly exciting.
Evelyn just sat there quietly, watching Yvonne sleep.
This woman–someone so cruel and scary in her past life–wasn’t so powerful now. She was all bark, no bite.
Looking back, Evelyn couldn’t believe how powerless she’d once felt in front of people like this.
But not everything was playing out the same this time around.
Like Alice running away.
Evelyn didn’t know whether it was a good or bad thing.
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Still, she made herself a promise deep down that whatever happened, she’d protect her dignity. She wouldn’t let anyone crush her again.
By the time the sky turned light, Yvonne finally started to wake up.
She’d
She’d had a rough night–tossing and turning, dreaming about Alice nonstop.
She opened her eyes with her heart still pounding…
And the first person she saw was Evelyn.
For a second, she thought she was staring at a demon.
Because to her, that was exactly what Evelyn was now.
A demon–one that had stolen her daughter away.
Half–asleep, acting on instinct, Yvonne suddenly reached out to grab Evelyn’s neck.
If anything happens to Alice, I’ll make Evelyn pay with her life!
But Evelyn easily dodged her.
She didn’t even flinch. Her voice was cold and steady as she said, “If you want people to think you’ve lost it and lock you up in a madhouse, go ahead and try.”
Her meaning was clear!
One wrong move and Evelyn would make sure the world thought Yvonne had snapped.
She could play innocent just fine.
Yvonne froze.
Her hand hovered midair, stiff and awkward, like a puppet stuck in place. She looked ridiculous.
After a few seconds, she finally found her voice.
Then she remembered the injury on her hand–her so–called proof.
“I’ll tell everyone that you tried to kill me first, and I was just defending myself. Don’t forget–it was you who shoved me last night!
She was sure she could still turn things around.
But just as the confidence returned to her face, Evelyn calmly reached into her bag.
Yvonne’s breath hitched. “H–how do you still have that?”
No way
Due deleted everything on that camera the day before. Every last photo. There’s no chance Evelyn kept a copy.
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Chapter 25 Ever Heard of a Negative?
But Evelyn only smiled. Her voice was low and smooth like a whisper. “Mom ever heard of a negative?”
It sounded soft. But to Yvonne, it felt like a punch to the chest as her body went limp.
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