PART 2 — The Lie That Built the Blackwood Empire
Damian didn't move.
The silence between them became heavier than anything either of them could say.
His eyes remained fixed on the fading bruises circling Evelyn's wrists.
Some were yellow.
Some were purple.
Some were fresh enough that fingerprints could still be seen.
His voice barely existed.
"Who?"
Evelyn swallowed.
"The first time..."
"...your mother said I had embarrassed the family by refusing to attend a charity gala because I was in the emergency room after the pregnancy bleeding."
She slowly pulled back the sleeve of her nightgown.
Another scar.
Long.
Thin.
Perfectly healed.
"She locked me in the wine cellar for six hours."
Damian's face emptied.
"No."
"You were in Singapore."
"I called you."
"They told you my phone battery had died."
Damian remembered.
He had apologized for missing her call.
His mother had laughed and said Evelyn was simply emotional because of the pregnancy.
He had believed her.
Every.
Single.
Word.
Evelyn reached toward the nightstand.
Her trembling fingers pulled out a worn leather notebook.
"I stopped trying to convince you."
"So I started writing."
She placed it in his hands.
Every page carried dates.
Times.
Photos.
Hospital bracelets.
Medical reports.
Voice recordings.
Hidden security camera screenshots.
Each incident was carefully documented.
Not because she wanted revenge.
Because she knew one day...
no one would believe her.
Damian flipped another page.
Another.
Another.
Each page made breathing harder.
Until he reached one final photograph.
Victoria.
His younger sister.
Standing outside Evelyn's bedroom.
Holding a syringe.
The timestamp read...
Two nights ago.
His blood turned cold.
May you like
Behind them...
someone quietly closed the bedroom door.
