Before Hudson Farley could indulge in another second of fantasy, his uncle's voice shattered his delusions.
"Hudson's condition renders him unfit for marriage. Since he is unwilling, the engagement is canceled."
"Uncle, I—"
Hudson froze, panic seizing him. He scrambled to speak, desperate to reverse his mistake. He hadn't expected Eva Sullivan to be stunning—nothing like the rumors of an ugly, aged spinster.
But a single glance from Austin Farley silenced him.
The look was cold, sharp, and absolute. In the Farley family, interrupting an elder was a sin; interrupting Austin was a death wish.
Hudson lowered his gaze, swallowing his rebuttal. A chill ran down his spine, but his mind raced. Fine. Once Uncle leaves, I'll beg Grandma. She dotes on me; she'll agree to let me marry Eva.
"Miss Sullivan, rest assured," Austin said, his voice deep and smooth, commanding the room's attention. "The Farley family takes full responsibility for this debacle. I will give you an explanation."
He looked at her then. His eyes were pitch-black pools, devoid of warmth or ripple, making it impossible to read the thoughts behind them.
Eva met his gaze and felt a sudden weight in her chest. She understood her position clearly: she had no right to refuse, no power to negotiate.
She nodded silently.
A man of Austin Farley's stature wouldn't renege on a public promise. If he said he would handle it, he would. Perhaps she wouldn't have to marry into the Farley family after all, yet could still leverage this "explanation" to solve the Mason family's crisis.
When they left the manor, Austin had the butler personally escort them back to the Mason residence.
The moment they stepped through the door, guilt washed over Eva.
"I'm sorry, Aunt Amelia. This is all my fault. I've humiliated you and Uncle."
In their social circle, her reputation was already in tatters. Now, by association, the Masons would be the subject of ridicule—the family who tried to pawn off their niece on a cripple, only to be rejected.
Thinking back on the last eight years, Eva felt a bitter taste rise in her throat. It was as if she had been living under a curse, blindly stumbling from one disaster to another.
At least I'm awake now, she thought. I just hope it isn't too late.
Amelia sighed, her expression softening as she looked at her niece. "Don't be silly. This isn't your fault. Since Austin Farley promised an explanation, he'll deliver. He's not a man who breaks his word. Now, go upstairs and rest. It's been a long day."
Eva nodded, gathered her skirts, and ascended the stairs, her steps heavy.
For three straight days, silence reigned. There was no news from the Farley family.
Eva didn't get Austin's explanation, but she did receive a call from Elliot Henson.
She had blocked his number, so when his voice grated through a stranger's phone, she paused, momentarily disoriented.
"Eva, what is the meaning of this?"
Eva stood on the terrace, the sea breeze tangling her hair. She gazed at the distant horizon, her expression flat. "The meaning of what, exactly?"
Elliot's voice dripped with annoyance. "I waited for you all night."
Waited to see me broken? Waited to laugh at my misery? He really was dedicated to his cruelty.
Eva's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "And why would you be waiting for me?"
"Eva, are you playing games with me?"
The tension in Eva's shoulders released. A strange sense of relief washed over her. "Elliot, we're even. I don't owe you anything anymore."
She didn't give him a chance to respond. She tapped the screen, ending the call, and tossed the phone onto the wicker table.
She looked out toward the continuous mountain range bordering the city, her mind drifting back to the past—to the source of the debt she had just declared paid.
It happened after the car accident. She was ten years old, blind, and recovering in the hospital. The Sullivans had abandoned her there while her aunt and uncle were mid-flight, rushing back to the country.
She had been naive. When a stranger approached her, claiming the Sullivans had sent him to take her to the cemetery to visit her parents, she believed him.
She was taken deep into the mountains, to a dilapidated factory, and tied up alongside a boy slightly older than her. They sat in the dark, waiting for a ransom that would never come.
At first, she held onto hope. But on the second day, the kidnappers grew restless. The Sullivans claimed they couldn't—or wouldn't—pay. The kidnappers decided to cut their losses and dispose of the hostages.
It was that boy who saved her.
When the blade came down, he threw his arm up to block it. The sound of steel tearing into flesh still haunted her nightmares. Taking advantage of the chaos, he grabbed her hand and led her blindly through the woods.
For days, cut off from the world, he protected her. He foraged for food, found water, and never let go of her hand. He was her eyes, her shield, her entire world.
He brought her back to Seaview City alive.
She thought she would never find him again. Until the day of the school sports meet, years later, when she saw a scar on Elliot Henson's arm—identical to the one she had traced with her fingers in the dark.
Knock, knock.
The sound pulled her from her memories.
"Eva? Are you up?" Amelia's voice came through the door, laced with urgency. "The Farleys are here. Get dressed and come down immediately."
