Chapter 296
Evelyn slammed on the brakes, her car screeching to a halt by the roadside.
An accident? Fatal?
Her mind exploded with shock before tears came pouring down her cheeks.
"Mommy, why did we stop so suddenly?" Lily's small voice trembled.
Henry immediately noticed something wrong. "Mommy, why are you crying?"
"Mommy, what's wrong? Please don't cry!" Lily's lips quivered as she started weeping too.
Hearing her children's worried voices, Evelyn sucked in a sharp breath.
She wiped her face roughly with both hands, voice cracking. "I need to take you home first. Wait for me there. There's... something urgent I must handle."
The car lurched back onto the road.
Both children remained visibly distressed.
"Mommy, tell us what happened! Why are you so upset?" Henry pressed.
Evelyn forced a deep breath. "One of Mommy's friends... had an emergency. Be good when we get home. I might be late. If Uncle Nathan isn't there, I'll call him to watch over you."
"Oh Mommy! Don't be sad! Your friend will be okay!" Lily said with heartbreaking sincerity.
"Mommy, don't cry," Henry added awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with emotional displays.
Evelyn could only nod silently.
When they reached Mooncrest Manor, Nathan and Lucas were having dinner.
Evelyn barely opened the door before shoving the children inside and leaving without a word.
By the time Nathan reached the foyer, her car was already speeding away.
"Lily! Where's your mother going? Why didn't she even come in?" Nathan asked, bewildered.
"Mommy said something bad happened to her friend. She was crying so hard," Lily explained, eyes welling up again. "Do you think it's Aunt Sophie? I really like Aunt Sophie..."
Nathan patted her head absently before grabbing his phone from the table to call Evelyn.
No answer.
He tried again. Still nothing.
Evelyn didn't have many close friends besides Sophie.
Could something really have happened to Sophie? Nathan quickly dialed Sophie's number.
The call connected immediately. "Did you butt-dial me? Or is this about that party invitation?" Sophie's cheerful voice rang out.
Clearly fine. If there were real trouble, parties would be the last thing on her mind.
"Wrong number," Nathan muttered before hanging up. His frown deepened as he redialed Evelyn.
This time, she picked up.
"Evelyn Thorne! What the hell are you doing ignoring my calls? If you hadn't answered, I would've tracked your damn GPS!" Nathan stormed onto the terrace, phone clutched tightly.
"Who's in trouble? I just called Sophie and she's perfectly fine."
Evelyn's breath hitched audibly. "It's Mom, Nathan. Please... just watch the kids for me."
"What happened to Clara?!" Nathan's chest constricted.
The line went dead.
Nathan stared at his phone, jaw clenched. Lucas appeared in the doorway. "What's going on? What happened?"
"Something's wrong with Evelyn's mother. It's bad—she could barely speak through the tears. I want to go after her, but she ordered me to stay with the kids!" Nathan growled.
Lucas's expression darkened. "I'll go check on her mother. You stay here with the children."
By the time Evelyn reached the accident scene, night had fallen completely.