Chapter 383
"If there is another lifetime, I pray you never encounter Sophia or me again. We've brought you nothing but pain."
Silence remained.
Death erased everything. Memories, grudges, desires, and attachments all dissolved when the heart ceased beating.
No one would pressure him about marriage or children anymore. No one would care if he ate properly, stayed warm, or worked too hard.
Moments later, Julian burst into the hospital ward.
Learning of his grandmother's passing shattered him completely. Sobs wracked his body.
"Grandma can't be gone! Just yesterday she was lecturing me about finding a girlfriend!" Julian cried uncontrollably.
He handed Evelyn's phone to Dominic.
"The caretaker said Grandma was on a call before her fall. I brought her phone."
Dominic accepted the device with bloodshot eyes. He unlocked it and checked the call log.
A familiar name flashed on screen, striking him like a physical blow.
Evelyn Thorne!
His mother's last conversation had been with Evelyn Thorne. Why would Eleanor contact Evelyn? The call duration showed five minutes.
What could they possibly have discussed for five entire minutes?
"Who was Mother speaking with?" Gregory noticed Dominic's reaction and approached. His eyes widened at the screen. "Evelyn? Why would Mother call her? They never interacted! Mother never mentioned Evelyn!"
Dominic's hands shook as he redialed from Eleanor's phone.
At Thornfield Industries, Evelyn sat frozen in her office, consumed by dread for over an hour.
Eleanor had called earlier, revealing she knew Henry was Dominic's biological son.
Before Evelyn could respond, Eleanor recited paternity test results.
Then came the mocking.
Eleanor praised Evelyn's deception skills but vowed Dominic would claim Henry while rejecting Evelyn. She threatened legal action if Evelyn resisted.
The paternity test revelation stunned Evelyn. If Dominic knew... She couldn't fathom losing her children.
Her ringing phone startled her. Seeing Eleanor's number again, she answered with hysterical fury, "What more do you want? What the hell else could you possibly want?"
Dominic heard the venom in Evelyn's voice. What had transpired between her and his mother?
"Evelyn." His voice cracked as he spoke her name.
Hearing Dominic, Evelyn's fingers clenched until nails pierced her palms unnoticed.
Dominic using Eleanor's phone could mean only one thing. The truth was out.
Evelyn felt like a condemned criminal awaiting sentencing. The thought of losing Henry crushed her chest, stealing her breath between wrenching sobs.
"Evelyn." Dominic's tone turned icy. "What happened between you and my mother?"