Chapter 1156
An unseen force propelled Evelyn forward. Despite her unsteady gait, she moved with surprising speed, leaving Jane and Rosie struggling to catch up. The rush of her heartbeat was all she could hear. The courtyard dissolved before her, replaced by a searing vision: a blazing fire, and the haunting screams echoing in her memory. Years ago, she had been helpless, watching as the fire consumed everything, as people dragged and pulled at the bodies. Her youngest son—gone, consumed by the flames. So many bodies were pulled from the wreckage, yet she couldn't identify his. She had cried until she lost consciousness, repeatedly, but never dared to hope he had survived. He had been so frail, barely able to walk. How could he have escaped that inferno?
Reaching the main courtyard, she saw only one figure, the rest a blur through her tear-filled vision. She moved towards the indistinct shape, her head tilted, her voice weak. “Are you my son?”
Isaac recognized her, a deeper anger simmering beneath his recognition. Seeing her tears, an unfamiliar pain twisted in his chest. He stood frozen.
“Mom, it’s Seraphina!” Caspian cried, his voice cracking.
Evelyn’s cry was raw, unbearable, as she collapsed into Isaac’s arms. The past surged back, a suffocating wave, tearing open her heart. All the pain she had buried exploded in a desperate shout: “You didn’t die!”
Her tears soaked Isaac’s shoulder. Initially unmoved, his own tears soon followed. Then, he pulled away, his voice flat and cold. “Who are you trying to fool, madam? You sent me to that hell. I should have died there, but my benefactor saved me. I am no longer Seraphina. My name is Isaac.”
“No…” Evelyn reached for him, pulling him back. “I didn’t know. I didn’t know any of it…”
Chapter 1156
Overwhelmed by grief and joy, Evelyn fainted in Isaac’s arms.
The soft glow of lamps illuminated Evelyn's room, their light filtered through delicate glass shades. She allowed only Zoey and Isaac to remain, dismissing all servants. Even Caspian and Luna were excluded.
Caspian sat on the cool stone steps, the wind whipping around him, the lamplight casting faint shadows. The night was deep, the air damp and heavy, the lights veiled in mist, making everything seem unreal. He muttered to Luna, “My dear, am I dreaming?”
Luna took his hand, her voice hoarse. “It’s real. It’s not a dream.”
Later, Zoey spoke with Violet, who recounted everything she knew before declaring her exhaustion and need for rest. Inside Evelyn's room, Evelyn’s eyes remained locked on Isaac, her gaze intense, a growing pain in her heart. Her voice cracked. “You really look like your uncle.”
Isaac bore little resemblance to Caspian or Oliver, instead resembling Evelyn’s deceased brother. He felt uneasy, yet Evelyn didn’t seem poised to abandon him. There was more to the story, and he was willing to listen. Violet was right—grievances needed to be aired. Why should he suffer in silence?
“Mother, what really happened back then? Is it as Ms. Spencer said?” Zoey asked.
“I called you here to tell you the whole truth. I planned to take this secret to my grave, to explain it to Seraphina in the afterlife. But since he’s alive, there’s no reason to keep it from you. Once I’ve told you, I can die in peace,” Evelyn replied, a cold, hard glint in her eyes—a look Zoey had never seen before.