Derek held Evelyn's hand as he drove, his heart racing with thoughts of how to stop Sandra's schemes and focus on their relationship. The joy of her pregnancy announcement remained, but the urgency of keeping her safe overshadowed any celebration.

As they drove in tense silence, Derek's phone buzzed. The caller ID showed Eric. He glanced at Evelyn, silently asking her permission to answer. She nodded. Placing the call on speaker, he said, "Hello, Eric."

"Derek," his father-in-law's voice, laced with concern and weariness, responded. "Just checking in. Is everything alright? How's Evelyn?"

Derek sighed, fighting to keep his voice calm. "She's with me," he said, glancing at Evelyn, who offered a small smile.

"Hello, Dad. I'm alright," Evelyn greeted.

A pause followed. "Did something happen? I thought you were supposed to be with the detectives," Eric asked, questioning the plan's details. Evelyn glanced at Derek, who hesitated, unwilling to reveal her pregnancy yet, even to himself.

"There's been a change of plans, but we're on our way to join the others. I don't want to wait any longer. Sandra's too unpredictable, and I want her arrested tonight. I haven't the patience for weeks of this," he said, recalling Sandra's threat to harm Evelyn.

Eric sighed heavily. "I understand. In fact, that's why I called. I'm not sure, but it looks like Sandra may have gone out tonight. She left the house after you dropped her off earlier, and her car was gone when she returned."

Derek's brows furrowed in confusion. "She left after I dropped her off? What's she up to?"

Evelyn looked at Derek, worry evident in her expression. "Where could she have gone?"

Eric's voice lowered. "She seemed jittery when I spoke to her, and she denied leaving. She was in black, looking like she'd been somewhere she didn't want anyone to know about. I just wanted to make sure Evelyn was safe."

Derek's heart pounded. "Thank you, Eric. We'll keep a close watch."

"Try to rest," Evelyn said, and they ended the call.

Turning to Evelyn, Derek said intensely, "Did you see the car Brad thought was following you earlier?"

Evelyn shook her head. "No."

Derek nodded. "Could you call Brad? I think it might have been Sandra." Evelyn dialed her bodyguard's number.

He answered, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Brad, did you get a good look at the car that sped past earlier?" Derek asked urgently.

The bodyguard described the make and model; Evelyn's eyes widened. "That's Sandra's car."

Derek's expression hardened. "Thanks, Brad," he said, and Evelyn hung up.

"She went back to Rayna's bakery. Why? Do you think she suspected us?" Evelyn asked, frowning.

"I doubt it. She might have wanted to watch you being kidnapped," Derek mused.

"But wouldn't she have seen us?" Evelyn asked. Derek shook his head.

"She sped past. The question is why she did that."

The question hung in the air. Derek felt Sandra was planning something dangerous. Before he could speak, Evelyn said, "I should call Rayna. Let's see if she heard from or saw Sandra." Derek nodded, and she dialed Rayna's number.

After several rings, Rayna answered, her voice faint and choked with emotion. "Evie?"

"Ray, it's me. Are you alright?" Evelyn asked, deeply concerned.

Rayna's voice broke. "Evelyn Ethan—he was in an accident."

Evelyn's face paled, her hand flying to her mouth. "What? What happened? How?" She put the phone on speaker and looked at Derek, wide-eyed.

From the driver's seat, Derek's gaze flicked between Evelyn and the road.

Rayna took a shaky breath. "Someone tried to run me down. Ethan he jumped in front of me."

"Oh, my God! How is he? How are you?" Evelyn asked, worried.

"He's in surgery. I'm so scared," Rayna cried. Evelyn, a sympathetic crier, joined her in tears.

Derek's grip tightened on the wheel. "Hello, Rayna! Don't worry. We'll be there soon. Did you see the car?" he asked, prioritizing this over Ethan's whereabouts. Rayna sniffled. "I saw it in the parking lot after Evelyn left. It came out of nowhere and tried to hit me."

"Can you describe it?" Derek asked. Evelyn wondered if he suspected Sandra. She knew Sandra was bad, but doubted she was capable of murder. Why would she run down Rayna?

Rayna described the car. Evelyn and Derek exchanged horrified glances.

"Sandra's car," Evelyn whispered. "Are you sure?" Rayna asked, shocked and angry.

"Yes," Evelyn replied, shivering.

"That explains why she didn't take her car home," Derek said.

Rayna's voice sharpened. "Thank you for letting me know." The call ended abruptly. Derek frowned. "We should have told her to stay calm. She'll do something rash."

Evelyn nodded, shaken. "I can't believe Sandra would go this far. What do we do now?"

Derek's gaze softened as he took her hand. "First, we stick to the plan. But after tonight, I'm keeping you away from all this. I'm putting an end to it once and for all," he said, squeezing her hand, his expression fierce with love and protectiveness.