?Chapter 988:
A letter? Dread coiled in my gut like a snake. Before Jenny could blink, I lunged forward, snatched the envelope from her grasp, and ripped it open with trembling fingers.
The note bore no signature, its pages crammed with tight, hurried script. The opening line stole the breath from my lungs. Itid bare why Antoni despised Makenna with such venom and confirmed the shocking truth that Molly’s child was, indeed, his.
My eyes widened as I devoured each word, disbelief mounting with every line. For ages, I had puzzled over Antoni’s relentless grudge against Makenna, unable to piece it together. As for Molly, her name had only drifted to me through idle gossip. When whispers imed she carried Antoni’s child, I had dismissed them as nonsense. In my mind, Molly was a mere speck among the nobility, while Antoni shone like a star, always surrounded by dazzling women. How could someone like her ever catch his eye?
Evelyn’s POV:
My fingers gripped the letter with fierce intensity, my eyes zing like wildfire as they scoured every line, each word slicing into me like a jagged de. The letterid bare Antoni’s twisted mind and calcted plots, every revtion slotting seamlessly into the truths I already held.
The realization that I was nothing more than a pawn in his game to avenge the death of the woman he truly loved ignited a torrent of envy and fury within me.
How bitterly absurd it all seemed! I had poured my heart into loving him, even subjecting myself to the surgeon’s scalpel to reshape my face, all to approach the princes at any cost. And for him, I’d been reduced to this…
Why? Why had I sacrificed everything, only to be denied the fullness of Antoni’s affection? Why was I the one left to suffer, abandoned to such a hollow, wretched end? The deeper I dwelled on it, the hotter my anger burned, resentment swelling like a storm.
Jenny stood nearby, eyeing me warily. She must have sensed the chaos churning inside me, her lips curving into a faintly cating smile as she ventured softly, “Who sent this letter?”
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I shot her a frigid re, my hands tearing the paper into ragged strips with a sharp, decisive yank.
“Who else but Makenna?” I spat, my voice dripping with scorn.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth opening as if to respond, but my steely look silenced her instantly.
Drawing a slow breath, I steadied myself—rashness wouldn’t serve me now. With deliberate calm, I scooped up the tattered fragments and strode to the bathroom, flushing them down the toilet. As the scraps swirled away with the rush of water, a quiet settled over my turbulent emotions.
As I emerged from the bathroom, my decision was forged. If Antoni’s heart belonged only to Molly, if he could treat me so callously, then he’d have no one to me when I turned ruthless. I’d unearth Cody’s hidden truths and topple both him and Antoni from their lofty thrones. Would Antoni finally recognize my value when he was stripped of his noble status? That thought hardened my determination.
As darkness cloaked the night, I slipped toward the neighboring building, setting a ze alight before retreating soundlessly to my room.
“Fire! Douse it quick! Help!”
From my window, I watched the mes leap and thick smoke curl into the sky, the outside descending into pandemonium as guards scrambled to battle the inferno. Even Cody was whisked away by his protectors, leaving Jenny and me unnoticed in the shadows.
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