EVELYN
Evelyn thought time had stopped. Everything was frozen, and so was her heartbeat. Her vision blurred out as she looked around her, her mouth drying up, trying to look for her phone. With shaky hands, she dialled the number she had called multiple times with a bright smile on her face. It was all replaced by the horrific look on her face. Unavailable. She called again, but it was the same. Unavailable. This couldn't be true, this couldn't be her reality.
It didn't take long for her to sit on her king-sized bed in her luxurious bedroom, staring at nothing in particular, shaken up, when her door was slammed open. Her head snapped up to see her mother-in-law Patricia storming in, followed by Lydia, her daughter. They headed straight for her, blinded by rage in their bloodshot eyes. Patricia reached for Evelyn's collar and pulled her up aggressively, throwing her on the floor hard. She barely figured out what had just happened and was trying to get back up when Lydia knocked her in the face, making her fall back down even further.
"You killed him! You killed my son, you fucking bitch!" Patricia's loud roar echoed through the room and made Evelyn shake herself out of the daze.
"W-what—"
"LUCAS'S DEAD! HE DIED AND IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!" Lydia screamed. There were servants and maids crowding right outside the room, their murmurs only berating Evelyn even further while she failed to understand if she was dreaming or if this was true.
Lucas, the love of her life, her husband, her entire world... was dead. This had to be a huge joke, this had to be an evil prank. Evelyn pulled herself up somehow, shaking her head to look at their faces clearly, the TV still playing faintly in the background.
"He's not dead... he's alright. I know he is. He can't die... nothing... can ever happen to him," she spoke quietly, more to herself, using her denial as a way to cope with the shooting pain inside her that was making it hard to breathe.
"He's dead, the police called. They found his ID," Lydia's breath hitched as the tears started forming in her eyes. Patricia held her to comfort her, but her raged eyes only targeted Evelyn, who felt daggers going through her heart. Her knees gave out, and she crumbled on the floor again. He was dead. He was really dead.
"YOU KILLED HIM. I knew you were the worst ever since my son brought you home. If it weren't for his happiness, I'd have thrown you out by now. But look, you did what I was afraid of, you murdered my baby," Patricia screamed, making Evelyn jolt. Evelyn pressed her head against the cold floor and let out a bloodcurdling cry, all her dreams, all her pain, all her happiness, merging into one and being sucked out from within her. Her reason to live was dead.
"Maid! Get all her things and burn them down to the ground. I won't make the same mistake of keeping her here and watch her devour my entire family. I'll send her to the streets, where she belongs," her mother-in-law's voice howled all the way to the corridor while she lay on the floor, breaking her voice apart with her cries. The maids started lining up in her bedroom and stripping it of all her belongings.
"This is your punishment, slut. You don't even deserve to see my brother for the last time. I'll throw you out like the trash you are before that," Lydia walked to Evelyn and sharply kicked her in the gut. But Evelyn's head snapped up at the thought that she wouldn't even get to see Lucas one last time.
"No... no... please don't! Let me see him one last time, I will die if I can't see him, PLEASE," Evelyn crawled up to Patricia's feet, too hurt to get back on her feet. She cried out, but all she saw were their cold and demeaning faces. Her whole body contracted, the pain so severe that it made her quiver. Patricia kicked her off herself, making her get thrown back.
"Then die, you fucking whore. You're worthless, you deserve nothing but death. You took away my son from me, I'll take away everything you ever had," Patricia said, taking a fistful of her hair until she twitched in pain.
Evelyn's eyes widened with realization as her hands trailed down to her stomach. She wasn't just herself, she was carrying another life inside of her. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, the day she told Lucas that they would be a family now. They were having a baby who had been growing inside of her for 3 months now. She had kept the surprise for two weeks now, just looking for the right moment. But now, as she realized that moment would never come, she clenched her stomach and cried out again. Her life was ruined, everything she ever knew of was gone.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Lydia yelled, crying, making Evelyn realize that she had to see Lucas one last time. This couldn't be over, she had to stay here.
"Please, I'm begging you don't do this to me. I need to see him. I have nowhere to go."
"GET OUT!"
"PLEASE, JUST FOR A WHILE, PLEASE LET ME STAY, PLEASE!"
Patricia clutched Evelyn's hair harder and pulled her up to her feet, dragging her out of her bedroom and all along the corridor while she continued to beg and plead. They were right in front of the long flight of master stairs when Evelyn finally gathered some strength and pushed back.
"Don't throw me out, please... I'm pregnant. I'm carrying Lucas's child. He would've never wanted this. I want to take care of our kid, I want to give our child a proper upbringing. Please, mom," Evelyn begged for mercy, crying hard while she felt so weak and hollow inside. She saw their faces change and turn into pure horror instead of compassion.
"That's not Lucas's kid, you probably slept around with other men and got knocked up. I won't allow this bastard child growing up in my house mocking my dead son," Patricia was even more angry, her face turning red with pure hatred. Evelyn was growing more hopeless.
"Didn't you hear me? Get out!" Lydia yelled, but Evelyn continued pleading. When she didn't move, Lydia rushed to her and pushed her back violently, making Evelyn lose her balance and fall down, crashing on the massive stairs, her voice cracking. That was all Evelyn saw before her vision blacked out.
~
THREE YEARS LATER
The papers flew all over the room, and Evelyn felt like she was watching them in slow motion. She watched her hard work of 3 months fall scattered on his office floor. And when she looked up, she was met with the cold-as-ice stare of him.
"Ms. Smith, do you think this is a joke?" His harsh eyes looked like they were about to devour her as a whole, and his deep voice thundered and echoed across the room.
"I-I am sorry, sir—"
"Do you realize the position and the standards of my company? Do you even know how things work around here? How dare you hand this file to me and expect me to ignore how worthless you are to this company?" He slammed his hand on his desk, making her flinch and take a step back. This wasn't the first time, this was every day. She should be used to this by now, but every time this happened, Evelyn felt like crumbling and giving up.
Evelyn had spent 3 months working on this assignment and she was proud of it when she first came into the room of her boss to hand it over. Until he skimmed through the file and tossed it on the floor, scattering her work papers all over.
"Please, sir, just listen to me once. I will fix everything and resubmit it. Just one more chance, that's all, sir please!" Evelyn felt her voice turn more and more desperate compared to his indifferent expression. Repulsed, he took a step back and looked down at her.
"You might've begged your way into my company, but you won't get anything else." He growled, and a tear escaped her eyes. She just couldn't take it anymore because that's how bad the disrespect was. Evelyn stood up, her face red in shame and tears.
"Sir—"
"Don't stand there like a fucking statue and get the fuck out!" He shouted, making her almost jump. She knew better than to try again, turning away from him and starting to walk out, holding on until she burst into tears a little bit longer. "Wait."
Evelyn's steps paused and she turned back, keeping her head down, an unnatural blink of hope forming in her mind.
"Yes, sir."
"Clean the floor," he commanded as she stared blankly at the floor filled with pages as he walked past her and outside his office, leaving his footprint on the papers that fell on his way out.
Evelyn Smith had no one in the world anymore. No one to go home to, no one to live for but herself. As she picked the papers one by one, she could only think of the life she had before. She could only think of him, the man who made everything easier. Lucas Harrison, Evelyn's Lucas.
Evelyn fell to the floor, breaking down completely at how much the thought still haunted her to the core. She felt like she was withering away with the pain as she remembered the day she got to know he was no longer alive. Her hands were shaking, and her body felt numb. Three years had passed, but the pain was still the same. Or maybe, worse.
~
She splashed some water on her face and looked back at her disheveled form in the mirror. Her eyes were deep-set with prominent bags underneath, her hair had turned frizzy, her face looked dull. Ever since she lost him, she had also lost her appeal. She didn't try to look better anymore.
As she entered the employee work area again, she could feel everyone's eyes burning her. They had all heard the CEO yell at her because this happened more often than imaginable. They all snickered and laughed under their breath; there was not one person around who attempted to ever talk or be nice to her.
She sat down at her table, trying to ignore all the mockery when she finally saw why they were all laughing. There was a huge stack of files placed on her desk with a short note left on it.
"Proofread all of them by today. One mistake and you're out," the note said. Her eyes bulged out at the amount of work she was given as the laughs and giggles from her coworkers increased. This was their favorite entertainment.
But sitting on top of all of it was him. Dominic Beaumont, the cruel, ruthless, and unfortunately gorgeous CEO of Beaumont Co. He was tall and built, with blazing blue eyes and dark wavy hair, and a cutting deep voice. He was easily the most good-looking man she had ever seen. But none of that mattered because he was the reincarnation of the devil himself. And he hated her.