Chapter 376
The tension in the air was suffocating. If this conversation dragged on any longer, Evelyn feared her blood pressure would skyrocket beyond control.
"Evelyn Carter, are you really just going to walk away? What about the recording?" Jonathan's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
She turned slightly, casting him a sidelong glance. "Why donโt you play it for me first?"
The prolonged silence that followed told her everything she needed to knowโthere was no recording. It had all been a bluff.
This entire visit had been pointless.
Frustration coiled in her chest as she wondered why Christopher hadnโt responded to any of her messages. The only way to settle this mess was to speak with him directly.
But right now, Christopher seemed as unreliable as ever.
Lost in her thoughts, Evelyn stepped out of the elevator, the lingering disgust from her confrontation with Jonathan and Judith clinging to her like a shadow.
Then, Nathaniel called.
She answered immediately. "What is it?"
"About that photoโit's not what you think."
Today had been full of surprises, but this? Nathaniel Whitmore, explaining himself to her? Unbelievable.
"Enough. I donโt want to hear it. Iโm done," she snapped, her voice icy.
Before she could hang up, Judithโs shrill voice pierced the air from behind. "Evelyn Carter! How dare you be so heartless? Jonathan jumped off a building for you! You ungrateful wretch!"
Evelyn barely had time to react before Judith shoved her violently.
She crashed to the ground, her arms instinctively wrapping around her abdomen. A sharp pain shot through her, draining the color from her face as she gasped.
Nathanielโs voice crackled through the phone, laced with panic. "Evelyn! What happened? Where are you?"
She reached weakly for the phone, but it was just out of reach. Gritting her teeth, she managed a strained whisper, "Nathaniel, Iโ"
Darkness swallowed her before she could finish.
On the other end, Nathaniel had just landed from his flight. His expression turned glacial as he turned to Robert. "Which hospital is Jonathan at?"
"Hope Hospital."
"Get a helicopter readyโnow!" Nathaniel barked, his voice razor-sharp.
He tried calling Evelyn again, but there was no answer.
Dread coiled around him like a vice. It was the same suffocating fear heโd felt when heโd learned of Evelynโs abduction. Even with Julian by her side, he had pulled every string to find her.
Now, her desperate cry for him had left him breathless.
Regaining his composure, he ordered Robert, "Evelyn might be hurt at the hospital. Contact the director immediatelyโensure her safety at all costs."
The news hit Robert like a thunderbolt, sending a chill down his spine.
Within minutes, a helicopter was prepped, and Nathaniel was airborne, racing toward Hope Hospital.
Mid-flight, the hospital director called. "Mr. Whitmore, your wife has been taken to the emergency room."
Nathanielโs grip on the phone tightened. "She walks out of there unharmed. Iโll arrange for any medical equipment you need."
"Donโt worry, Mr. Whitmore. Weโre doing everything we can, but her condition is unstable," Simon Whitmore reported.
Nathanielโs jaw clenched. "Did she hit her head?"
"No." A pause. "Sheโs pregnant."