CHAPTER 58: WORDS THAT CARVED STRAIGHT THROUGH

The porcelain cup slipped from Evelyn’s fingers and hit the floor with a sharp, shattering sound.

Hot tea splashed across the tiles and the shattered glass filled the floor in front of her.

Daisy hurried to Evelyn, eyes wide. "Are you okay?" she asked, reaching toward Evelyn, whose hands still hovered midair like they hadn’t realized the cup was gone.

But before Evelyn could respond, Elias spoke.

"Why?" he asked. "Did you hate my smile so much that you trembled from anger?"

Evelyn’s eyes widened. Her lips parted, but no words came out, just a trembling breath, like her lungs forgot how to function.

Daisy stood there, stunned, caught in the invisible wreckage between them.

Elias didn’t move and refused to blink. His smile thinned, sharpened. And when he spoke again, it was in a voice far too calm for what it carried.

"Don’t even smile," he echoed her words from long ago. "You look like him. You remind me of him."

His gaze dropped, voice twisting darker.

"My Julian..." he said, mimicking the way she once clung to that name. "Why did you ask him to cover for you that day? Why didn’t you go instead? It should’ve been you."

He let out a laugh so bitter it could rot everything it touched.

"You kept saying that, didn’t you? That I was the one who should’ve died. That I was the mistake."

Evelyn shook her head weakly, "Theo—"

"Oh wait—wait, there’s more," Elias raised his hand, like he was trying to stop a class from interrupting. "Let’s not forget the real highlight."

His tone dropped into a slow, cruel echo.

"’He wasn’t like you.’"

His eyes didn’t leave hers.

"’Julian was kind. Soft... He listened... And you—’" he paused, the words slicing out like broken glass, "’you were just loud... Thoughtless... Trouble... Always trouble.’"

Evelyn’s hand trembled at her side.

"And he believed you," Elias murmured. "He carried that guilt every damn day. Thought it was his fault... Thought if he hadn’t asked Julian to cover for him, maybe... just maybe... you’d still look at him like your son, not a walking reminder of what you lost."

His voice cracked slightly. Enough to show the scar beneath all the polish.

"No, Theo... please, listen to me..." Evelyn stepped forward, barefoot, ignoring the shards of glass that crunched beneath her feet. Her voice trembled. "I was wrong. I was... too deep in my grief—I lost control, I—"

Elias didn’t flinch. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Just because you were too deep in your grief..."

He turned, heading for the stairs.

"Oh, you know that old idiom... ’Sticks and stones may break my bones’?" He glanced over his shoulder, his smile long gone. "Well, your words? They carved straight through."

He rushed down the stairs, footsteps echoing like thunder in the quiet house.

Daisy stood frozen for a beat, torn between the woman behind her and the man walking away. Her eyes flicked to Evelyn, trembling, tears catching in the corners of her lashes. Then she turned toward the stairwell, where Elias’s shadow was already vanishing.

Her breath hitched. She looked back once more. "I’ll take care of him," Daisy said softly, like a promise.

Evelyn didn’t speak. She only nodded, but by then, the tears had already begun to fall, silently tracing down her cheeks like memories she couldn’t wipe away.

And Daisy turned, rushing to make sure Elias didn’t do anything stupid.

She rounded the corner of the big garage, scanning the dim space. She was sure she’d seen him slip in here.

"What do you want?" Elias’s voice came from a small room at the far end. He stepped out, casually twirling a car key in his hand.

"You want to drive? Do you even have a license?" she shot back, hurrying toward him, reaching for the key.

But he lifted it just out of her reach, smirking as she tiptoed in vain. "He has, since nineteen," he said, tapping his chest. "Me."

"That’s him, not you," she argued, still trying to grab the key.

Elias tilted his head slowly, the teasing smile never quite reaching his eyes. "Hmm... not long ago, you told me I am him too."

Daisy blinked, caught off guard. "I—uh..." she stuttered, guilt flickering in her voice. "Then let me drive."

Elias raised a brow, amused. "You? Do you even have a license?"

She huffed, folding her arms. "Yes. Got it when I was twenty, thank you very much."

"Impressive," he said, feigning surprise. "And since then?"

Her smile turned sheepish. "Since then... my driver used to drive me everywhere," she admitted, then added with a small shrug, "Lately I just take taxis or public transport."

Elias let out a low chuckle. "So basically, your license is vintage."

"Shut up," she muttered, hopping slightly in a futile attempt to grab the key again.

He looked at it, then down at her. "Never mind," he said quietly. "Even if everyone wants me dead, I probably shouldn’t waste it in your hands."

"Then... Can I follow you? Where do you want to go? Shopping? Macaron hunting? Oh—cakes?!" She was at his back, tossing out suggestions as they walked.

Elias halted in front of a red sports car, and she nearly bumped into him.

He turned just enough to glance at her, expression unreadable... then muttered, "The raspberry ones. From that place near the river."

Daisy blinked. "Wait—macarons?"

He didn’t answer. Just clicked the car key and the doors unlocked with a sharp beep. He slid into the driver’s seat and locked the doors behind him.

She grinned, still a step behind, "Cakes in the morning sounds like a good idea..." She reached for the handle and tugged, only to find it stuck.

Her smile faltered. She yanked again. Nothing.

"You locked it!" she accused, knocking on the window.

Elias rolled it down just enough to speak. "I told you. Everyone wants me dead. Maybe I’m just being careful."

"Oh come on," she said, hands on her hips. "Are you seriously going to eat macarons alone?"

"I’m not eating," he replied coolly. "I’m mourning."

"Over sugar and almond flour?"

"Over trusting people."

Then, she leaned forward slightly and gave a dramatic flutter of her lashes. "Okay. Unlock the door. I’ll be good."

He gave her a long, unreadable stare... then, without a word, clicked the lock open.

She climbed in and settled into the seat, glancing at him with her lips pressed together.

"One rule," he said, eyes fixed ahead. "Don’t ask me anything."

The engine growled to life, and the car sped out of the garage.