A mocking smirk touched Lemira's lips. "Keep dreaming."

Asher looked visibly frustrated. "You're not on the same side as them anyway, so why not just come back to the Langston family? Once Evelina is gone, you'll be the only daughter in this house. No one is going to mistreat you ever again."

Lemira paused mid-step, her tone turning to ice. "Do you honestly think everything you put me through can just be wiped away with a few empty promises? Save your breath. The only reason I'm even standing in the same room as you is because of this lawsuit. The second this case is closed..."

She didn't finish the sentence. Raking a cold, dismissive glance over them, she turned and walked out to her SUV.

Asher's face darkened with indignation. He turned to Lucian. "Look at her. She's completely alienated herself from us. What exactly is she planning to do once this case is over?"

"It's her life and her choice. You have zero right to dictate what she does," Lucian snapped, his voice thick with bitter resentment. "If any of us had just treated her with an ounce of decency back then, we wouldn't have pushed her away."

Asher choked on his response, suddenly defensive. "I'm trying to make up for it now, aren't I? But look at how she treats us. She looks at us like we're her mortal enemies."

Standing quietly off to the side, a dark, vindictive gleam flashed through Evelina's eyes.

*Of course,* she thought bitterly. *The biological daughter will always get the special treatment.*

If only she had seen through the Langston brothers' hypocrisy earlier. If she had just focused on building her own life instead of desperately fighting Lemira for their affection, she wouldn't be trapped in this suffocating house right now.

Resting a hand on her pregnant belly, she knew she had to start making her own contingency plans.

The group drove in strained silence to the Lyria Remand Center, where Hale had recently been transferred.

Seated in the sterile visitation room, Evelina fidgeted nervously in her chair.

A few minutes later, Hale was led into the room. His head had been shaved, and he looked incredibly haggard, having aged a decade in just a few weeks.

When his eyes landed on Evelina, his gaze immediately dropped to her swollen stomach. A fleeting look of raw emotion crossed his face.

Sitting down behind the glass, he stared at her. "How's the baby?"

"Fine."

Evelina took a trembling breath. "Where is the evidence? You promised you'd hand it over as soon as you turned yourself in."

Hale's eyes darted past her to Lemira and the brothers. "Are they forcing you to do this?"

Lemira let out a dark laugh. "Wasn't this the exact deal we made? If you don't produce the evidence to put the Sinclair family behind bars, I have no choice but to take my anger out on Evelina."

Hale surged forward in a sudden fit of rage, but remembering where he was, he forced himself back into the chair.

Right on cue, tears spilled down Evelina's cheeks. She wept silently, mastering the art of looking utterly fragile and victimized.

Her entire survival currently hinged on whatever proof her father was holding hostage. Her feelings toward this man were a tangled, resentful mess.

If she had just been born into a better family, she wouldn't be subjected to this waking nightmare.

Lemira watched the performance with a detached sneer. *Classic two-faced girl.*

Choking back a sob, Evelina pleaded,

"Dad, please, you have to save me. I'm completely dependent on the Langston family now. I know

you to do it.

someone else order only

back then know you only took the risk because you wanted Mom and me to have a better life. don't

blame you for anything."

From her vantage point, Lemira caught a fleeting, cynical smirk cross Hale's face

before he quickly masked it.

Hale sat in heavy silence for a

moment before speaking. "Are you really confident you can take down the Sinclair family? I take it

ou still

don't realize the Everhart bow was sitting in the back of the car you hit?"

Lemira held his gaze effortlessly. "So, you knew too."

Hale looked slightly taken aback. "It seems you're already aware."

"I am," Lemira said coolly. "And yes, we had a massive falling out over it, exactly as you at hoped But I also know the Sinclair family nowy

orchestrated the hit. And I am going to make them pay in blood."

"You think the Everhart family is just going to step aside and let you do that?"

"That's none of your concern."

"If the Everhart boy is willing to testify in court, I'll tell you exactly where the evidence is hidden."

Lemira's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You want him to take the stand?"

"Why not? He's an eyewitness to the scene, isn't he?"

But as he spoke, Lemira couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that Hale's smile was

laced with a dark, mocking ulterior motive.