The Billionaire's Silent Wife (Ryan and Eve) novel Chapter 26

26 The Safe Place Cracks

The moment Evelyn collapsed, Miter Rodrigo’s heart nearly stopped.

“Evelyn!” he barked, his booming voice stripped of its usual command, thick with panic. He caught her before her head hit the ground, her body limp in his arms. The glow of the screen outside still flickered through the glass door, mocking him with that damning word: WANTED.

He didn’t think, he moved.

With the strength of a man who had lifted crates of produce half his life, Rodrigo scooped her up, cradling her like a child. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her dark hair spilling across his chest, her skin ashen. She looked smaller than ever.

He barreled through the back hallway, his staff parting with startled looks, and pushed into his office. The heavy oak door slammed shut behind him.

“Breathe, niña,” he muttered under his breath, his voice breaking with a raw edge. “Breathe, for God’s sake.”

But she didn’t stir.

With trembling hands, he pulled his phone from his pocket, fumbling against the buttons until he found the number. He pressed it and held it to his ear, pacing in frantic circles with her still

in his arms.

“Kamila, come. Now. She’s fainted,” he said, his voice gruff but shaken.

His wife didn’t hesitate. “I’m coming.”

He ended the call, laid Evelyn gently on the worn leather couch in the corner of the office, and crouched beside her. His broad hands hovered helplessly, afraid to shake her, afraid to leave

her, afraid of what might come next.

Minutes later, the office door burst open and Kamila rushed in, her silk scarf half slipping from her shoulders, her eyes wide.

“Dios mío,” she whispered, rushing to Evelyn’s side. She dropped to her knees, her warm hands already on the girl’s forehead, her wrist, checking for a pulse. Relief washed over her features when she found it, steady but weak. “She’s breathing. She just fainted.”

“Then why won’t she wake up?” Rodrigo asked, his voice rough. His hands gripped the edge of the couch so tightly his knuckles whitened.

“She will. She will,” Kamila soothed, brushing strands of hair from Evelyn’s damp forehead.

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She reached for the small vial of smelling salts she carried in her purse, always prepared for her own faint spells, and waved it gently beneath Evelyn’s nose.

A shudder passed through the girl’s body. Her lashes fluttered.

“Evelyn?” Kamila coaxed softly.

Her eyes opened slowly, disoriented, dazed. She blinked at the ceiling, confusion clouding her gaze. Then, memory rushed back in, striking like a blade. She gasped, her hands flying to her face.

“No, no, no,” she whispered, her voice cracking. Tears spilled before she could stop them.

Kamila’s heart clenched. “Shh, dear child. You’re safe here.”

But Evelyn shook her head violently, her whole body trembling. “I saw it,” she cried. “My face, my name, on the screen. Wanted. I’m a criminal now, a criminal. Everyone saw it. They’ll come for me, they’ll drag me back. I,” Her voice fractured.

Rodrigo exchanged a grim look with his wife, but neither interrupted. Evelyn’s grief poured out in jagged sobs, years of held-in pain unraveling all at once.

“I thought I was free,” she wept, clutching at her chest as if she could hold herself together. “I thought I could start over, that I could leave everything behind. But it’s here, it’s followed me. It won’t let me go. Why? Why? I didn’t do anything! I never did anything to the Ashbrooks. I never hurt anyone. Why are they doing this to me? Is this Ryan’s way of punishing me? Of, of getting even with me for leaving?”

Her voice broke, the sobs wracking her thin frame.

Rodrigo’s jaw locked, his fists tightening at his sides. He wanted to storm out of the office, track down this Ryan Ashbrook, whoever the hell he truly was, and shake the truth out of him. But he forced himself still. The girl needed protection, not more fury.

Kamila pulled Evelyn into her arms, rocking her gently as though she were a child. “Take it easy, dear one. You know your condition. It won’t be good for the baby if you upset yourself

like this.”

The reminder cut through Evelyn’s panic for a brief second. Her hand moved instinctively to her belly, trembling against the faint swell only she could feel. The sobs quieted, but tears continued to stream down her cheeks,

“How will I go out?” she whispered hoarsely. “How will I work if my face is plastered everywhere and I’m branded a criminal? How will I survive?”

Kamila’s own throat tightened with anger. She stroked Evelyn’s hair, fury simmering beneath

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her calm voice. “You are no criminal. Only a cruel world would call you that. Someone is trying to destroy you. And I will not let them.”

She pulled back slightly, cupping Evelyn’s face so she could look her in the eye. “Tell me, niña. Did you ever do anything? Anything at all in your past that might have led to this?”

Evelyn’s eyes widened, horror flashing there. She shook her head frantically, tears spilling fresh. “No. Nothing. I swear it. I never stole, I never lied. I only… I only survived.”

Rodrigo exhaled sharply, raking a hand down his face. Kamila studied the girl, reading her truth in the tremor of her voice, the anguish in her eyes. She believed her. Every bone in her body told her this young woman was innocent.

But belief wasn’t enough.

“Then it is wickedness,” Kamila said firmly. Her tone hardened, her eyes flashing with fury. ” This is cruelty. And I will not stand by while someone tries to crush you.”

Rodrigo moved closer, placing a heavy hand on Evelyn’s shoulder, grounding her. “You’re with us, niña. We protect our own.”

But Evelyn only wept harder, burying her face in her hands. “If you knew everything, you wouldn’t. Once people know the truth… they always turn away.”

Kamila’s chest ached at the despair in those words. But she didn’t press further. She knew there were wounds here too deep to rip open tonight. Instead, she turned to her husband, her voice steady but urgent.

“Darling, call Camelo. Your friend at the precinct. He will know why she’s being hunted. If we don’t find out, it may be too late.”

Rodrigo hesitated, his brows furrowing. “And if he grows suspicious? If he traces this back to her? I won’t have them storming into our restaurant, dragging her out like a criminal in front of the staff, the customers…” His voice broke into a growl. “I won’t risk her.”

Kamila shook her head, her tone firm but gentle. “He won’t. You know Camelo. You’ve broken bread together for years. Just tell him you want to be informed, so that if someone dangerous comes into our restaurant, we know what to expect. Nothing more. Curiosity, that’s all. If we let this lie, it will fester. Better to know now than wait for the knock at our

door.”

Rodrigo’s hands tightened into fists, then released. He looked at Evelyn, her face streaked with tears, her body curled in fear, one hand pressed protectively against her stomach.

He made his decision.

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