Someone nearby stepped in and caught Seth's wrist just in time . He barely squeezed , but the pressure felt like solid metal digging into Seth's arm . It hurt so bad that his face went pale in seconds . Seth tried to say something , but no words came out . The guy who grabbed him had a calm voice that somehow made everything around him feel even colder . His eyes were sharp - like they could cut right through you . " You really thought you could lay a hand on my girlfriend without checking with me first ? " Hannah's jaw dropped . " Evelyn , your boyfriend is so cool ." And to be fair , she wasn't wrong . Evelyn lifted her chin slightly and gave a proud little smirk . " Obviously ." It took Seth a moment to collect himself , and when he did , he snapped at Philip . " Let me go ! " This was only the second time they'd crossed paths , and both times , Seth ended up completely embarrassed . Now people were whispering and pointing as they watched on . He wanted to vanish . Philip leaned in , voice low but firm . " I don't want to see this happen again . Otherwise , you won't like what happens ." Then he finally let go . Seth's wrist throbbed like crazy . But he didn't say another word . He looked completely shaken and embarrassed by the stares . Without saying anything else , he turned around and ran off . He even forgot he came for Alice in the first place . With him gone , Evelyn felt a weight lift off her shoulders . She looked over at Philip . " How'd you know to show up ? " " I was worried about you , " Philip replied . Even though they went to the same university , the training grounds were like their own separate world . Hardly anyone over there cared about school gossip . Quade was the exception . Since he wasn't on duty lately , he'd wandered around the foreign language department flirting with underclassmen . That was when he overheard the drama . He sprinted back and gave Philip the rundown . Philip didn't hesitate . He shut down the day's drills and headed straight for the medical department . That was how everything unfolded . 1/4 Evelyn glanced around , noticing people still sneaking looks at them . She felt a little awkward . " Can we go somewhere quieter Hannah , catching the mood , gave her a thumbs - up . " I'll head off and prep for my presentation . See you later ! " Evelyn and Philip walked over to the little lake behind the school . The grass was bright and soft . The lake was still , and ducks floated across the water like they had all the time in the world . Evelyn filled Philip in on the entire story - from how it all started to how it ended . When she was done , she gave him a light smile . " Honestly , I had it covered . You didn't need to worry . " But Philip looked right at her and said , " Oh ? So when you asked Quade for that medicine ... Was that nothing , too ? Something I didn't need to be concerned about ? " Just like she expected , Quade couldn't keep a secret to save his life . " Relax . I didn't get hurt , " Evelyn said casually . " I know , " Philip replied , giving a small nod . If she'd really been injured , he would've taken action sooner . Evelyn seemed to realize that too and gave him a faint , amused smile . They stood there in silence for a moment . Then she turned to him again . " Since you're already involved , want to help me with one more thing ? " " Yeah . Just say the word , " he said instantly . That actually caught Evelyn off guard . " I haven't even told you what it is yet . What if it's too hard ? Or puts you in a tough spot ? " " As long as it's for you , I'll do it - even if it means walking into a fire , " Philip said without flinching . Her cheeks flushed slightly . That sounded a little over - the - top . What she needed wasn't anything dramatic at all . After they were done talking , she stood up . " I've got to go prep for my thesis defense . Catch you later . " She had barely taken a few steps when Philip called her name . She turned back and locked eyes with him . Those deep , steady black eyes seemed to pull her in . " If something like this ever happens again , " he said , " don't deal with it alone . Come find me . " Evelyn smiled , eyes crinkling . " Okay . " Back in the classroom , she pulled out another copy of her thesis from her backpack . She'd seen this move in her past life . Alice used to play this trick too . Back then , it was during a fight for a department head position at the hospital . To take someone down , Alice had secretly switched their paper . It turned into a huge scandal that shook the entire hospital . The doctor being framed kept saying she was innocent , but it didn't matter - public opinion crushed her , and she ended up resigning Now in this life , Alice had recycled the same tactic . This time , Evelyn was the target . 274 But there was no need to call her out right away . Sometimes you let the bait dangle longer so you can catch a bigger fish . And today , the catch was more than worth it . After sitting with her thoughts for a bit , she shifted gears and started organizing her defense materials . That afternoon , her presentation went off without a hitch . Bethany praised her more than once , and Evelyn's delivery was sharp , smooth , and impossible to pick apart . She graduated with no issues . Hannah passed too . She was so excited she practically bounced around , dragging Evelyn to celebrate over dinner . But Evelyn shook her head and smiled . " I've got something to handle at home . There'll be plenty of chances later . I'll treat next time . " Hannah instantly got what she meant . She narrowed her eyes . " You say you're over your family stuff , but I bet once you get back home , it's the same story . " Going home means facing her own blood . Will she really stay firm ? " We'll find out , " Evelyn said with a grin . " Just wait - I'll have good news ." The smile on her face looked sweet and innocent , almost too gentle to be real . Under the sunlight , her eyes sparkled like glass . That look eased Hannah's nerves . She stopped worrying .. " Next time - burgers . I want two ! " she shouted while waving goodbye . Evelyn waved back , all sunshine and charm . But the second Hannah turned away , that smile vanished like smoke . Not a trace of warmth was left behind . Evelyn didn't rush home . She wandered along the little shops outside the campus and bought a cheap plastic hair clip for less than a dollar . She picked up some snacks and ate until she was full . Then she slowly made her way back , walking off the food . But just as she reached her front door , she heard crying . It was sharp and full of fear . There was a faint metallic smell in the air . Evelyn opened the door and stepped inside . She stopped near the shoe rack , eyes scanning the room . Her voice came out calm and soft . " I'm home . " All three people in the living room froze and turned to look at her . The sunset outside was fading , but the dark red stains inside were still vivid . Evelyn stood in the shadow of the hallway , her expression unreadable . But her gaze missed nothing . 27 AM Chapter 16 The Show Started She saw Zand holding a belt , gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white . She saw Yvonne sobbing , desperate , pleading through her tears . And she saw Alice - collapsed on the floor , her back cut and bloody , kneeling and trembling in pain . Perfect Looks like the show started without me . Send Gifts