Chapter 4
Evangeline's POV
On the morning of the fourth day, I stood at my bedroom window, watching Tom pruning roses in the garden below. My hand gripped my phone tightly—inside was the photo of the rat poison.
The evidence was clear. The rat poison in Tom's shed, that threatening phone call—everything pointed to him.
But watching him work so intently, my heart was still conflicted.
"No, I can't put this off any longer." I took a deep breath. "Grace, Mommy needs to find the truth for you."
I walked shakily toward the garden.
"Tom..."
My voice trembled. Tom looked up with his usual kind smile.
"Ma'am, what brings you out here? It's a bit chilly—you should be careful in your condition."
Seeing his concerned expression, I could barely speak.
"Tom, I... I need to ask you about something."
"What is it, ma'am?" Tom set down his shears and looked at me attentively.
I pulled out my phone, scrolling to the photo of the rat poison, my hands shaking badly.
"What is this? Why is it in your cabinet?"
Tom looked at the photo, clear confusion flashing in his eyes.
"Ma'am, that's rat poison," he said, looking puzzled. "Why would you photograph that?"
"Rat poison?" My voice grew sharper. "Tom, why do you have rat poison?"
"Because the garden is overrun with rats," Tom said, even more confused. "They've been gnawing at the rose roots lately. I have to use poison to deal with the problem."
My mind went blank.
"But... but your phone call yesterday..."
"What phone call?"
"I heard you say 'that thing is getting more troublesome, we need to get rid of this problem quickly'!"
Tom paused, then understanding dawned on his face.
"Ma'am, do you mean my call with my wife? I was complaining about the rat infestation. 'That thing' was the rats!"
Impossible!
My world was spinning.
"Ma'am, let me show you."
Tom led me to a corner of the garden where, beneath several rose bushes, I saw multiple rat traps.
"See, these are the traps I set," Tom pointed to them. "I put poison in them too."
I crouched down and saw there were indeed dead rats in the traps.
"The rats have been destroying the roots of your favorite pink roses, ma'am," Tom continued explaining. "I have to solve this problem quickly, or the entire garden will be ruined."
Tears streamed down my face.
"I'm sorry, Tom... I'm so sorry..."
"Ma'am?" Tom looked even more confused. "Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's not you..." I covered my face as tears flowed uncontrollably. "It's me... how could I suspect you?"
Tom had worked faithfully for ten years. How could I suspect him of trying to harm me?
What was I doing?
"Ma'am, are you feeling unwell? Should I call the master?"
"No... I'm fine..."
I turned and ran, leaving a bewildered Tom behind.
I ran to the pond and finally broke down completely.
I sat on the stone steps by the pond's edge as tears fell like rain.
"Tom has been so loyal to our family, so kind. How could I suspect him of wanting to hurt me?"
Four days had passed, and I had nothing to show for it.
"Maybe the rebirth was just my delusion," I touched my belly. "Maybe no one is trying to harm me at all?"
"Grace, has Mommy gone crazy?" I cried to the baby in my womb. "How could I suspect all these good people?"
The pond water sparkled in the sunlight, just like the last scene I saw before dying.
If no one was trying to harm me, why did I die?
If there really was a killer, why couldn't I find them after four days of searching?
"Maybe I really did just accidentally fall into the pond..."
Despair washed over me like a tide.
"Evangeline!"
I heard Caspian's voice behind me. I turned to see him hurrying over, carrying a cup of something.
"Darling, what are you doing here? Tom said you were crying?"
He sat beside me and gently put his arm around my shoulders.
"What happened? Tell me."
I threw myself into his arms and broke down crying again.
"Caspian, I... I did something terrible..."
"What?"
"I suspected Tom of trying to harm me... I searched his room, eavesdropped on his calls..." I sobbed out everything. "But I was wrong—he was just dealing with rats... How could I treat a loyal employee like that?"
Caspian gently rubbed my back.
"Don't blame yourself, darling," he said softly. "Pregnancy might be making you oversensitive. Expectant mothers often have all sorts of strange worries and fears."
"Really?" I looked up at him.
"Of course." He kissed my forehead, then picked up the cup he'd brought. "Here, drink this. The doctor said this medicine can help stabilize your emotions."
I took the cup and sipped it.
But I immediately felt nauseous—my pregnancy symptoms made it impossible to keep down.
"Sorry, I feel sick..." I set the cup down.
"It's alright." Caspian nodded understandingly. "You can drink it later when it cools down more."
He held me tightly.
"Evangeline, no matter what happens, I will protect you and Grace. That's my promise to you both."
Hearing those words, I was moved to tears again.
Just then, I felt Grace's heartbeat.
It was a wonderful sensation, as if she was responding to Caspian's words.
"I can feel her!" I said with delight.
Caspian gently placed his hand on my belly.
"Grace, Daddy's here," he whispered.
Watching this scene filled me with happiness.
I smiled—my first genuine smile in four days.
But in that moment, a strange thought suddenly crossed my mind:
Why was finding the real killer so difficult?
If someone really wanted to harm me, and they were close by, why had four days of searching yielded nothing?
Could it be...
Could it be because I'd never suspected the most unlikely person?
"Caspian," I said suddenly.
"What is it, darling?"
"If... if someone really wanted to harm me, who do you think it would be?"
Caspian paused, then thought for a moment.
"I don't think anyone would want to hurt you," he said. "You're so kind—you've never wronged anyone."
"But what if there was someone?" I persisted.
"Then maybe some outsider?" he said uncertainly. "Or someone after our wealth?"
I nodded, but that thought in my mind grew stronger.
"Maybe..." I thought to myself, "maybe I should start suspecting those closest to me, the most unlikely people?"
But that thought was too terrifying.
My family all loved me so much—Caspian was so gentle, Ophelia so caring...
How could they possibly...
It was impossible.
I shook my head, trying to banish the thought.
"Time is already half over," I watched the sun setting. "Who haven't I suspected yet..."
"Come on, drink this—the temperature is just right now." Caspian's words interrupted my thoughts as he handed me the cup.
I slowly took it, looking into Caspian's eyes. He seemed eager for me to drink the medicine.
