Chapter 5 The life that never existed

Evelyn's POV 

“My own parents don't believe me. Every lawyer who looked at my case decided I was guilty.” I stepped closer. 

“Nobody wanted anything to do with me. So why would a stranger spend this much money and use this much influence to get me out?” My voice trembled, but Adrian's expression remained unreadable.

“You said you needed someone for a job, but that doesn't explain why you chose me.” I pressed further. 

For the first time, something changed in his eyes. It was gone almost immediately, but I caught it.

“You were available.” He looked away as he answered me. 

“That's it?” I frowned. 

“You had no family willing to interfere, no career to protect and no reputation left to lose.” He tugged at his shirt. 

“You were desperate enough to accept the risks. Now quit asking me silly questions and get in the car!” He exhaled sharply and brushed his fingers through his hair in frustration.

His honesty stung, even though I knew he wasn't wrong.

I looked away, fighting the disappointment that had no business being there. I had barely known this man for a day, so I had no reason to expect kindness from him.

Still, I wanted to know why he had gone this far.

“I need you alive, and that's all you need to know.” The words unsettled me more than they reassured me.

Before I could ask what he meant, he opened the car door.

“Get in.” He ordered.

I hesitated for a moment, then climbed inside.

As the car pulled away from the prison, I looked through the window at the building that had been my entire world for the past three months.

I should have felt free. Instead, Adrian's words kept repeating in my head.

Why did he need me alive?

I turned toward the window, trying to push the question away.

That was when I noticed a television mounted on the wall inside the prison administration corridor as we passed the building's entrance.

A news report was playing, and the screen showed Dylan's photograph.

My entire body stiffened.

“Wait,” I whispered, leaning toward the window.

The car continued moving, but I could still hear the reporter through the partially open window.

“...the murder of Boston Bruins centre Dylan Reeves remains one of the most closely followed cases of the year. Although Evelyn Jonas was convicted three months ago, questions surrounding the investigation have continued to surface.”

My breath caught.

Questions?

“A private source familiar with the investigation has claimed that some evidence connected to the case was never presented publicly and may have been withheld during the original proceedings.” The reporter continued, and I turned sharply toward the television.

What evidence?

The car moved farther away, and the sound became harder to hear. I leaned closer to the window, desperate to catch the rest.

Before I could, the television disappeared from view.

I stared back at the prison as we drove away, my heart pounding.

Evidence that had never been presented? If that was true, what the hell had they hidden from me?

And why was someone suddenly questioning a case that everyone had already decided was closed?

I looked toward Adrian, but he was sitting silently beside me, staring through the opposite window as though he hadn't heard a word.

It was almost impossible to get the thought out of my head but I eventually did as a million other thoughts ran through my head. 

But the first thing I noticed after leaving the prison was that the car wasn't heading toward my parents' house.

I watched the familiar streets disappear behind us through the tinted window, waiting for Adrian to tell the driver where we were going. 

When several turns later the city became unfamiliar, I finally looked at him.

“Where are we going?” I panicked. 

“To my house.” He answered lazily. 

“I thought you were taking me somewhere I could start over.” I frowned. 

“You are!” He answered.

“Then why aren't we going to my parents?” My brows furrowed together.

“I didn't realise you were this dumb.” Adrian turned his attention from his phone to me.

“Excuse me?” I stared at him, certain I had heard him wrong.

“Your parents believe you murdered someone.” He removed his sunglass.

“The media knows your face, and anyone who recognizes you can trace you back to the case. Returning to your old life would make you vulnerable.” He glared at me. 

“I don't care what they think. They're my parents.” My eyes stung with tears as the reality of what my life had now become stared at me in the face. 

“They disowned you.” The bluntness of his response silenced me for a moment.

Adrian returned his attention to his phone as though the matter had already been settled. I clenched my jaw and looked back outside.

“I thought freedom meant I could decide where I go.” The tears threatened to fall down my cheek. 

“It does.” He nodded. 

“Then I want to go home.” The tears finally found an escape. 

“You agreed to my terms!” He slammed his fist into the car seat causing me to flinch. 

“Your terms were that I work for you. They weren't that you get to decide where I live.” I turned toward him sharply mustering all the courage I had left in me.  

“You can either spend the next few months hiding from people who know your face or you can let me make sure nobody finds you.” Adrian's expression remained calm, and I collapsed on the car seat in surrender letting all the tears pour out. 

The car continued through a private entrance before stopping in front of a large estate surrounded by high walls and security cameras. 

I stared at the mansion through the window, wondering what kind of lawyer lived behind that much security.

Adrian stepped out first and waited for me to follow.

I barely made it through the entrance before two people approached us. 

A woman in her forties greeted Adrian briefly before turning her attention to me, while a younger man carried several folders toward a long table in the adjoining room.

“Everything is ready,” the woman said.

“Good.” Adrian nodded. 

I followed them inside, still trying to understand what was happening. 

The table was covered with documents, bank cards, phones, clothing catalogues and several identification papers.

“What is all this?” I stopped.

“Your new life, and I'm sure you are going to enjoy it, just like you enjoyed the old one.” Adrian grinned and I blinked wondering what he meant by that. 

“You weren't joking.” I looked at the table again. 

“I rarely joke about important things.” He scoffed. 

The woman began sorting through the documents while the man beside her checked several items on a tablet. 

I moved closer, curious until I noticed my own photograph on one of the papers. My stomach tightened as I picked it up as I realised it was my driver's licence.

The woman took it from my hand and placed it beside another document. Then she slid my photograph out of the holder and replaced it with a different woman's photograph.

“What are you doing?” I stared at her.

“Preparing your documents,” she answered politely.

“That is my identification.” I pointed at the driver's licence.

“Not anymore.” She answered and I looked at Adrian, but he didn't react.

“You're erasing me.” My heart hammered in my chest. 

“I'm protecting you.” His gaze met mine, and the words settled heavily in my chest.

I looked down at the table again and realised that my old identification was being replaced piece by piece. 

My bank information, college records, phone number and other details were being transferred into a new file that had nothing to do with the woman I had been three months ago.

.

“What's my new name?” I picked up one of the documents.

“You will know when you need to.” Adrian reached for his phone. 

I watched him walk away, irritation building inside me.

He had promised me a new life, but he hadn't mentioned that I wouldn't even get to choose who I became.

The people working around me continued as though none of this was unusual. 

They discussed bank accounts, travel documents and identification numbers with the same ease someone might use while arranging a business meeting.

Then the younger man reached beneath his jacket to retrieve something from the inside pocket.

A handgun was briefly visible beneath his clothes making me freeze.

He noticed me looking and calmly adjusted his jacket. My eyes moved toward the woman beside him, but she didn't react, and neither did Adrian.

I looked around the room again, suddenly noticing details I had ignored before. The man standing near the entrance had a deep scar running along his neck. 

Another stood near the windows, watching the grounds rather than the people inside.

None of them looked like lawyers, or behaved like ordinary assistants.

“What exactly do you do?” I looked at Adrian.

“I told you. I'm a lawyer.” He glanced over his shoulder. 

“Right.” I laughed under my breath.

He gave me a brief look before walking out of the room, but I wasn't convinced.