Chapter 20: I Chose Myself

I stared at the message in my hand.

"If you want Vera alive, come alone."

Kane immediately shook his head.

"You're not going anywhere alone."

I looked at him.

"I have to."

"No, Evelyn. Whoever took her knows exactly how to manipulate you."

"That's why I have to go."

I folded the message and put it in my pocket.

"This time, I won't be walking into a trap without knowing what I'm risking."

Mara stepped forward.

"The council can send guards."

I shook my head.

"No. If they see anyone following me, Vera could be killed."

Kane's expression darkened.

"Then I'll stay behind you where they can't see me."

I almost refused.

But this wasn't about trusting Kane anymore.

It was about getting Vera out alive and ending this before anyone else was hurt.

"Fine," I said. "But you do not interfere unless I ask."

Kane nodded.

We followed the instructions to an abandoned cabin beyond the old eastern border.

The place was surrounded by thick trees and covered in darkness.

I entered alone.

Vera was sitting on the floor with her hands tied.

Her face was bruised, and her clothes were torn.

The moment she saw me, she started crying.

"Evelyn, I knew you would come."

I stopped several feet away.

"Who did this?"

Vera looked toward the back room.

"Richard."

My eyes narrowed.

"He's still here?"

"He escaped before the council could take him away."

Vera lowered her head.

"He said if I didn't bring you here, he would kill me."

I walked closer and cut the ropes around her wrists.

Vera suddenly grabbed my arm.

"Evelyn, I'm sorry."

I looked at her.

"For what?"

"Everything."

Her tears fell faster.

"I knew you were the real Wren heir."

My chest tightened.

"When did you know?"

"From the beginning."

She lowered her voice.

"Richard told me that if I helped him, Kane would eventually choose me and the Wren inheritance would belong to me."

I stared at her.

"And you believed him."

She nodded.

"I was selfish."

"You were cruel."

Vera looked down.

"I know."

A sudden sound came from outside.

Richard's voice echoed through the cabin.

"Enough talking."

The door slammed shut.

Several armed guards surrounded the building.

Richard stepped into the room holding a silver blade.

"Give me the Wren documents."

I didn't move.

"They're not yours."

"Neither was your life," he replied coldly.

Before he could reach me, the cabin windows shattered.

Kane and the council guards stormed inside.

Chaos erupted.

Richard tried to escape through the back door, but Kane caught him.

The two men crashed into the wall.

Richard raised the silver blade.

Kane grabbed his wrist before it could strike.

The blade fell to the floor.

Within seconds, the guards had Richard restrained.

I helped Vera stand.

She looked at Kane with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Kane didn't answer.

He looked at me instead.

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

He exhaled in relief.

Then he stepped back.

Exactly as he had promised.

Mara arrived moments later and ordered Richard taken into custody.

As the guards led him away, he shouted one final warning.

"You think this ends with me?"

"The Calder family isn't the only family that wanted the Wren inheritance."

I froze.

Mara looked at him sharply.

"What do you mean?"

Richard only laughed.

But I no longer cared.

The truth about my father had finally come to light.

The people who destroyed my life were being held accountable.

And I had survived.

I looked at Kane.

He seemed to want to say something.

I shook my head gently.

"Not tonight."

He nodded.

For once, he didn't argue.

I walked outside into the cold night air.

The sky above Greenridge was clear for the first time in weeks.

Tomorrow, the council would announce the Wren inheritance publicly.

Tomorrow, I would decide where my life went next.

And this time, nobody else would decide for me.