The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by the quiet hum of the engine.

Kathryne held the handkerchief Everett had given her, the crisp linen contrasting with her trembling fingers. She didn't use it to wipe away her tears. She let the cold trace remain on her skin, a reminder of what she would never forget.

The man beside her felt like a block of ice, radiating a silent pressure that made it impossible to relax.

She turned her head to stare out the window. The neon lights of New York blurred past, streaks of color against the dark glass.

"When did you find out?" Everett's voice finally cut through the quiet.

Kathryne flinched. She hadn't expected him to be so direct. She turned back to face him, meeting his probing gaze.

"Just now. At the hotel," she answered honestly, her voice raw.

His eyes scanned her face, as if searching for the smallest lie. "You handled it well. Too well."

The words felt like both a compliment and an accusation. Kathryne's guard went up.

"What do you mean?" she asked, a note of caution in her voice.

"Most women in your position would be screaming or crying," Everett stated, a barely perceptible smirk touching his lips. "You were collecting evidence."

His observation made her deeply uncomfortable. It felt as if he could see through every layer of her, even the cold, calculating side of herself she had only just discovered.

"I did what I thought was necessary to protect myself," she replied coolly.

"To protect yourself, or to ensure there was no turning back?" His question was even sharper, hitting closer to the truth.

Kathryne was left speechless. He was right. She had wanted to cut off every connection, destroy any chance of going back, and leave herself no room for hesitation. Yet standing before this man, she felt as if every hidden thought and every carefully made decision had been laid bare.

"Does it matter?" she shot back. "The result is the same. The engagement is off."

Everett didn't press further, but he gave her a long, searching look. It was a look that said, I know you're not telling me everything, but I'll let it go... for now.

The tension in the car intensified. Kathryne could hear her own heartbeat, fast and unsteady, echoing in the silence around her.

She didn't understand why Leo's uncle was interrogating her like this. Shouldn't he be defending his nephew?

She tried to recall her few past encounters with him. He was always in a corner, a silent observer, but now she wondered if his gaze had always lingered on her a little too long.

A ridiculous thought flashed through her mind: Did he already know what kind of man Leo was?

The car slowed to a stop in front of the stone gates of her family's home, a large villa set back from the road.

Relief washed over Kathryne. She moved to open the door. "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Carlisle."

"I'll walk you to the door." Everett was already out of the car, opening her door for her before she could object.

His impeccable manners left her no room to refuse. They walked side-by-side up the stone path.

A cool night breeze stirred, lifting a strand of her long hair and brushing it against the back of Everett's hand.

She saw his body tense for a fraction of a second before he masked it.

At the front door, Kathryne turned to say goodnight, but Everett spoke first.

"The Carlisle family owes you an apology," he said, his voice formal. "I will handle the formal dissolution of the engagement."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Don't thank me," Everett said, his eyes locking onto hers. They were so dark she felt like she could fall into them. "I'm just cleaning up my family's mess. You, Ms. Sullivan, should think about what you want next."

His words were pointed, a clear suggestion that her life was just beginning now that she was free of Leo.

Just before she turned to unlock the door, he added one last thing, his voice dropping to a lower, more intimate register.

"Get some rest, kid."

The word, so unexpectedly familiar, so possessive, made her freeze. She stood there, keys in hand, long after he had turned and walked back to the waiting car.