Chapter 35

Sophia Reynolds curled up in the corner of the couch, clutching a half-empty bottle of liquor. Tears streaked through her smudged eyeliner, leaving uneven trails down her face.

Evelyn Sullivan snatched the bottle from her grasp. "What happened?"

"He... he left me..." Sophia's voice cracked between sobs. "That bastard... said his first love came back..."

Evelyn gently rubbed her back. "He's not worth your tears."

"Give it back!" Sophia suddenly lunged for the bottle, swaying unsteadily.

Without hesitation, Evelyn scooped her up in a bridal carry, ignoring her protests, and strode toward the parking lot.

After settling the drunken Sophia, Evelyn realized her phone was missing. She hurried back to the club. The moment she pushed open the VIP room door, blaring music assaulted her ears.

A burly man with a rough face was toying with her phone, surrounded by smirking onlookers.

"Please return my phone," Evelyn said calmly.

The man narrowed his eyes at her. "Prove it's yours."

"I can unlock it."

"Fine," he slid three shots of hard liquor toward her. "Drink these, and it's yours."

Evelyn threw back the shots in quick succession, her throat burning. As she turned to leave with her phone, she noticed an eerie silence had fallen over the room.

The hallway lights flickered. Suddenly, her legs gave way, and an unfamiliar heat surged through her veins. She braced herself against the wall just as hurried footsteps pounded behind her.

"Quick! Don't let her escape!"

In the darkness, Evelyn bit her tongue hard to stay conscious, stumbling blindly into the emergency stairwell.