Chapter 11 - The Midnight Arrival
The tranquility of Blackthorn Sanctuary was rarely broken, but when the heavy iron gates buzzed at two in the morning, Evelyn knew it wasn't a standard admission.
She threw a cashmere shawl over her nightgown and hurried down the grand staircase. The night staff, a seasoned former nurse named Clara, was already at the door.
Standing on the threshold was a woman who looked like she had just stepped off a high-fashion runway, though her designer trench coat was torn, and her face was hidden behind oversized sunglasses in the dead of night.
"Please," the woman whispered, her voice trembling. "They told me this is the only place he can't get to."
Evelyn stepped forward, gently guiding the woman inside and locking the heavy oak doors. "You are safe here. What is your name?"
The woman removed her sunglasses, revealing a dark, swollen bruise blooming across her cheekbone. Evelyn recognized her instantly. It was Maya Thorne, the wife of Marcus Thorne—a ruthless real estate tycoon who had once been Adrian’s silent business partner.
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"I’m Maya," she sobbed, collapsing onto the velvet bench in the foyer. "And if he finds me, he will kill me."
Evelyn knelt before her, her eyes hardening with familiar resolve. "He won't find you. And even if he does, he will have to go through me."
