Chapter 65
Chapter 65:
“I’ll be there, Victoria,” she said, and hung up. “I’m sorry, Dallas p>
“Don’t be. I’ll drive you p>
Thirty minutes later, the Maybach rolled to a stop at the gates of Hyde Manor. Rain had begun to fall, slicking the cobblestones to a dark mirror.
“I’ll wait here,” Dallas said.
“You don’t have to p>
“I am not leaving you in that house alone. You have one hour.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
Eliza stepped out into the rain and opened her umbrella. She looked back at the car. Dallas’s silhouette was visible through the tinted glass, still and steady. Her anchor.
She turned and walked toward the manor. It looked like a haunted house now — dark and imposing, stripped of the grandeur she had once accepted as normal.
𝘑𝘰𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗵𝖾 𝗰𝗈𝗆𝗆uni𝗍𝘆 𝗮t
A maid pulled the door open before she could knock. “Miss Eliza! Thank God p>
Eliza stepped inside. The air smelled of sickness, old dust, and secrets.
She made her way up the stairs. One last time.
Anson’s bedroom was stifling. The curtains were drawn, trapping the heat inside.
Anson lay in the center of the massive bed, pale and drenched in sweat, his hair plastered to his forehead. When he saw Eliza, his eyes lit up with a feverish brightness.
“Eliza,” he rasped. “You came.” He tried to sit up and fell back against the pillows.
Eliza stood at the foot of the bed. She didn’t sit. She kept her coat on.
“Go to the hospital, Anson. Stop acting like a child p>
“I needed to see you,” he wheezed. “That man — Koch — he’s dangerous p>
“He saved my life. You watched me choke,” Eliza reminded him, her voice without mercy.
“I froze! I’m human!” Anson’s voice cracked. “He’s a machine. A killer. I looked into him, Eliza. There are gaps in his file. Years just missing.” He pressed on, trying to plant seeds of doubt. “There are rumors — blood money, dirty deals. He is using you to get to me. To the Hyde family assets p>
Eliza laughed. It was a dry, hollow sound.
“The Hyde family is crumbling, Anson. Dallas doesn’t need you. He is leagues above you p>
Anson sat up, fueled by a sudden surge of feverish anger. “You are sleeping with the enemy! You are a whore for his money p>
The mask slipped. The sick boy vanished. The abuser remained.
Eliza stepped back. She felt nothing — no love, no pity, only a clean and quiet disgust.
“There it is,” she said. “The real Anson p>
She straightened. “I came to say goodbye. Don’t call me again. Don’t use your mother to call me p>
“If you leave, I’ll ruin your career!” Anson jabbed a trembling finger at her. “I’ll blacklist you p>
“You already tried,” Eliza said. “Gavin Ross at S&D p>
Anson went still.
“I got the job anyway p>
“You got into S&D?” He looked genuinely stunned.
“On my merit,” she said. “Something you know nothing about p>
She turned and walked out.
“Eliza!” Anson screamed.