Chapter 20

Dr. Williams tossed restlessly in bed, unable to sleep. After countless hesitations, she finally grabbed her phone and called Mr. Polo. Fortunately, Polo was accustomed to working late. The moment he saw her name flash on the screen, he answered; he knew Williams never called unless it was serious.

“Hello, Madam,” he greeted.

“I wanted to tell you I visited the young lady,” Williams said abruptly.

“Mrs. Williams, which lady are we talking about?” he asked, worried.

“The one we’re in dispute with.”

“Wait—where did you meet her?” Panic crept into his voice. “Did she come to the hospital?”

“No. I went to her place. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find common ground.” Williams’s heel tapped impatiently against the tile.

“Did you threaten her, Williams?”

“No, not at all. We just exchanged words.” Her voice grew faint, almost ashamed.

Mr. Polo remained silent for a moment. to him, something was off, and Williams wasn’t telling the full story. He also knew more than he should about the case, but couldn’t risk saying it aloud.

“Williams,” he began carefully, “you must convince the young lady to make an amicable agreement. From our end, she’s not answering any calls.”

Williams was surprised. “But Emilio told me she was going to come.”

Polo had just flatly contradicted Emilio. Her actions had been impulsive, driven by suspicion that the young woman only wanted money, not because she distrusted Emilio, but because her own doubts had taken root. Now, Polo’s silence made her pause.

“Williams,” he said finally, “if you set foot in that lady’s house, that’s a misdemeanor. If she now refuses to come, she’ll be within her rights. You must settle this quietly before it gets out of hand.” His tone was firm. “Let her come to us. If that doesn’t work, we’ll find another way. But you need to try your best.”

The line went quiet.

Her thoughts boiled. How could Emilio have done this? She had trusted him, avoiding an official investigation to protect the hospital’s name—and perhaps to protect him. Now, Polo was right. She had no leverage if she tried to force the lady to cooperate; only legal recourse remained, and they couldn’t afford the scrutiny. Her threats had failed. Evelyn was unshakable.

“Williams?” Polo called her back. “Do you understand?”

“Thank you for the advice, Mr. Polo. And please, I would like Dr. Emilio to be relieved of any major intervention until this case is settled.”

“I’ll see to that tomorrow, Madam.”

“Thank you.” She hung up.

Polo was one of the few who could still speak to her so frankly—partly because of his position, but mostly because she had seen him defend the hospital’s legacy alongside her mother for years.

Even if he was right, she hated admitting it.

Her bathrobe clung to her damp skin as she lay on her bed, exhausted. The image of Evelyn haunted her.
Would she have to go back and fix her own mistake?

The thought lingered as her eyes finally closed.

On the other side of the city, the air in the detective’s office was heavy. With the truth laid bare by Kannika and Evelyn, a thin sweat glistened on his forehead. It was time to confess.

“I had finally found the lady’s trail,” he began. “When I arrived on the scene, I slipped into a discreet corner to take photos. Unfortunately, I got caught by one of her men.”

“This one?” Kannika interrupted, sliding a photo of Romaric across the table.

The detective froze. “Yes. That’s him.”

“And then what happened?” Evelyn demanded, her voice tight with anger.

“He and his colleague assaulted me. They searched my car and found everything, so I had to tell him why I was there. They later escorted me back to my office and seized all my files.” He paused before adding, “Once I mentioned the name ‘Miss Esther Dara,’ he immediately understood what it was about. And they made it clear that if I continued helping you, I’d regret it.”

Kannika turned to Evelyn. “‘Miss Esther Dara?'” she mouthed, surprised, while the name visibly unsettled Evelyn, who struggled to absorb the confession.

“Since then, you’ve been leading me in circles,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

Kannika pressed on. “Why didn’t you tell her? She would have understood.”

The detective exhaled slowly. “It’s because of her that the lady came here to rebuild her life.” He looked at Evelyn with a weary gaze. “I don’t know why you’re looking for her, but she and her mother suffered enough because of you. I’m a detective—I expose lies, find missing people—but I cannot bring chaos back into the life of a woman who fought so hard to escape the abyss. I didn’t show them your photo to protect you. I told them everything was online. If they had known you were here… her mother…”

Kannika took out a photo and pushed it onto the table. “Here is the woman you were trying to protect, right?”

The detective’s eyes widened the moment he saw Dr. Niran Williams’s face. That was all the confirmation they needed.

By then, Evelyn had already left the office, tears in her eyes. Kannika stood to follow her.

“Wait!” the detective called. “Are you a detective too? Please—tell your client to move on, whatever her intentions are.” He caught Kannika’s wrist.

Kannika didn’t answer, letting him believe she was.

“She went through hell in that school,” he went on. “Please, don’t reopen her wounds. If you have any information about her, keep it to yourself.”

Kannika pulled her hand free. “You should’ve done your job. It wasn’t your decision to make.”

He sighed. “And your client never told you the full story, did she? You don’t even know why she’s looking for her. You had no idea her name was Esther Dara.”

Kannika’s stomach tightened. “What happened to Williams there?”

“That school is a fortress,” he said. “No one talks. But what I gathered was enough to discover that after the drama, she made several suicide attempts. She was institutionalized three times before leaving the city for good.”

Kannika was stunned. “So, you kept investigating after all this time?”

He gave a faint, bitter smile. “A detective never really stops.”

Kannika turned and walked away. Outside, Evelyn sat in the car, her face buried in her hands. When Kannika joined her, Evelyn’s sobs filled the silence.

“Evelyn…”

“No, please, don’t say a word, Kannika. I was foolish to start all this. It was her I saw tonight. I’ve been searching for her for so long, and now…”

“I’m sorry.”

“He refused to tell me because I’m a bad person.”

“No, don’t say that.”

“Yes, I am. It’s my fault she left the city, and all this happened to her. And once again, fate had to bring us together in a situation that might destroy her all over again.”

Kannika reached for her hand. “Evelyn, stop. If life brought you two back together, then maybe it’s not to destroy her—but to let both of you make peace. Please, let’s go home. You need rest. I’ll stay with you tonight, all right?”

Evelyn nodded weakly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

As the car drove through the sleeping city, the night seemed to hold its breath. Between them, silence carried the weight of everything left unsaid—guilt, forgiveness, and the uncertain mercy of fate.

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