Chapter 38

The drive back was quiet. Evelyn scrolled through her phone out of habit. A new friend request on WhatsApp popped up—it was from Victor. She tapped "Accept." Almost instantly, he sent over the surveillance footage from the private room. Since the video was quite long, she didn't open it right then. Instead, she shot him a quick "Thanks," then locked her screen and held her phone loosely in her palm. She leaned her head against her hand, eyes landing on that small wind chime she had personally hung in the car. Her fingers reached out and flicked it gently. The soft tinkling sound in the air somehow lifted her spirits. The tension in her chest slowly eased, and a genuine smile found its way onto her face. Julian caught the motion from the corner of his eye. "You like it?" he asked, keeping his tone casual. "It's alright," she replied with a small grin. "You don't?" He didn't hesitate. "I do. Love it, actually." Evelyn looked at his easy smile, and she could tell he meant it. That wasn't