**Adrian's POV**

I felt something shift inside me when Audrey tilted her head and smiled.That gesture-so achingly familiar.

"Well?" she asked. "Don't you care what happens to me?"

This woman looked too much like Evelyn. The memory hit hard-Evelyn chasing me around campus with that same head tilt, that same smile.She'd call me "cute" and I'd warn her not to, but she'd just smile wider and say it again.

I stared at Audrey, reality blurring. Is she Evelyn? Has to be.

My investigation into Audrey Sinclair had shown a depressed woman who'd made herself unrecognizable after a failed marriage. But this woman before me...

I reached out, touching her cheek gently. "How could I not care about your life?" My voice barely audible. "Your life is the most important thing to me."

She smiled, blinking slowly. "Really? Look at this." She waved her phone screen at me. "Even reporters can see you don't care whether I live or die.

Why deny it?"

"I'm not denying anything," I said, hurt flashing across my face."I really care about you. I wanted to protect you."

"I didn't want to put you in thatplace, but if I hadn't, you would've gone crazy sooner or later!"

Something snapped. I lunged forward, pulling her against me. I held her tightly.

"Evelyn." Her name fell from my lips like a prayer.

"The people in that institution were handpicked by me. They wouldn't hurt you." I clutched her closer."I was protecting you.Please don't hate me..."

**Audrey's POV**

When Adrian grabbed me, my first instinct was to push him away. His scent, his warmth - completely unfamiliar. But I froze when he mentioned the psychiatric institution.

I forced myself to relax against his chest. "Adrian, I know you care about me. I know you didn't want to destroy me by putting me in there."

"But could you tell me why?"

"Don't you know that, Evelyn?" His grip tightened. "After the yacht incident, your mental state wasn't normal. The doctors said without proper guidance,you'd eventually lose your mind."

"Evelyn, it's all in the past. Emma's been born now." His voice dropped."Let's not talk about it anymore. I never disregarded your life..."

*He's confirming what Eleanor told me*, I thought. *My sister was institutionalized after surviving the yacht disaster - the same one that affected Blake and his father five years ago.*

*But why? Poor psychological resilience? Or did she see something she shouldn't have?*

Adrian suddenly released me, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. I got carried away."

"It's fine," I said. "Do I really look that much like my sister?"

He glanced at my smile and quickly looked away.′′Don't do that. That smile... it's exactly like hers. I can't tell if you're the same person or not."

"I wasn't thinking straight earlier. Don't take what I said seriously."

"I won't," I assured him. "But tell me - what was the reaI reason you sent my sister to a psychiatric hospital?"

His back went rigid. His face turned pale. The car fell silent except for Ethan's movements as he drove.

After what felt like forever, I tried again. "Brother-in-law, I know there's more to this story. If you don't tell me, I'll find out from someone else.Wouldn't you rather Ihear it from you?"

His hands clenched into fists. He kept his back to me,eyes closed.

Finally, he sighed. "Audrey, I'm not ready to explain everything yet. But understand this - no one loved Evelyn more than I did. Not her biological parents, not her adoptive parents. No one."

"Everything I did was for her own good. That was true when she was alive, and it's true now."

He turned to face me. The afternoon sun through the window made his blue eyes glow unnaturally bright.

"I'll always love Evelyn, even after death. As her sister, I hope you'll trust me unconditionally. Evelyn cared deeply about you - I know that better

than anyone. After her death, I consider myself your family. I'll take care of you."

The car pulled up to the hotel.

"I need a cigarette," Adrian muttered,getting out.

I watched him walk to the smoking area and light up.

Ethan whistled low. "Mr. Knox is... not what I expected. The way he defends you, even against Blake... I thought maybe he had feelings for you."

I scoffed. "If he likes me, it's only because I have my sister's face.He's not seeing me -he's seeing her replacement."

"I'm not Rachel Hayes. I won't be anyone's stand-in. Besides, he's my sister's husband. Nothing would happen between us out of respect for her."

Ethan frowned at his phone. "But you're trending as New York's favorite couple. You've even overshadowed Rachel and Blake's wedding in a few days-"

He stopped mid-sentence,staring at his screen.

I looked over. The trending topics about Adrian and me had vanished,replaced by:

[Evelyn Knox plagiarizing dead sister's work, character bankruptcy!]

[Stealing sister's designs: Sisterly love or profit grab?]

I grabbed my phone. finding the news immediately. It claimed my new Q elegant designs were 70% similar to Audrey Sinclair's unpublished drafts.

I'd been so busy rebuilding the company and my health that I'd lacked creative inspiration. I'd drawn from my old designs - minor sketches I'd made for fun, never publicly released.

But someone had reported plagiarism with evidence downloaded directly from my backup cloud drive - something only Rachel Hayes and I had access to.

"These photos are crystal clear," Ethan observed, frowning. "Definitely not secretly taken."

"Audrey,do you think Blake somehow got these drafts?"

I shook my head with a bitter smile."Not him. I know exactly who leaked those photos. And I know who's gunning for me."

"I'll handle it. Don't worry."

I stepped out of the car, closing the door behind me.

What happened next caught me completely off guard.

"Plagiarizing thief! You deserve to rot!" The scream came from behind me.followed immediately by something wet and heavy smacking against my head.

The smell hit me before I could process what had happened. A rotten egg.Putrid yolk dripped down my hair onto my face and shoulders,soaking into my blouse.

"Bulls-eye!" A chorus of laughter erupted."Look at Little Miss Designer now!"

I wiped slime from my eyes to see a heavy-set young woman surrounded

by a pack of girls with tattoos and mean smlles.

"Thought you could steal your dead sister's designs and nobody would notice?" She stepped forward, her voice dropping to a snarl."You're disgusting."

"You humillated your own parents on live TV," another chimed in.

"Family means nothing to you - just a stepping stone."

"Heartless bitch!"

They had phones out - recording, live-streaming my humiliation.One held a bag that clearly contained more ammunition.

The girl with the bag hurried forward, offering another egg to the ringleader. "She's not even sorry. Look at her face!"

The heavy girl grabbed the egg, eyes locked on mine. "Still proud of yourself?"

She pulled her arm back to throw. I braced myself.

In a blur of movement, someone crashed into me, pressing me against the car and covering me with their body. At the same time, another figure lunged at my attacker.

I heard a splat followed by choking and retching.

From what little I could see, the second person had somehow forced the egg into the girl's mouth. She was on her knees now, violently throwing up.

Pressed against the car, all I could see was darkness, but I didn't need to see his face. That scent, that warmth - I'd recognize it immediately.

"Blake," I muttered. pushing against his chest. "You can let go now."