The bodyguard protecting Evelyn looked deeply concerned. His voice was firm as he issued a warning. "You should reconsider any plan to harm Mrs. Blackwood. Mr. Blackwood will not tolerate any threat to his wife."

A scornful laugh escaped Margaret. "Alexander? Powerful?" She drew out the words, her tone dripping with contempt. "He's just a worthless cripple. That's all he'll ever be."

She spoke slowly, deliberately. "Even if Alexander himself were to appear right now, it would change nothing for me."

A voice, cold as ice, sliced through the air. "Is that so?"

Margaret froze at the sound.

Alexander? How did he get here so fast?

Her eyes snapped upward, widening in shock and disbelief. Her pupils contracted sharply.

"You!"

She stared, dumbfounded, as Alexander approached. For a moment, she questioned her own sanity.

Was it really him?

He was walking toward her, flanked by his imposing bodyguards.

He wasn't in his wheelchair. He was walking.

How was this possible?

Her gaze was locked on him as he came to a halt directly in front of her.

"How can this be? Your legs..." Margaret stammered, her eyes fixed on Alexander's standing figure. "This is impossible. The doctors said you would never walk again after the accident..."

Suddenly, the truth crashed down on her.

Betrayal twisted her features. "It was all a act!" she shrieked, her voice rising with furious realization. "You've been pretending to be disabled all these years!"

Alexander remained utterly impassive in the face of her outburst.

For years, he had maintained the deception to protect his grandmother and others.

He had made a vow, driven by his profound love for Evelyn, to shield her at any cost.

Revealing his secret would have made her a target, his most obvious weakness.

But today, the facade had to end.

Evelyn's safety was paramount.

Ignoring Margaret's hysterics, Alexander's voice was dangerously calm. "Where is Evelyn?"

He had returned to Serenity Oaks, expecting Evelyn to join him for dinner as was their routine.

He waited. And waited. There was no sign of her. No calls. No messages.

A knot of dread tightened in his stomach when he discovered her phone was switched off.

His fears for her safety intensified, spurring him into action. Margaret's presence here only confirmed his worst suspicions.

"You still haven't answered my question," Margaret insisted, her dissatisfaction evident.

This wretched man had been fooling everyone.

What was his real game?

Alexander had no patience for her petty games.

"Move aside," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The defiance in his eyes ignited a smug triumph in Margaret. A mocking smile played on her lips. "Alexander, I can see you've come for your precious Evelyn." She paused, letting the tension build. "Sadly, you're too late."

Her voice was thick with venomous glee. "You should know, your beloved wife is currently in the arms of another man, and she—"

Her words were cut off abruptly.

Alexander's hand shot out, closing like a vice around her throat.