TEMPORARY MATES PERMANENT CRAVINGS novel Chapter 181

One hundred and eighty one

Evangeline POV

My eyes locked onto Cameron’s. He wore a dark frown.

“That sounds like your voice,” the counsel said, his lips curling into a smug line.

“It is. But I never confided in Desmond,” I replied, keeping my back straight against the wood of the witness stand. “I warned him to keep Cameron’s name out of his mouth.”

“About what, exactly?”

“Desmond was already ruining his relationship. I told him not to drag us into the mess.”

Desmond sank into his chair and watched me. A scoff escaped him.

Bastard.

“So you deny sharing any sensitive details?” the counsel asked.

“I deny it,” I said. I tightened my grip on the edge of the railing. “I was dealing with my own crisis at the time.”

“And what crisis was that?”

“A private health issue.”

A heavy silence followed.

“You expect this court to believe that recording is unrelated to these charges? You used the specific words’ Cameron’s infidelity.””

“I expect the court to understand how words are twisted,” I said. My voice didn’t waver. “Desmond was unstable. Nadia was trying to manage his excesses. He records private moments and edits them for effect.”

Desmond let out a dry laugh when I turned my head toward him.

“You recorded me without my knowledge. You knew exactly how to frame those words.”

The judge pounded the gavel. “Watch your tone, Lady Evangeline.”

I took a slow breath, letting the air steady my pulse.

“He wanted a weapon,” I said. “He thought he could use a stray comment to get leverage over Cameron.”

“And what did he hear that gave him that idea?”

“Nothing of substance,” I said. I looked the lawyer in the eye. “Which is why he is standing here trying to build a mountain out of dust.”

The counsel shifted his papers. “And what about Lisa?”

The air in the room seemed to vanish.

“What about her?” I asked.

I forced my voice to drop, making it soft and wounded.

“Lisa entered our home under a contract,” I said. “Since that day, the foundation of this family has cracked.

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Relationships were strained. Every decision we made was picked apart. You can trace every bit of chaos back to the moment she arrived.”

I kept my gaze fixed on the lawyer. I didn’t need to look at Cameron to know his glare was burning into the side of my face.

“You are implying she is the source of the trouble,” the counsel said.

“I am saying everything changed when she walked through the door. It was a strain my mate and I could have handled privately, but Desmond used his position as a friend to weaponize our struggle. I have nothing more to say.”

I stepped down from the stand before he could probe further.

The case was adjourned till next two weeks.

The ride home was a wall of silence. Cameron’s eyes stayed glued to the road. I sat beside him with my hands folded in my lap, counting my breaths to keep them even.

“You should have kept your mouth shut,” he said.

I turned to him, my voice small. “But, sweetie-”

“You made it worse. That was not your place.”

“I answered the questions. I didn’t lie, and my place is to protect this family.” I looked away and mumbled, “It isn’t as if I said anything false.”

“And protection includes blaming a surrogate in a public record?”

“I didn’t blame her,” I said, the annoyance bubbling up. “I pointed out the timeline.”

He stared out the window as we passed the estate gates. “I suppose I should thank you for making our private life a headline.”

“It was already a headline,” I snapped back. “Desmond saw to that. Please don’t pull away from me because of his games.”

“I don’t trust what you just did. You spoke without a single thought for the fallout.”

“I was under pressure!”

“You always are,” he said.

The words stung like a slap. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I am the only one trying to hold us together,” I said. I reached out to take his hand, but he jerked it away. My chest tightened. I knew I had to shift the momentum back to me.

“I don’t feel well,” I whispered as the car rolled to a stop. “My head… I feel sick.”

I doubled over and retched. Cameron moved instantly, his anger replaced by panic. He grabbed a plastic bag from the console and held it while I emptied my stomach. He rubbed my back with a heavy hand, coaxing me to breathe and holding my hair back from my face.

Inside the house, I let my knees buckle as we reached the stairs. He caught me in his arms before I hit the floor.

“Stay with me, please,” I gasped.

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“I’m here,” he said, his voice straining.

“Please forgive me,” I whispered, letting the tears spill over.

He carried me to the bed. His hands stayed on me, his focus locked exactly where I needed it to be. By nightfall, he hadn’t left the room. Every time he shifted toward the door, I found a reason to pull him back, a shiver, a request for water, a plea for him to stay close. He stayed.

When he finally leaned back in the armchair, his eyes drifted slut from exhaustion.

That was my opening.

I reached for the small vial hidden in the drawer beneath the table. My fingers didn’t hesitate. A few drops. Enough to strengthen the fog already clouding his mind.

I moved to the bed and touched his temple. He didn’t stir. I worked the oil into his skin with light, circular / motions. This would keep him anchored to me.

Later, while the house was quiet, my phone vibrated. I stared at the glowing screen before sliding it open.

Prepare. The child’s extraction has been moved forward. You will handle it.

The air died in my lungs.

No.

This wasn’t the plan. The baby was supposed to be lost naturally, a miscarriage, a tragedy we could explain away.

This was direct. This was murder.

I read the text again, my heart thundering.

Dominion will only be completed when the baby is extracted.

My stomach turned. I looked at Cameron, sleeping soundly under my spell. I had followed every order, prepared the way, and set the traps. But I had never spilled blood like this.

My thumb hovered over the screen. For the first time, I felt the crushing weight of what they expected me to do.

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