Chapter 19 Tristan lowered his gaze, his voice low and hoarse. "No matter what you say, it won't help-I can't get anywhere near her." After hanging up, he still went home that night. The moment Hillary saw him, she rushed into his arms. He wanted to push her away, but because she was pregnant, he only held her half-heartedly. Not long after, the doorbell rang. The butler handed over a packet of papers and a small box. The papers were a notice for Hillary's second-trial hearing. She glanced at it and flew into a frenzy, clutching it and tearing it to pieces. "I didn't do anything! That bitch Meredith-how dare she slander me!" As Tristan stood up to speak, he accidentally knocked the box to the floor. Its contents spilled out across the carpet. While crouching to gather the scattered things, his hand brushed against a voice recorder. His fingers trembled as he pressed play. A vicious, unmistakable voice filled the room-it was Hillary's voice. Are you sure the woman up ahead is Meredith's mother?" Definitely." Good. I'll pretend I ran into her by accident and act pitifully in front of Tristan. Once he's vrapped around me, there's no way Meredith won't divorce him..." Hillary went pale as paper and lunged for the recorder. No-don't listen! It's fake! Tristan, you have to believe me!" she sobbed. Tristan stepped back away from her and listened through the entire clip. Then he pulled out nore files: chat logs showing how she'd instructed her brother to forge medical student credentials, messages about increasing anesthesia dosage. Piece by piece, the dam collapsed. Her body went limp on the floor; she shook uncontrollably. Tristan's face grew darker with each new piece of evidence Didn't you say it was an accident?" His voice came out as a low growl through clenched teeth. You told me her mother ran into you. You swore your brother was the best student at his school!" No... it's not true, Tristan. It's all fake. That woman slandered me... She crawled to him on her knees, clutching his thigh. " 'I didn't lie to you. You know me-I'm timid. How could I ever dare to lie to you?" 'In front of ironclad evidence, you're still going to argue?" Seeing that weakness wouldn't work, Hillary's eyes turned cold. She rose slowly to her feet, looking at him dead in the eye. "So what if I did it? You had your part in this, too." He tightened his fists. "Don't drag me into this." She laughed, a bitter, wet sound, wiping tears from her face with the back of her hand. "Everything I did was because of you. If you'd been firmer back then, I would already be Mrs. Palmer. You promised you'd only marry me-then not long after I had my accident, you went and married Meredith. Do you think that's fair?" She jabbed a finger at him. "That old woman still had a breath left after I hit her-you insisted on hiring every emergency doctor, so she'd miss her chance to live. And don't pretend you don't remember: you put my brother where he is. In the end, you and I are both killers. Nobody gets to wash their hands of this." Tristan opened his mouth but no words came. He had indulged her for so long-he had helped cover things, appeased her-but he had never imagined it would spiral like this. He hadn't meant for any of it to go that far... Seeing the panic flicker across his face, Hillary sneered. Now there's no turning back for either of us. We're tied together on the same rope-I keep my ›lace as Mrs. Palmer, and you keep everything you have. You don't want everything to go up ir lames, do you?" Her meaning hung in the air like a threat: keep me protected, or you'll lose everything too.