The Billionaire's Rental Wife Is A Hot Shot

Tears spilled from William’s eyes, his expression more sincere than the words he had just thrown at Evelyn. Though it was dark, she could see the moisture in his rare brown eyes, his eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly as he tried to control his outburst.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Evelyn asked in confusion, her voice barely above a whisper. She was terrified of where this conversation might lead. Was her worst fear coming true, or was there something even more devastating that could crush her heart further? Being swapped at birth was endurable, but being brought in to replace a dead child, to save a family’s status—that thought was unbearable.

William closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This truth should have been buried with him, which should have never seen the light of day. But Gracia was right, the truth is like hot coal stuffed in one’s mouth. You can’t hold it in, no matter how hard you try. His silence only made Evelyn more anxious, her mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"It’s true, but there’s more to it," William finally said, his eyes meeting Evelyn’s terrified gaze. His words froze her in place, a single tear slipping slowly from her eye. "I don’t know what kind of story you heard, but you were never brought in to replace her."

"Then why did you adopt me and give me her name?" Evelyn burst out, her tears flowing freely. If they had never adopted her, never brought her into their home, wouldn’t her life have been more peaceful? These two decades of suffering, William’s indifference, Sophia’s constant bullying, the hatred in his eyes for supposedly taking Gracia away—none of it would have happened.

"I didn’t deserve any of this, nor your love or your hatred," she added slowly, her every word piercing right through William’s heart.

It was true. He had misunderstood her all these years. After Gracia’s death, Evelyn had grown rebellious, her arrogance and constant fights with Sophia making him regret ever bringing her into their family. Those vile thoughts had only plagued him, especially after Charlotte left when Evelyn was barely twelve. He believed Evelyn had no care for her dead mother or their family, distancing himself from her until they became strangers.

But tonight had cleared all his misunderstandings. He realized what a jerk he had been all these years. The fact that Evelyn had started a company in Gracia’s honor, to fulfill her dreams, showed how much she cherished and still loved her Mama. It shattered all his negative assumptions about her. He thought they might have a chance to get better if he apologized and made things right. But it seemed they were going in circles again.

William sighed, feeling overwhelmed by his thoughts. He had never been good with words; Gracia had always handled that. But tonight, he had to open up his heart. Evelyn deserved to know everything, and he was determined not to lose his daughter—his little bunny—even if she wished to cut ties after hearing the truth.

"We weren’t the ones who chose you as our daughter, Evelyn," William started, confusing her even more. When her eyes met him, he continued, "It was you who chose us. You wanted us to be your parents, and you wanted Gracia to be your Mama."

Evelyn’s tears trickled down her cheeks, her emotions barely in check. His words filled her heart with pain but also sparked a glimmer of hope that maybe something good could come out of this mess.

"After that accident, Gracia was devastated, so I took her out of the city for a change. We went to your grandmother’s hometown and stayed there for a few months," William continued, a small smile tugging at his lips as if recalling better days. Evelyn waited for him to finish. "There was an orphanage, and Gracia spent most of her time with the children. She cooked for them, played with them, and tried to heal from the pain."

"And then..." William hesitated, unsure if Evelyn could handle the next part, but when she looked at him expectantly, he went on. "One night, it was raining heavily, and Gracia wanted to take warm blankets to the orphanage. As we reached the entrance gates, we found you—crying and soaking wet in a basket. We quickly brought you inside, and later, the staff discovered that your biological mother had left you there."

Evelyn’s mind froze, her heart aching as she imagined the scene. But it still didn’t explain why she had been used to replace their dead daughter.

"You were just over seven months old," William said, his voice trembling slightly with emotion. "Gracia tried to distance herself from you because you reminded her of our daughter, but you would only stop crying in her arms. You would only drink milk if she fed you and only sleep if she held you close. Within a week, you two became inseparable, and the orphanage head suggested we adopt you."

’You chose me as your Mama, baby. I will always be grateful for it.’ Evelyn recalled the times Gracia had confessed to her. Now it all made sense. But, her questions weren’t answered yet.

"We brought you to the mansion, but my mother insisted we name you Evelyn. She thought it was best, even though we objected, as we planned to tell you the truth from the start. But she wouldn’t accept you unless we agreed, so we were forced to go along with it."

Evelyn frowned, remembering a different version of the story she had heard from Reema. Wiping her tears, she said, "But I was told it was Grandma who brought me here and that you didn’t want me. You only agreed because Mama’s condition was worsening, and she desperately needed a child."

William’s eyes widened in shock, anger flooding through him. "Who told you such rubbish?" he growled. He couldn’t tolerate lies about Gracia—especially not about her mental health.

Evelyn didn’t respond, her mind spinning as she tried to make sense of everything. She had never doubted Gracia’s love, but her feelings toward William had always been conflicted. She felt like he had betrayed both her and Gracia by using her as a replacement, but now the truth seemed different. Reema had twisted the story to make her resent William more, to stop her from breaking down the walls between them. It was all making sense now, including who might be behind it.

William’s heart raced at her silence, fearing she might hate them for lying to her all these years. "Yes, we were selfish for agreeing to my mother’s plan so easily," he admitted. "But you brought happiness back into our lives, Evelyn. You were the reason Gracia started smiling again, and I’m beyond grateful for that."

When Evelyn looked at him again, William confessed, "Yes, it was wrong of me to hate you for her loss. I should never have judged you from someone else’s perspective. I’ve wronged you, and you can hate me all you want. But just remember—Gracia always loved you. She still does."

Turning toward the headstone, William added softly, "You were enough for her. She didn’t want any more kids. And she... tried to protect you until her last breath."