Chapter 80
Evangeline had no idea what was happening outside her door.
She returned to her bedroom and slipped into the evening gown Glenn had brought over. The dress was a brilliant, fiery red, bold in design–exactly the kind of style she used to love.
But after marrying into the Fawkes family, everything changed. Helena, her mother–in–law, found such styles flashy and inappropriate. She’d made her disapproval known more than once, insisting a Fawkes daughter–in–law should be gentle, demure, never so ostentatious.
If this had been years ago, Evangeline would have ignored her without a second thought.
As a girl, she’d reveled in standing out. She loved the thrill of racing, the challenge of rock climbing–anything that made her feel alive. Back then, she could be reckless, knowing her mother always had her back, and the Whitmore family would fix any mess she made.
But after her mother died, there was no one left behind her.
The Fawkes house never felt like home, and the Whitmores were no longer her safety net. She learned to protect herself by wearing a mask.
If Helena didn’t like something, Evangeline would change it to please her. As time went on, her dresses grew plainer, more subdued.
Soren had teased her about it more than once–mocking her taste, saying she was hopelessly dull both in style and personality.
She never argued back, but the words stung.
Now, seeing her reflection in the mirror–so vivid, so alive–her feelings were tangled and complicated.
The daring design hugged her slender waist, the flaming red made her fair skin seem almost translucent, impossibly delicate.
Evangeline gazed at her reflection, slowly raising her hand. The woman in the mirror did the same. Their hands met at the glass, as if.reaching for each other across the long, unbridgeable distance of time.
Glenn had been waiting outside the door for a while….
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Chapter 80
movement inside.
Evangeline cracked the door open and peeked out, relaxing only when she saw it was just Glenn standing there.
“What’s up?” Glenn noticed her awkward expression.
“Could you come in for a second?” she asked, a little embarrassed.
Glenn stepped inside and found Evangeline awkwardly twisting her body–one hand reaching behind her back, the other stretching over her head, both trying to meet in the same spot.
“I need your help. I got my hair caught in the zipper while changing,” she said with a helpless little sigh.
Honestly, she thought she’d tied her hair up neatly before changing. There hadn’t been any issues at first, but as she slipped out of the dress, she hadn’t noticed a stray lock slipping free. When she put her own clothes back on, she realized something was wrong. She tried to fix it herself, but only made it worse–the more she fiddled, the tighter it got.
Since the hair had tangled midway through, even cutting it wouldn’t help now.
She had no choice but to call for Glenn.
He didn’t hesitate, stepping over to gently move the stray hair aside and carefully untangle it from the zipper. Then, he pinched the zipper, giving it a slight tug to make sure no hair was caught.
Just as he was about to zip her dress back up, his gaze lingered–drawn to the elegant line of her collarbone, the smooth, pale skin of her neck.
His throat tightened. His breath came a little faster.
He realized his lips had gone dry.
Unbidden, the words of the agent from earlier echoed in his mind: “Maybe she’s liked you all along. Don’t chicken out… feelings have to be nurtured…”
Glenn never lied to himself about what he wanted.
He knew the truth: he’d come back to this country for Evangeline. Even after he left,
he kept tabs on her, aware of everything Soren had done.
So the moment he heard from his lawyer that she was getting divorced, he contacted her without a second’s hesitation.
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He understood Evangeline’s feelings for Soren wouldn’t vanish overnight. He was ready to stay by her side, ready to pull her out of the darkness–no matter how long
it took.
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