As she spoke, Poppy reached out and gently touched Soren’s handsome face, her eyes full of concern. “Anyone can see you’ve lost weight these past few days. Being apart must be hard for both of you, right?”
Soren paused, his thoughts drifting.
He couldn’t help but recall the image from earlier–not so long ago–of Evangeline laughing beside another man. That smile on her face flashed in his mind.
Hard for her? She seemed perfectly happy–maybe even better off.
Annoyed, Soren glanced down at his phone. Nearly three hours had passed, and Evangeline still hadn’t replied to any of his messages. The silence gnawed at him. “No one’s miserable because of her,” he muttered. “Let’s not talk about her anymore. She made her choice to leave. Whether she comes back or not, that’s up to her.”
“But…” Poppy hesitated.
“No buts. You’ve done nothing wrong–there’s no reason to apologize.”
Hearing Soren speak so firmly in her defense, Poppy felt a quiet thrill. She’d worried it would take more effort to win him over, but to her surprise, Soren had taken her side without hesitation.
Maybe Flora was right–maybe she really was still Soren’s first priority.
Sure, Soren occasionally defended Évangeline, but that was just out of habit, five years of marriage. He wasn’t really defending Evangeline herself, just the idea of Mrs. Fawkes, the woman who’d shared his home for half a decade. If it hadn’t been Evangeline, it could’ve been anyone.
But her own place in Soren’s heart? That was irreplaceable.
She hid a small smile, knowing Soren meant every word, and didn’t press the matter any further.
It was late, and Soren insisted Poppy stay at the villa for the night.
He’d planned to give her his own room and sleep in the guest room himself. But when they reached the upstairs hallway, Poppy slipped into Evangeline’s old bedroom. “Soren, you shouldn’t have to swap beds and lose sleep. I’ll stay here tonight. You can sleep in your own room.”
She added lightly, “Even if Evangeline knew, I’m sure she’d understand.”
Chapter 61
Soren almost said that Evangeline wasn’t as forgiving as Poppy imagined. If she ever found out, she’d probably be furious. But seeing Poppy already disappearing into the bedroom, he let it go.
It was only for one night, after all. No big deal.
Besides, as long as neither he nor Poppy said anything, Evangeline would never
know.
With that, Soren simply said goodnight to Poppy and went to his own room.
He normally slept well–no matter how late he got home, he’d fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. But tonight was different. His heart pounded restlessly in his chest, and a vague, uneasy feeling haunted the edges of his mind.
He tossed and turned for ages, finally drifting off in a restless haze–only to see, behind his closed eyes, the image of Evangeline being carried upstairs in another
man’s arms.
Frustrated, Soren sat up and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.
Still no reply from Evangeline.
Had she gone to sleep already?
He checked the time. It was only midnight. She never went to bed this early. Most nights, he’d come home at two or three in the morning and find her curled up on the couch, watching TV. And if he was even later, she’d sometimes be out at a bar, gently coaxing him to come home.
There was no way she’d be asleep now. Was she ignoring him on purpose? Still mad at him?
Unable to resist, Soren opened the chat window and started to type: What are you doing?
His thumb hovered over the send button. After a few seconds of hesitation, he erased the message, letter by letter.
Not this time.
Evangeline’s tricks had certainly gotten subtler, but he wouldn’t fall for them. This whole “playing hard to get” routine wouldn’t work on him.
He tossed his phone back on the nightstand and got out of bed.
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he rummaged through the medicine cabinet for a sleeping pill, swallowed one, and soon drifted into a heavy, uneasy sleep.
2/3
Chapter 61
He rarely dreamed, but tonight, for some reason, he did. And, inevitably, he dreamed of Evangeline.
