It took a lot of effort to calm her mother down. She finally got her to leave without worry. Evelyn let out a sigh of relief. The afternoon had felt chaotic, like a storm had swept through. She never expected her mother to overhear her conversation with Grace. That caught her completely off guard. Luckily, she managed to steady herself and convince her mother in the end. She didn’t tell her mother the whole truth. She wanted to handle this with Alexander alone. She didn’t want anyone else interfering and making things messy. Honestly, she didn’t even want to influence Alexander’s thoughts or decisions. What she said to her mother was how she truly felt. She didn’t want to live in confusion anymore. But she also didn’t want to ruin her relationship with Alexander on a whim. So she hoped to resolve this matter cleanly. No complications.
Alexander came home from work. He handed his coat and briefcase to Lily. Then he walked over to Evelyn and sat down. “Mom came by this afternoon?” “Yes, she brought some food,” Evelyn replied. She didn’t mention what happened that afternoon. “Did you eat more?” Alexander asked. “Did you call her and ask her to come?” Evelyn looked at him. “You haven’t had much appetite lately, so I asked your mother for help,” Alexander explained. “My appetite is fine. I just eat several small meals a day. On average, I eat less each time,” Evelyn said. “You’re eating for two now. You need to eat more than before. Tell Lily what you want, or if you crave something from outside, have her buy it. Eat as much as you can,” Alexander said. “I know. I’ll tell Lily. Don’t worry about me,” Evelyn blinked. “Evelyn, you’re the only one I worry about now,” Alexander said, his eyes fixed on her. Evelyn looked away. Then she spoke lightly. “Grace called me this afternoon.” “Oh?” Alexander said. “Don’t you want to know what she said?” “What did she say?” Evelyn stared at him. He just kept talking, like he didn’t care. “She explained what happened that night. She didn’t want me to misunderstand you.” “You wouldn’t misunderstand me. I know that,” Alexander said. “Alexander, I still mind. Both what happened that day and her call this afternoon,” Evelyn said, meeting his eyes. “I won’t meet her alone again. And I won’t hide anything from you in the future,” Alexander promised. “You misunderstood. I don’t need your promises or guarantees.” “I know. But these are things I want you to know. I don’t want outsiders to affect us. I don’t want these trivial things to upset you or the baby,” Alexander continued. Evelyn said nothing more. She looked away and kept knitting her scarf.
After dinner, Alexander walked with Evelyn in the garden. They hadn’t walked long when Alexander’s phone rang. His eyebrows furrowed immediately. Evelyn asked after he hung up. “What’s wrong?” “It was my third sister,” Alexander said. “What did she say?” Evelyn’s heart tightened for no reason. “She asked me to meet and talk about something.” “What about?” “I don’t know yet. I’ll find out after I meet her,” Alexander said. “Don’t go, okay?” Evelyn blurted out. She immediately felt stupid for saying that. She shut her mouth. “Nothing bad will happen. I’ll be back soon. Let Lily stay with you,” Alexander said. He called for Lily. Evelyn wanted to say no, that she’d just go back and rest. But Alexander had already called Lily. So she gave up. After the call, Alexander tried to reassure her. “My third sister probably can’t save face and wants to apologize to Mom. She’s coming to discuss it with me. Nothing bad will happen. Don’t worry.” Evelyn nodded. She didn’t say anything more. She knew Alexander would handle it properly.
Once Lily arrived, Alexander left for his meeting. Evelyn felt a little uneasy. But she told herself she was just scaring herself. Nothing would happen. “Ma’am, are you okay?” Lily asked, watching her closely. Evelyn turned to her and forced a smile. “Nothing. Maybe I’m just tired from walking.” “Ma’am, let’s sit in the pavilion for a while and rest,” Lily suggested. Evelyn nodded. She walked to a chair in the pavilion and sat down. After sitting for a while, she realized she’d just be overthinking if she went back to Sterling Manor. She might as well use this time to visit her sister-in-law. So she told Lily she wanted to go to Rose Garden Villa. Lily accompanied her there. “Hattie, is the lady resting?” Lily asked when they arrived. “Not yet! Hello, ma’am,” Hattie said, greeting Evelyn. Evelyn nodded. “I’ve come to see my sister-in-law.” “Please come in, ma’am.” After entering the living room, Hattie announced the young lady’s arrival. Isabella looked up and saw Evelyn. A smile spread across her face. She asked Evelyn to sit down. Evelyn sat in the chair opposite her sister-in-law. They started chatting. “I wanted to visit you a few days ago, but you weren’t home. Then I got busy and only made it now.” “That’s fine. I know you’re busy,” Isabella replied with a smile. Evelyn didn’t know if her sister-in-law remembered she wasn’t working anymore. She didn’t bother to explain. She figured it didn’t matter. “Hasn’t Alexander finished work yet?” Isabella asked, pushing a fruit basket toward Evelyn. “He’s off work. He just went out,” Evelyn answered honestly. “Oh, he’s always so busy. Evelyn, eat some fruit. Eat more. It’ll be good for you and the baby’s skin,” Isabella said. Just then, Hattie said she’d bring more fruit and cake. “Sister-in-law, you have plenty here. You don’t need to bring more,” Evelyn said quickly. “It’s nothing. It’s all for you,” Isabella said with a smile. Evelyn was deeply touched. “How’s your body lately? Are you feeling well?” Isabella continued. “Everything’s fine. I just get sleepy.” “That’s okay. Sleep more if you need to. You don’t have to work now, anyway. By the way, you’re not working anymore, right?” “I resigned.” “Good. Focus on resting at home. It won’t be so hard,” Isabella nodded. Hattie washed another basket of fruit and prepared two plates of cake. Isabella kept urging Evelyn to eat more. Evelyn felt a little overwhelmed. “I won’t be polite, sister-in-law. Please don’t be polite to me either.”