"I didn't think it through back then. The situation was urgent, and I was the only one with type O blood," Evie explained.
"But when you think about it now, it still stings. No wonder you're upset. If it were me, I'd hold a grudge too," Charlie replied.
"Maybe that was the spark. Later, whenever something involved Grace, it bothered me a lot," Evie sighed.
"Now I get why you're so set on divorce. Whenever you're around her, you become invisible. No one could tolerate that," Charlie murmured.
"So I thought long and hard before making this decision. It wasn't easy."
"Evie, I don't know if supporting you will hurt you in the end. After all, Alexander has a lot going for him. It's tempting. If you don't want him, plenty of others are lining up. I think you should observe him for a while longer. If he can't change, then you can leave him. If you want the baby, I'll raise it with you. If you don't, the baby will have a good life at home anyway. Don't worry. You just need to think about yourself and what you truly want," Charlie said, looking at Evie in the mirror.
Evie nodded and thanked her sincerely. "Thank you, Charlie."
"Come on, what's there to thank me for?" Charlie rolled her eyes, then forked a piece of fried meat into her mouth and chewed hard.
Evie laughed and continued eating.
Many things are both complicated and simple. The key is letting go.
She spent the whole afternoon shopping with Charlie and ate a lot.
With a full stomach, Evie returned to Sterling Manor.
She could have kept strolling, but she missed her baby and couldn't eat anymore, so she stopped.
When Charlie dropped her off, she cheered her up, saying she would support whatever decision Evie made.
Evie nodded with a smile, watched Charlie's car leave, then turned and walked toward Sterling Manor.
As she walked, she heard voices around the corner ahead.
"I heard she seduced the master before and was kicked out by the old lady."
"No, isn't she the nurse for the fourth young master? It seems the fourth young master always got along well with her. No, she belongs to the fourth young master—"
"No, the fourth young master was born abroad by the old lady, but the old lady didn't have any milk. She just gave birth and came to take care of the family. The old lady asked her to take the fourth young master."
Evie couldn't listen anymore and coughed.
The two people at the corner were startled by the sound. They looked at each other and hurried away.
Evie walked around the corner and saw no one. She figured the gossipers had left, so she didn't pursue it.
She just wondered if the person they mentioned was Iris.
With that doubt, Evie headed to Sterling Manor.
As soon as she reached the door, she met Lily. Lily bought a pass and said to her, "Ma'am, do you know who's here?"
"Who?" Evie asked.
"It's Iris. She's the one who raised the young master!" Lily said excitedly.
"Iris is here!" Evie said in surprise. She followed Lily into the room and saw Iris in the kitchen. She called out, "Iris!"
Iris turned her head and saw Evie. Her serious face relaxed into a smile. She said, "Evie, you're back!"
"Iris, when did you arrive? I heard from Alexander that you weren't feeling well. Are you better now?"
"Much better. I wanted to come earlier to help with your confinement, but I wasn't well then, so I couldn't make it."
"Iris, your health is what matters. Take a rest and don't overwork yourself," Evie said quickly.
"I'm fine now. I'll cook some sesame oil chicken for you. Eat it while it's hot. It's good for women to have more sesame oil," Iris said as she stirred the pan.
"Don't tire yourself out, Iris."
"I won't get tired. This is my specialty. No one else can learn it. Lily told me you like seafood. I brought a lot for you this time. I'll cook it for you later!"
"Thank you, Iris!" Evie replied with a smile.
After Iris collected the soup, she put the sesame oil chicken on a plate and told Evie to eat it while it was hot.
"It smells wonderful, Iris. How did you know I'd be back now?" Evie took the plate, sniffed it, turned to Iris, and asked curiously.
"I didn't know. I just wanted to fry it and keep it warm until you came back. I didn't expect you to have such long legs. I was about to fry it, and you showed up," Iris replied with a smile.
"That means I have good timing. Thank you, Iris! I'll start now!" Evie said, putting down the plate and going to wash her hands.
Iris sat on one side, smiling as she watched Evie eat the sesame oil chicken she had cooked.
"The baby looks like Alexander," Iris said.
"Yes, everyone says so!" Evie raised her head and said with a smile.
"He's not full-term, so he's a bit small. We'll make up for it later. After he's with Alexander, he'll grow tall and strong," Iris continued.
Evie smiled and nodded. After eating a few pieces of chicken, she asked, "Iris, does Alexander know you're here?"
"I told him I would come if there was a boat these days, but I didn't tell him which day," Iris answered.
"When you come here, why don't you call Alexander and ask him to pick you up? That way, you don't have to take a plane or a ride. It's so tiring!"
"It's okay. Alexander is busy now. Anyway, I'll take my time. I arrived this afternoon."
Evie shook her head and explained seriously, "Iris, if you want to come here in the future, you must call Alexander as soon as you arrive. Ask him to pick you up. You're older now, so you need to be careful. Besides, even if Alexander is busy, you can ask the driver to pick you up!"
She wanted to say that if Alexander was busy, Iris could call her.
Then she thought that maybe she wouldn't be with Alexander in the future. Telling Iris that felt like writing a blank check. It was meaningless.
"Well, next time I come, I'll let Alexander know in advance," Iris nodded with a smile, looking at Evie's happy expression.
After a while, she urged Evie to eat more.
Poor Evie had just come back from eating enough, and now she had to eat Iris's sesame oil chicken.
Eating too little would waste Iris's effort.
If she ate too much, she would be too full.
If only Alexander could come back now. At least he could help her eat some.
It was a dilemma.