For the next two days, Evelyn ignored Alexander completely. No matter how he tried to coax her, she treated him like he was invisible.
Then came the day Evelyn and the baby were moving back to her mother's house. Alexander seemed to think she was just going for a few days, not leaving him for good. Watching her pack, he asked, "You can't sleep in a strange bed. I'll have someone move our bed over."
"No. You're the one who can't sleep, not me." Evelyn didn't even look up.
"I really can't sleep in a strange bed." Alexander sighed.
A moment later, he asked again, "Are you only taking these clothes?"
"This is enough. I only brought two boxes when I came here."
"That's different. If you go back with just two boxes, people will think I mistreated you. You should take ten or eight boxes back to your mother's house." Alexander replied seriously.
"Alexander, you're insane!" Evelyn couldn't help but snap.
They were getting a divorce. He thought she was coming back?
"Yes, I'm afraid I'll miss you too much." Alexander actually agreed with her.
Evelyn was stunned for a second, then rolled her eyes. She zipped up her suitcase and locked the code lock.
"Do you have a bigger suitcase?" Alexander asked again.
"I've already packed. Why would I need a bigger one?" Evelyn replied.
"To pack me in too." Alexander said with a smile.
"..." Evelyn chose to pretend she didn't hear him. Finally, she changed the subject. "Don't you have work today?"
"My only task today is to take you and the baby back to your mother's house."
"I'll go check if the baby is ready. When we're all set, we can leave." Evelyn said, pulling her suitcase out of the dressing room.
She saw the bed in the bedroom was gone.
"Where's the bed?" Evelyn asked in shock.
"Moved to your house." Alexander answered calmly.
"Where will you sleep?"
"I'll sleep on the floor."
"I told you, I don't have trouble sleeping in a strange bed." Evelyn was speechless for a long time.
"Once in a while won't hurt."
"Did you really move it? Move it back right now!" Evelyn demanded.
"While you were packing your clothes, it was already moved. It's probably installed in your bedroom by now."
Evelyn was completely defeated.
After everything was packed, the driver moved her luggage to the SUV and sent it to her parents' home. Alexander took Evelyn, the baby, and the nanny to settle in.
After they were settled, Alexander didn't leave right away. Evelyn couldn't bring herself to kick him out. She was busy organizing the baby's things. After she finished with the baby's stuff, she went into her own bedroom to organize.
Sure enough, the bed from the master bedroom at Sterling Manor had been moved and installed. Even the pillows, sheets, and quilt covers were exactly the same as before.
Evelyn had no idea what Alexander was trying to do. But right now, she didn't have the energy to argue with him about it. She started to organize her things.
When she was done, Evelyn took a shower and changed her clothes. Then she went to check on the baby. The baby was still sleeping, so she didn't wake her.
She planned to go downstairs to find something to eat. But she saw Alexander sitting on the sofa in the living room, chatting with her sister's boyfriend, Caleb.
Evelyn almost blurted out, "Why haven't you gone back?" But she stopped herself. Guests were guests. She couldn't just kick him out.
She greeted Caleb and then walked into the kitchen. She saw her sister, Victoria, busy in the kitchen.
"Sis, what are you doing?" Evelyn almost thought she was seeing things. Was this a special day? Why was everyone around her acting so strange?
"Preparing dinner." Victoria glanced at her.
"Can you... cook?"
"I can't. But I can learn. Don't just stand there. Come help me figure out what's wrong with this induction cooktop."
"What's wrong with it?" Evelyn walked over and asked.
So it was dinner she was preparing, not her sister. Victoria's reasoning was simple. She was practicing now, so when she learned, she could cook.
Evelyn asked, confused, "What were you doing in the kitchen just now?"
"I was studying what I could cook for dinner."
"...What about Mom?"
"She went to square dance."
"So early? It's not even dark yet."
"There's an afternoon session too."
"..."
Before Evelyn could get over it, her sister continued, "Mom said since you were sent back by your husband, the housework is your responsibility now."
"What? What about the nanny?" Evelyn asked in dismay.
"Mom said it's hard enough for her to support one person at home. Now she has to support you and the baby. It's too stressful, so she fired the nanny. From now on, there's no nanny in this house." Victoria answered.
Evelyn couldn't help but laugh. "Sis, you can't be serious."
"I'm serious. The nanny quit yesterday. Mom said since you can't live a good life, you can come home and suffer."
"Oh..." Evelyn was silent for a long time. She kept cutting vegetables and preparing dinner. She wasn't working yet. Doing some housework at home was nothing.
Finally, she prepared a table of food and called the family to eat. But during dinner, her mother criticized her for everything. She said the dishes were either overcooked or too salty. She said Alexander had spoiled her too much and turned her into a waste.
Evelyn lowered her head in embarrassment, wishing she could disappear. Her mother didn't stop. Once she started, she completely humiliated her.
"No—" Caleb started to defend Evelyn, but Victoria kicked him hard under the table. He turned to look at her, saw the warning in her eyes, and bowed his head to keep eating.
"Mom, I've troubled you to take care of Evelyn for a while. She's really clueless. I'm worried that if I'm not around, she won't even be able to eat well." Alexander spoke up.
"Don't worry. Evelyn will be in charge of the housework from now on. She'll eat when she's hungry." Amelia said.
Evelyn had a black line on her forehead. She felt like Alexander and her mother were discussing a pig, not her. She had to bow her head and continue eating, pretending she didn't hear anything.
At that moment, Alexander put a peeled shrimp into her bowl. She habitually picked it up and ate it.
"You see? She can't even peel a shrimp now. You have to help her. You spoil her like this, and she doesn't appreciate it. She just gets more and more willful and reckless." Amelia continued to scold.
"Mom—" Evelyn looked at her mother awkwardly.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to wait on you." Amelia didn't respond well.
"..." Evelyn was speechless for a long time.
After dinner, Alexander didn't stay long. He asked his in-laws to take care of Evelyn and the baby, then he left.