“How can you possibly travel with the children?” Victoria asked, completely taken aback.
“Once they’re older, they can come along!” Evelyn replied with a grin.
Later, when the twins started kindergarten, Evelyn was finally ready to enjoy her freedom. Then she got pregnant with a third child.
She was stuck at home again.
Evelyn later reflected on her past life. It felt like a cycle of school, marriage, and then endless childbearing.
Alexander summed up her life differently. He said it was about education, finding a soulmate, and living happily ever after.
Evelyn looked at him, a smile playing on her lips.
“Your summary is biased,” she said. “Mine is completely objective!”
“So, I’m an idealist, and you’re a materialist?” Alexander asked.
“Something like that!”
From then on, whenever Alexander went on a business trip or saw something he thought Evelyn would like, he bought it for her without hesitation.
Evelyn soon had a headache. She had no idea how to store all those things.
So she said to Alexander, “Please, no more gifts in the future!”
“Aren’t you a materialist?” Alexander asked.
“Huh?” Evelyn stared at him, confused. Then she remembered their old joke.
“I think receiving a gift should make you happier. Isn’t that a trait of a materialist?”
“No one twists logic like you do.” Evelyn was speechless for a long time.
But she let Alexander keep giving her gifts. She just asked him to stick to practical things. No more flowers or jewelry.
They were too troublesome to store. Besides, she could never wear such extravagant items out.
So Alexander started sending Evelyn pots and pans.
Lily Thompson eventually got married and stopped working as their housekeeper. But every time she talked about the couple, she couldn’t stop smiling. She always felt their happy life was a game of teasing, and the other was always willing to play along.
Noah Grant also got married. His bride was a primary school teacher, gentle and elegant.
Both Charlotte and Evelyn attended the wedding.
After the ceremony, Charlotte dragged Evelyn to a bar to get drunk.
Charlotte said she was finally free. Before Noah got married, even though she had tried to let go, a part of her still held onto hope.
Now, she could give up completely.
Later, Charlotte asked Evelyn, “Where is the bride better than me? Why did Noah marry her instead of me?”
Evelyn looked at Charlotte with a hint of sadness and said, “Maybe she isn’t better than you in any way. But they were destined to meet at the right time. Maybe he wanted to leave the past behind, so he chose a girl with no connection to our history. Perhaps their marriage will be happier.”
Evelyn didn’t know if she was talking to Charlotte or to herself.
Sometimes, love isn’t the most important factor in marriage. Timing is.
Come too early, and two people are still green and immature. They can’t handle feelings maturely. They are impulsive and capricious.
Come too late, and the other person already belongs to someone else. All you can do is sigh at fate’s cruel joke.
So it’s better to come neither too early nor too late.
In love, the one who gives more often gets hurt the most. That’s the most unfair part. But it’s also its magic. Because even knowing this, you can’t help yourself.
Not long after, Charlotte also got married. She married a client from her company, a Swiss man. Their relationship moved at lightning speed.
After the wedding, Charlotte and her husband settled in Switzerland.
When Charlotte came back to visit, Evelyn saw she was almost a different person.
In the past, Charlotte seemed free and optimistic on the surface, but there was always a hidden turmoil inside.
But now, from the smile in Charlotte’s eyes, Evelyn could see she was truly happy. She had finally let go of the past.
Charlotte said to her, “Before I got married, I thought I would never see anyone else, let alone marry someone else. Now I understand. I was a frog in a well.
People’s feelings change. What you once thought was a love that would last until death can sometimes be less powerful than time and life itself.
Now that I’m with Denny, I realize that life after marriage can completely change a person, including their feelings!”
“Congratulations on your new life!” Evelyn raised her juice glass.
“Thank you.” Charlotte smiled back, clinked her glass against Evelyn’s, and finished the rest of her juice.
Life is like that. You never know what tomorrow will bring. You always think you can’t survive today.
Especially those who suffer setbacks in love and life. They always think there is no hope.
But in reality, today and tomorrow can be two completely different worlds. If you don’t hold on, how will you ever know it’s possible?
Charlotte drove Evelyn back to Sterling Manor.
As Evelyn was about to get out of the car, Charlotte said with a smile, “Evelyn, when you got together with Mr. Sterling, it wasn’t a step too early or a step too late. It was at the most perfect time.”
Evelyn nodded with a smile. “You and Denny are the same.”
Charlotte laughed and nodded.
Evelyn got out of the car and waved goodbye.
Charlotte stuck her hand out the window, waved back, then turned the car around and drove away.
Evelyn entered the gate of Sterling Manor and walked towards Sterling Manor.
Thinking about her meeting with Charlotte today, she couldn’t help but feel emotional. They had both found their partners. The journey had been a little hard, but they had found each other.
Two days later, Alexander came back to Sterling Manor from work. He felt something was different about the room, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“You’re back!” Evelyn came out of the kitchen and saw Alexander.
“Wife, why does our home feel different today?” Alexander looked around.
“Yes, I rearranged it. I put away some unnecessary decorations,” Evelyn replied.
“No wonder it feels so spacious all of a sudden!” Alexander finally realized. He turned to Evelyn and asked, “Why the sudden urge to tidy up?”
“Don’t you think it feels more comfortable this way?”
“Yes, but you could have waited for the weekend when I’m not working!” Alexander said with a smile.
“Forget it. You only make a mess anyway. I’ve made some porridge. Do you want to eat now or after a bath?” Evelyn asked.
“I’ll take a bath first. I’ll go upstairs now.” Alexander nodded, then leaned down to give Evelyn a quick peck on the lips before heading upstairs.
After his bath, he went to see the children, then ate dinner, and they went for a walk in the evening.
This was the routine every day after Alexander came home.
Evelyn turned back to the kitchen to prepare the children’s dinner.
She had a busy day today. While cleaning, she had rearranged Sterling Manor and put away some unnecessary decorations. It made the living room spacious and bright, and it made people feel much more cheerful.