Eve tapped a finger on the edge of the trellis as she sat in the window niche to see the mansion grounds covered by snow.It had been almost six hours since the last maid knocked on her door.After Axel tries to enter by opening the door with his key, he does not send a maid to persuade her as if he knew that whatever he did would not get her to open the door and take her food.Well, at least she could feel a sense of calm for a few hours, even though she knew it wouldn't last long. In the end, she knew that she still had to get out of there and... face everyone.Her stomach was hungry, and she knew that she couldn't hold it in anymore.Throughout the day and into the night, she only survived because of the water in her room, and she knew that water would not be enough for her hunger. Not just her own stomach but also the baby in her belly.If she lived alone, she would have preferred to sleep in her bed and ignore her hunger. In her entire life, she never felt hungry because her fami
Eve woke up earlier than usual because she was tired of lying in bed after being locked up in her room all day.The first thing she did when she woke up was to run to the bathroom and finish her schedule there—puking her guts out.She was hesitant to open the door to her room, but she was curious about what might be waiting for her at the door after she found someone sleeping in a chair facing her door last night.Eve found herself exhaling with a little disappointment when she didn't find anyone there.Wait, she was disappointed? Is she saying that she expected to find Axel sitting in a chair facing her door all night?Wow, what other selfishness had suddenly popped into her stupid head?"Do you want me to get you some warm water?" Cassy asked when she saw her appear in front of the back room door.Cassy was surprised, but Eve was grateful that she was understanding of her situation and chose to keep her question to herself because she knew that Eve would probably feel uncomfortable
Waking up early, preparing breakfast, and driving to the hospital is the morning routine that always greets Eve when she wakes up in her apartment. She has been doing it for the past two years and has never minded the pleasant routine.Eve had never prepared her own breakfast since she was a child because the maid would always do it before she woke up. Someone had already prepared the clothes she would wear to school, and the driver was ready with the car that would take her whenever she walked out of the mansion's door. However, she changed her habits after she went to college and then worked in Seattle. Being away from her parents meant she had to start a new life with a new routine where she was in control of her life without the help of the people her parents had always provided to help her since she was a child.She started a new habit, and she was not a difficult person to adapt to. When she first came to her college dorm, she was a bit surprised by the lives of her friends, but
Eve couldn't hide her surprise when she saw Axel sitting on the side seat—with a glass of wine, champagne, or something else. She doesn't know. She didn't know the difference between the alcohol Axel usually drank at the dinner table. But... wait a minute, what was Axel there for?"I feel like I'm picking up my girlfriend, who's busy working, while I'm an unemployed bastard who prefers to drink alcohol in the afternoon," Axel said as he put down his glass.Eve blinked, but in the end, she still stepped into the car and let the bodyguard close the door. She turned around and found that Anthony got into the car behind her."How was work?"Eve turned her head and looked at Axel with furrowed brows.She... couldn't explain how complicated her relationship with Axel was.They got to know each other when they were in junior high school. They lost touch for years, but they reunited in a surprising way.After everything that had happened over the past two weeks, how could Axel now sit next to
"You called your mom this afternoon?"Eve looked up when Axel started the conversation at the dinner table.They'd spent the whole afternoon at the stables, but Axel hadn't talked about her phone call that he'd heard part of. So now he wanted to talk about it as if they were a couple who always shared stories at the dinner table?"Can't I do that?""Why not?" Axel frowned.Eve shrugged, and then she reached out to cut into the apple pie the maid had made.She doesn't know if it's just her feelings or if it's true, but the waiter never misses apple pie at dinner time, and she can't help but say that she really likes her dinner time these days."Your parents still live in New York?""Yes." She nodded her head."What about siblings? Do you have any siblings? A brother or maybe a sister?""I'm an only child, so I don't have any siblings. I'm not close with my cousins either, so... it's just me in my house."Axel looked at her intently, then a moment later nodded his head as if he was sati
Eve spent the whole morning reading the book Axel gave her last night.She honestly felt silly when she realized that she actually slept after Axel left her room. Then she set aside her morning and afternoon to read the book like he said before going to work in the afternoon since she had the night shift.Unfortunately, her work was overwhelming, and she was glad not to bring her book to the hospital. She would work through the night and come home in the morning to pick up the book where she left off.She doesn't know where Axel got the book from. In fact, she was a bit surprised to find that there was a folded part of the page, which meant that someone must have read it before."Eve I'm going to buy dinner with Daxton. Is there anything you want?"Eve looked up from the long report on her desk as Kaira appeared behind the door of her room in a casual outfit different from her work clothes.It was late and of course Kaira's shift was over. However, she chose to stay at the hospital be
Ever since she was a little girl, Eve was used to going out with a bodyguard who would follow her wherever she went.Her father wasn't one who restricted her social life and freedom, but of course, he was worried because New York paparazzi often did crazy things just to get a story that... wasn't important at all.As the daughter of someone influential in Hollywood, Eve also had to get used to all the public scrutiny that often criticized her even though she was not a public figure.Her father always made sure she was safe wherever she went, and everyone worried about her whenever she chose to shut herself in her room after a short walk exploring New York City as 'Evangeline', the daughter of a rich man who led the Hollywood industry. Their criticism often made her moody, so her parents became increasingly obsessed with keeping her safe and private.Since moving to Seattle, Eve has found the peace she always wanted.Here, she doesn't have to go with a driver and sigh in exasperation e
Eve could feel Axel's hand gently rubbing her back as she lay with her back to him. Her eyes weren't closed, but Eve couldn't see anything because Axel had turned off the room lights a few minutes ago.Right after Axel finished their first, he carried her to the bathroom and cleaned her up. She soaked in the bathtub for a while, and Axel actually helped her clean her body even though she knew that... he didn't know anything yet.Axel poured the soap into his palm and rubbed it all over her skin.Eve resisted at first. Of course, she did. However, something in her heart convinced her that she... needed all of that, too. She still needed Axel's hands to wash away all the disgusting traces on her body.Axel did it very gently—touching her carefully as if he was afraid that his fingernails might hurt her skin that was flushed from soaking in the warm water.He didn't know how to adjust the water for the bath, so Eve could deduce tha