"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
Eve never thought that something so bad could lead her to something... she didn't know. Can she call this a good thing?She couldn't imagine anything good as she ran to her apartment and lay on the floor hugging her body—disgusted with herself, but she knew she couldn't do anything to turn back time and change things.Everything in her life had been ruined and out of control, and she wasn't sure she could make it through the day without going crazy.Something... precious had been taken from her—her dignity, her honor, and the choices she could make.Rape is the worst thing a man can do. And rape is the worst thing that an unlucky woman has to accept. Unfortunately, Eve became one of the unlucky ones after believing that her life was full of blessings and good fortune because she had always had a good life since birth.Social status, wealth, parents, and jobs do not guarantee whether a woman has security over her life.Bad things can still happen to women, and they do not have the oppo
"Is there anything else you want to bring?" Axel asked as he held up a cardboard box containing a stack of books and a few other things that Eve had deliberately put there to make it easier for them to carry.Eve looked around her room, then she shook her head briefly. "I can get my clothes next time. I think the clothes in your mansion are more than enough." She said as she looked towards the wardrobe room where she usually got ready in the morning. "By the way, where did you get all those women's clothes there? Are they the clothes of your former lover?""What the hell!" Axel laughed when he heard her question, "Didn't I ask the maid not to remove the brand tags?" He frowned.Eve turned around and hit his arm. "So you deliberately let me take off all those brand tags so I'd know they were new clothes?""Seriously! I had thought that you would make this kind of accusation against me. So, I took precautions and made you take off all the brand tags." He walked over to her after placing
"Eve," Axel called out after he stopped giving her a kiss on her back.Eve murmured softly. However, she didn't turn around and kept lying with her back to him.She didn't know how many times they had done it since the night she lost control and asked him to touch her. That night had been terrible, but Eve still remembered Axel's every touch very clearly. Then, after that, she couldn't count how many times they touched each other over the past two days.She didn't give any resistance. She... accepted Axel's every touch as if she felt that it was what she needed all along.They touched each other, and for the first time, he felt that it was the right decision she had ever made."Are you okay?" Axel's voice came back behind her.Axel's touch still made her skin crawl, but she knew that he wouldn't continue to touch her.They had had enough of what they were doing today. She had enough of that, and she also felt that... all they had done today was enough for a woman with a pregnancy at s
Eve opened her eyes, but she didn't find Axel in the bed beside her. She let out a short breath and rolled over to the side of the bed where Axel had been sleeping for the past three nights.She didn't know when this crazy feeling took over her heart, but she loved the lingering scent of Axel's body that clung to her pillow and blanket.It must have been quite daylight because she could see the bright sky behind the open window curtains. It must have been Axel who did it.Normally, she would wake up early and get ready for work. However, in the last three days, she has returned to living like an unemployed person who doesn't think about work.She was a little moody if she remembered about the hospital. If she could, she didn't want to come back there and pass by the place where... she was treated so badly. If possible, she wanted to disappear from Seattle for a while to find her courage again. However, of course, she couldn't do that.Sooner or later, she had to return to the hospital
Eve spent many years of her life thinking she might end up with the man who became her fiancé months ago. She never felt that there was anything wrong with her life or the plans she had laid out in her mind. Everything went normally, but perhaps she had to accept the fact that in her life, she not only had to face heartbreak but also witnessed a great betrayal that left a deep scar.Despite all the bad things that had happened in her life—loss, disappointment, pain, and sorrow that crushed her—he would never forget any of it. She would embrace every wound she had endured and carry it with her throughout her life, keeping a part of it alongside every happiness she might experience with the man she chose.And she was certain that happiness would be perfect if she spent it with Axel—together with all the flaws and scars they had faced together.The bright morning sun with white clouds adorning the blue sky was the best thing she could ask for on her happy day—one of the happiest days of
As Axel said last night, he had indeed been at her house since this morning. Eve had to admit that he woke up earlier and came to her house before she even had a chance to wake up.Well, her sleep was not as sound and easy as before—just as she thought last night. However, she managed to sleep by 3 AM, which was a decent achievement considering she once thought she couldn’t sleep until morning.“You always wake up late,” Axel teased her with a playful smile as he spread chocolate spread on his whole-grain bread. “You like chocolate spread, don’t you?” He asked while placing the bread on Eve’s plate.Eve knew her parents were quietly observing what Axel was doing. And it seemed they were also trying to find answers to their conversation last night—a conversation that was still not fully resolved.“The maid didn’t prepare much because Eve didn’t say you were coming for breakfast. If we had known, we would have prepared better.”“That’s not necessary at all, Mrs. Meadow. I like what’s pr
Eve still remembers every detail of the streets in New York even though it has been a long time since she visited her hometown. This place still remains a part of her life, although she realizes that another part of her life has settled in Seattle with all the complications she left behind.Her parents welcomed her as Axel's car entered the spacious yard of her family's mansion. There are a few details that are different from what she last remembered, but this place is still the mansion where she grew up from childhood to adulthood. She recalls every dream she once thought of as she walked through the mansion's yard. She remembers planning to leave her parents' mansion and live on her own—flying with her own wings.Now, she is no longer a teenage girl who carries a notebook everywhere to write down everything she wants to do. Now, she chooses to live freely—following whatever is in front of her and trying to get through each day with slow steps. Not because she has lost her dreams and
Axel seemed to have forgotten the last time he visited his parents' graves. He used to come here every time he visited New York on his birthday—exactly on the anniversary of his mother’s death. He would come with a single flower and place it on his mother's tombstone, leaving his father's grave empty because he didn’t know what flowers the man liked. After all, his father probably wouldn’t care about any flowers placed on his tombstone since the only thing that mattered to him was being reunited with his wife, Beatrice.However, this time, Axel did something different. Instead of a single red rose, he brought a large bouquet—something he clearly did not buy based on his own decision. And not just one but two bouquets with the same content and size as if they were intentionally made to be identical.“Ah, if Aunty Beatrice knew the mess Axel has made recently, I’m sure I’d see him scream in pain from pinching him. He deserves a spanking for troubling everyone,” Cailynn complained like a
Waking up early and starting her day ahead of her usual routine was highly unpleasant for Eve. If she could, she would have preferred to lie in bed all day, wrapped in her blanket. Sunlight was beginning to filter through the window, but she would have ignored it, keeping her eyes closed all day.Unfortunately, last night, she made a promise she couldn't break, and she had no intention of breaking it."Wait," Eve turned her head, somewhat confused, as Axel led her towards a helicopter parked on the mansion's helipad. "We're using a helicopter?""Do you mind?" Axel extended his hand and helped her into the helicopter, which was all black—a signature look for anything associated with Axel."I don't mind helicopters." She shrugged. "Aren't we taking Cailynn with us?" She furrowed her brow as Axel climbed in and sat next to her, closing the helicopter door."She's already there," Axel answered calmly. "We'll meet her later."Eve had no other questions to ask, so she remained silent in her
"It's funny because these horses look so excited when you come here and give them apples."Eve turned her head and saw Cassy walking towards her with a few apples in her hands, joining her in feeding the horses from a close distance."I often come here in the morning when I don't have work. However, they seem uninterested in my apples, whereas now I see them scrambling for a chance to get apples from your hand." Cassy extended her hand, and magically, none of the horses scrambled to eat the apples from her hand. "See? They really frustrate me, and I promise I won't come here to give them apples anymore," Cassy said while laughing briefly.Eve snorted and took the apples from Cassy's hand, then started feeding the horses.She didn't know how long she had this new habit of giving apples to the horses. However, she felt she liked this new habit very much. It felt delightful to see the horses in front of her finish the apples and water she provided."Winter is over. Don't you want to go h
If Axel had known that life would lead him to a complicated fate and life story, he might have chosen not to let himself get too deeply involved in a life he always called a duty. Whatever he did in his life, he only went through everything because he knew it was his duty. He never had the opportunity to make decisions, no one ever gave him a choice when Lucas decided to give him the leadership of the clan, no one ever asked if he liked his life full of dangers that always followed him, and no one knew if he wanted the life he was living. Everything that happened to him was what he could never decide. He got everything because it was destined for him—all the things he had to go through, even if he didn’t want them.Then, for the first time in his life, he let himself be immersed in his desires—something he longed for with all his heart and mind. Did he know that this desire would lead him to a life full of complexity? Did he know that the consequence of his desire was that he brought
Eve has loved silence her entire life—as far back as she can remember.She loved the quiet she found at her desk with piles of books and a pen in her hand. She loved the breeze that blew her hair as she spent the afternoon on her bedroom balcony with a cup of tea and a thick book on her lap. She cherished every quiet corner of her mansion, far from the hustle and bustle of New York and the paparazzi cameras. She appreciated the silence her parents offered because of their guilt over what New York society had done to her.Yes, Eve loved every definition of silence because it was the hardest thing to obtain throughout her life.Years passed, and she hoped she would find the silence—the peace she craved—once she moved from New York to Seattle with every dream and hope in her grasp. She had big plans and was confident they would succeed as long as she worked hard.However, time taught her many things, and now she understood that not everything she desired could be obtained with her hands
Axel glanced at the round watch on his right wrist—ensuring that everything was in order according to the calculations he had made over the past week.Midnight came, and there was a change of guards throughout the base. At that moment, the first assault would certainly proceed a bit easier due to their complacency. But what about the second assault? Of course, the second assault would be much easier if the first team had completed their mission."What are you doing here?"Axel turned his head when he heard Adeline's voice behind him.Adeline...Whatever crazy notion was in this woman's mind that led her to remove Andres and become the leader of the rebellion was hard to fathom. It was difficult to believe that this was the same woman who had saved him and brought him to the secret base—far from Andres' reach with no access to this territory.Compared to Andres, Adeline was much more terrifying.She harbored secrets and immense danger—something hidden behind her angelic face."Nothing,"