Chapter 274

Evangeline noticed Walter first and gestured toward the dining table. "Two more dishes to go, but they'll be ready in a moment. Just hang tight a little longer."

She looked like a devoted wife, so at ease with cooking and waiting for her husband to return from work that Walter felt like this had always been their routine.

"Sure."

He was about to take a seat when Evangeline, with a touch of shyness, said, "Oh, I forgot to mention, you might want to wash your hands before we eat. It's just cleaner that way."

Walter had beelined for the kitchen as soon as he got home, not pausing to wash up. Her gentle nudge took him back to his childhood—those days of playing hard and rushing home, only to be caught by his mom before he could attack the dinner table, all because he had not washed his hands.

This time, it was not his mom's caring scold he faced, but his dear wife, Evangeline. A wave of warmth washed over him, and he struggled to find the words for how he felt. Her name, Evangeline, s