"No, not at all." Evangeline laughed it off, but it was clear she was faking it.How could she admit the humiliating thing Walter had done to her?"Just pretend I'm really tired lately and need a serious break." Evangeline grabbed a throw pillow and, pretending to play with it, used it to hide her face.Roslyn saw right through this act of evasion and felt her anger melt away, leaving only a deep concern for Evangeline. "You can rest any way you want, but you have to talk about what's going on so we can back you up, okay?""I... don't want to fight back anymore." Evangeline's gaze fell, filled with sadness.She just wanted to cut Walter out of her life for good. Alas, she knew that was a pipe dream.She had promised Cole she would make it work with Walter and have a child. How could she let him down?Hiding away was just... a temporary escape."That's not going to work."Roslyn's fists tightened with fury. Her best friend Evangeline was being tormented by a lowlife. Was she su
Roslyn's hand landed firmly on Evangeline's shoulder, her eyes blazing with resolve."Maybe we shouldn't." When push came to shove, Evangeline felt the urge to back down.Walter had made it crystal clear that she was not to step out on him while they were still married. Roslyn's advice felt like a bold challenge to that warning.It was not that she was scared of ticking Walter off; it just seemed all kinds of wrong after giving it some thought."Roslyn, I'm barely out of the wreckage of my marriage. Can't I just catch my breath for a second?"It was the raw truth. Walter had drained all her enthusiasm for anything to do with guys.Roslyn pouted. "Ever heard the one about not getting anything new until you let go of the old? Trust me, the next guy will be a total sweetheart. I'm not pushing you to leap into another marriage. But having someone new might just be the ticket to help you heal faster."She was sure Evangeline got the idea of distraction as a coping mechanism."Walter
Truth be told, the whole prayer thing was just an excuse to get out and clear their heads from all this drama."Deal! If I can score a better match, I'll ditch this crush. It's not like there's a guy shortage, right? Why should I, Roslyn, get stuck on just one dude?"The girls were on the same page in a heartbeat. They just needed to find the right time.Roslyn's phone buzzed, and with a single glance, her bubbly expression tanked."Evie, my agent's dumped more work on me, that absolute nightmare. I'm on set every day, barely sleeping four or five hours. Isn't that tough enough? I've had it; I'm going to ask the company for a new agent!"Just talking about her agent got Roslyn irritated.Evangeline was no stranger to the drama. Whenever Roslyn got mad, she would threaten to fire her agent, but she never actually went through with it. They would have their little spats, but before it was realized, they were back to being the dynamic duo at work. That was why Evangeline did not bot
Alas, work was work, and Evangeline was like family to her. Roslyn could not just focus on work and leave her friend when she needed help, right?"Time? I've got loads," blurted Evangeline without a second thought. "I've wrapped up all the company stuff, and I'm officially on vacation."In a private matter, if Roslyn had not come to her with this, Evangeline would have been climbing the walls out of sheer boredom. Seriously, if she had to spend one more day stuck in this villa, she would go stir-crazy.Writing songs needed her to be totally peaceful inside, and what better way to forget about the drama with Walter than to dive into a new project?"That's just awesome!" Roslyn was over the moon, buzzing with excitement as she hashed out the plans for her upcoming album with her manager.Dropping a new album was a huge deal for any singer, and that night, Roslyn was scooped up by her manager to get the ball rolling.After a heartfelt farewell to Roslyn, who was clearly bummed to le
The sound of someone clapping broke the silence once the song ended, making Evangeline's heart skip a beat.She turned and was startled to see who it was."Uncle Yale? What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.Yale stopped clapping and walked into her room with a smile. "I'm here to check on you."Evangeline's face had gotten so thin over the past few days that it was like all her health had just vanished. It was all Walter's fault, that jerk!Yale was seething inside, but he cared too much about Evangeline to let his anger show."Uncle Yale, have a seat." Evangeline gestured for her uncle to sit on the living room couch, then she tucked her violin away."How's everything been? Holding up okay?" Yale asked.Just a few days before, Evangeline had shown up out of the blue at the old Foster family place, looking for some alone time. She told Yale in secret that she needed a break. Yes, the company had Hank, the ever-reliable CEO, but sometimes, it still nee
In that tiny space, on that freezing night, under the flickering streetlight, Evangeline caught a glimpse of Walter's face, twisted into something dark and sinister.At that heart-stopping moment when she was penetrated, she realized she was no longer the cherished princess of the Foster family, nor the esteemed Mrs. Gordon. She felt like nothing more than a prostitute—an object at the mercy of Walter's every whim and desire, regardless of her own feelings.Why did it come to this? Why did her love for Walter drag her down to such depths?Liking someone was not wrong, and falling in love, dreaming of marriage, was not a crime.Regardless, knowing she was nothing more than an afterthought to him and still chasing after his affection like a doomed moth to a flame... that was her mistake.Uncle Yale could not fathom the storm raging in Evangeline's heart. Seeing her put on a brave face, his own heart twisted with pain."Evie, the important thing is that you have no regrets," he said
Yale's solid argument made a lot of sense, but Evangeline was not buying it.She was the darling of the Foster family, fully aware of Yale's influence and abilities. Yale had a laundry list of reasons, even playing the guilt card about harming some poor girl, but he missed the mark.If Yale was dead set on marrying a woman, he would not let her be in any danger, would he? The bottom line was that he just did not want to do it!"Well, Uncle Yale, you've got a point." Evangeline nodded, looking pensive, and Yale saw a sliver of hope for escape."Your other four uncles are around the same age, less complicated, and without my long list of enemies. Helping them find partners would be really helpful..."Yale knew he was shifting the attention to his brothers, but he did not feel the slightest bit guilty about it. As long as he could slip out of Evangeline's grip, he would hand over his four little brothers on a silver platter without a second thought.However…Evangeline's hand shot
Yale wondered who could be so rude as to ring the bell and not even wait for an answer, rushing like that.The moment he opened the door, he was taken aback by the face he saw.Standing there was someone in their trademark outfit: A vest, a miniskirt, shiny black thigh-high boots, and a long gray coat that was clearly for warmth."Why are you here?""Why are you here?"They both blurted out the same thing, eyes locked.Catching the vibe, Roslyn quickly switched it up."Where's Evie?""Where's Evie?"After the echo, Yale went full-on gentleman mode. "You first."Roslyn looked away, feeling a bit awkward. "I came to see Evie. Where is she?"She had only been gone from the villa for a few hours. Evangeline had to be around, right?Yale, finally catching on, gestured her inside and pointed the way. "She's in her room."What they did not know was that Evangeline had seen the whole thing through the lens of a phone camera.Since when did Yale and Roslyn... click so well?Yale,