"Grandpa, what are you doing here?"He had just turned down Trey's invitation to come home that afternoon. How on earth did Trey find him so quickly?Minnie, caught in the middle of the grandpa-grandson showdown, finally grasped the gravity of the situation. She let out a shriek and dove under the covers, trying to hide her semi-exposed state.However, it was too late.Evangeline, who had arrived a bit late to the scene, had already caught an eye through the gap between Thomas and Trey."Grandpa, you..."She had watched Trey stagger out of the house, worried he was too frail, and had followed him upstairs. She was about to voice her concern when the scene in front of her struck her speechless.Trey spun as if he had been zapped, his face going from red-hot to ghostly pale at the sight of Evangeline.Caught completely off guard, he echoed Walter's question."Evie, what brings you here?"Evangeline gave a nervous laugh. "I saw you heading out and got worried about you, so I cam
Trey did not give a damn about Walter's pride. He snatched Walter's hand off Evangeline and took her hand in his own. "Evie, you know the score. Walter's always been a troublemaker."What was he even saying?Just because Walter was a troublemaker, he snuck off to see other women. Was Evangeline supposed to just forgive him?Was she missing something? She could not make heads or tails of Trey's words.Trey went on, "Cole told me everything. You're pregnant now, Evie. It's not just you to think about. You've got to take extra care. And don't worry about Walter the troublemaker, I've got him. I'll make sure he makes it right for you today!"Evangeline was not surprised to hear about her pregnancy; that was old news. However, she was wondering about something else.Walter was Trey's kin. What kind of explanation could he possibly offer?She figured it would probably just blow over like it always did.Honestly, she was past caring."Grandpa, don't worry about it, really. It's nothi
"Good day, Mr. Gordon." Yale greeted Trey with a bow that was all politeness. However, the iciness in his voice was unmistakable to everyone there.Yale was Evangeline's uncle, and as the head of the Foster family, he had just called Trey 'Mr. Gordon', making the family ties—or the lack thereof—abundantly clear.The polite words were just a product of good breeding.Trey was no stranger to reading between the lines, and he got the message loud and clear. His face turned a shade of dark that was downright scary.Evangeline had never seen Trey look so grim. However, with her uncles around, it was not her place to say a word.Trey stood there, getting the stink-eye from the other side, but he remained composed and stayed polite. He felt stuck, in a way, not sure what to say next.Yale could not stand to see the old guy squirm.He glanced around the room, where secrets seemed to be tumbling out like sunlight in spring, and said, "Funny how today's mess has got both our families, the
"Ahem!"Holden cleared his throat, turned, and without a second thought, spat right in Walter's face.As he walked away, he muttered under his breath, "What a loser."Holden picked up the pace, eager to catch up with Yale and Evangeline.Evangeline sat in the front passenger seat of Yale's armored limo, a spot he had picked out for her.In the back, Holden was still steaming, grumbling non-stop. "Evie, you have to listen to me this time. What's Walter even worth? After turning his back on us, we can't have anything to do with him! And the baby you're carrying? Just have it in peace, and it'll have the Foster name. After what Walter did, I can't believe that Gordon guy has the nerve to fight us for the kid!"Holden was so full of righteous anger that Evangeline felt the urge to calm him. She did not want her family getting all worked up over her problems, especially not to the point of regret. "Uncle, don't get so mad about him. Think about it differently. Walter and I are splitti
"Grandpa Cole must be worried sick by now..."Evangeline had been away from home for so long that she could not help but think that Cole must be beside himself with worry.Holden gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Relax, Evie. Yale and I had informed him you were safe as soon as we found you. He's at home right now, waiting for you to come back."The thought of going home made Evangeline's recently calmed heart race again.She could not possibly tell Cole the truth about today's chaos, and even though she had braced herself for Walter's betrayal with Minnie, it still stung when it happened.Facing Cole with all those tangled feelings would only make him worry, would it not?"Um... Uncle Yale, could you drop me off at Emerald of the Highlands instead? I... I'm not ready to face Grandpa Cole just yet."It was not that she did not want to see him. She just did not know how to explain everything without Cole seeing right through her.Holden was immediately against the idea. "Evie
If Cole had not been weighed down by age and sickness, he would have seen right through Evangeline and Walter's petty schemes in a heartbeat.Yale had to admit, he was seeing Cole's smarts in a whole new light.However, Cole was no rookie. His mind might get foggy, but he was not totally out of it.One thing was crystal clear to Yale: If Evangeline did not show up immediately, Cole's imagination would run wild.The mess unfolding before them would not hold up under the slightest poke. If Cole got wind of Walter chasing skirts while Evangeline was expecting, it would probably send him to an early grave.Thus, Yale nudged Evangeline to head home.Then again…"Evie, you're your own person now. We can't call the shots for you. Just say the word, and I'll get you wherever you need to go."We've got a half-hour till the fork in the road. No pressure—just think it over..."Yale fell silent. Holden, sharp as ever, caught on to their drift without another word.Evangeline's gaze drift
"Walter, my dear grandson, finding a mistress while your wife's expecting?"The sound of a sharp smack echoed.A cane, as if it had thorns, struck Walter's back with force. His shirt, already strained to its limits, tore open, revealing the raw, painful wounds beneath.The once pristine white shirt was then dotted with red, like tiny, delicate flowers, or perhaps like drops of blood and tears falling, creating a pattern of splattered teardrops.Walter's back was on fire, but that pain was nothing compared to the chill in his heart."Just hit me, then!" He yelled defiantly at Trey, as if he had nothing left to lose.Deep down, he thought it would be better to die at his grandfather's hand than to face the humiliation of divorcing Evangeline later.There was a saying, no? No matter how many years they had been together, if they did not have that divorce certificate, they were together for life."What are you trying to say?" Trey, having used all his strength in that last hit, too
With Evangeline not biting, Minnie turned her scheming eyes toward Trey.She silently watched like a hawk, just waiting for Trey to drop a golden chance into her lap.The moment she saw Thomas wavering with his cane, she knew it was go-time."Stop the beating!"Minnie's shout rang through the air. Without a care for her disheveled dress, she lunged onto Walter's back, acting like a human shield, while sobbing her heart out, "Mr. Gordon, it's all on me. Please, stop hitting Walter!"Trey, staring at that whirlwind of a woman, could only kick himself for being so forgetful.Walter was caught red-handed with a lady, so was not she just as guilty? How did he end up grilling his grandson and forgetting about the girl entirely?Thomas, already in a bind with Trey pushing him to take action, found him out with the wild-haired woman's sudden entrance.He glanced at Trey, his voice a mix of relief and hesitation. "Mr. Gordon, what about this...?"With a dismissive gesture, Trey signale