This time, It took nearly three full minutes before a reply came through.
[Tomorrow night at seven.]
Evangeline replied with a simple “Okay.” Glenn didn’t message her again–she figured he was already on his flight.
She turned off her phone, thought for a moment, then swung her car around and headed back to the house.
As soon as she reached the driveway, Evangeline saw a flurry of people moving in and out, hauling suitcases and boxes.
In the midst of the commotion stood Poppy, graceful in a white summer dress, gently directing the movers. “Be careful with that one–it’s a gift from Soren and it means a lot to me.”
The others responded quickly, “Don’t worry, ma’am, we’ll take good care of it.”
Poppy nodded, making no effort to correct their use of “ma’am.”
Evangeline lingered at a distance, not too close, quietly observing the scene.
Strangely enough, she hadn’t felt this way last night, even as she signed the divorce papers. Only now did the house–her home for years–feel foreign, as if it belonged to someone else.
She didn’t move forward, but Poppy noticed her anyway. After giving a few more instructions, Poppy walked over with a gentle smile.
“Sorry about all this, Evangeline. The place I rented is being renovated–I can’t move in yet. Soren said I could stay here for a while. I hope you don’t mind?”
Her smile was warm, but Evangeline could sense the challenge and hostility flickering behind her eyes.
I
Evangeline looked at her seriously. “And if I did mind, would you actually leave?”
Poppy froze, caught off guard.
She hadn’t expected Evangeline to confront her so directly. In her experience, Evangeline’s default was always compromise; even on anniversaries, when Soren spent the day with her instead, Evangeline would pretend nothing was wrong.
Over the years, Poppy had made sure Evangeline received plenty of photos of her and Soren together, sometimes even sending messages herself to test the waters.
1/3
21/061
Evangeline had never directly responded, so Poppy assumed she’d do the sam now–back down, avold the answer.
But Poppy quickly recovered, forcing another smile. Just as she was about to reply her gaze shifted past Evangeline and landed on the tall, imposing figure behind her Her words caught in her throat.
Evangeline noticed the abrupt silence and turned, just as Soren’s cold, emotionless voice cut through the air.
“Of course she doesn’t mind,” he said. “Just like I didn’t mind you staying in the house for five years, even though you were never truly welcome.”
Soren stepped forward, moving protectively in front of Poppy, his eyes on Evangeline, hard and unyielding.
The hostility was so palpable that, for a moment, Evangeline wondered if she really was some kind of monster.
She forced a bitter smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t be here much longer–I’ll clear out and give you both some space.”
After all, they were divorced now. She was planning to move out anyway.
But Soren heard something else in her words–a provocation, a ploy.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he snapped.
What did he think it meant?
They’d signed the divorce agreement just yesterday. She’d finalized the paperwork this morning. And already, he couldn’t wait to move another woman in.
Now he wanted to interrogate her about her intentions?
Of course she was leaving–she was giving the happy couple their home back.
But Evangeline didn’t bother spelling it out for him. If Soren wanted to play dumb, she certainly didn’t feel like explaining.
She turned away, refusing to get dragged further into their drama, and walked inside to get her things
She’d already packed most of her belongings after signing the papers last night.
The house belonged to the Fawkes family, and she’d left behind anything Soren had ever given her. In the end, five years of marriage fit neatly into a single suitcase,
Evangeline felt oddly at peace with that. If Soren had truly wanted to punish her, he
could’ve left her with nothing but debts–forced her to spend the rest of her life working for the Fawkes family. Thankfully, he hadn’t hated her that much.
As she headed upstairs without a backward glance, Soren’s frustration finally boiled over. “Evangeline, what’s with the attitude?”
In just a few days, she’d grown a spine–now she was giving him the cold shoulder? If this kept up, would she start lording it over him, too?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He stormed after her.
But when he reached the top of the stairs, Evangeline was already emerging from the bedroom, suitcase in tow.
