Chapter 5
She couldn’t help wondering–did he still care about her, even a little?
“I’m feeling better, but…”
She hesitated, unsure whether to tell him about the baby.
But Soren cut her off. “If there’s nothing else, you should head home early.”
He continued, “Poppy was in an accident. The doctor said she’s weak and needs plenty of rest and good nutrition right now. When you get home, make her some nourishing soup, something balanced–if she eats well, she’ll recover faster.”
Whatever warmth Evangeline had just felt evaporated in an instant, as if someone had dunked her in a tub of ice water.
All that concern she’d imagined from him? It was almost laughable.
Back when Soren had spiraled into drinking and self–destruction, she couldn’t stand by and watch. She’d signed up for cooking classes, spent a whole month in the kitchen making him a different meal every day, caring for him even though she’d always hated the smell of cooking oil.
She’d never expected him to be moved by it.
But she also hadn’t thought he’d take it all for granted–let alone ask her to do the
same for another woman.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
So this is what all these years of marriage amounted to a farce.
Soren could have people monitoring Poppy around the clock; if she so much as caught a cold, he’d know immediately and fly across the country in the middle of the night to take care of her.
Meanwhile, something truly serious happened to Evangeline, and to him, it was just
a trivial matter.
“Find someone else to do it,” Evangeline said quietly.
Soren replied, “Poppy’s picky. She won’t eat soup made by strangers.”
Evangeline paused.
And then she laughed–soft and hollow.
$21.00
“Soren, I’m your wife, not your mald
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He frowned, his frustration mounting.
“It means exactly what it sounds like,” she said, her voice flat. “I’m not making her
soup.
For the first time, she refused one of Soren’s rec
requests.
His frown deepened, and when he realized she was serious, impatience flashed in
his eyes.
“Evangeline, are you really getting jealous over nothing again?”
“Poppy only has me left in this world. If I don’t look after her, no one will. And don’t forget–it should’ve been her, not you. If you hadn’t married in her place, she’d be Mrs. Fawkes now.”
The words hit Evangeline like a crushing weight. Soren had said it before, and every time, it left her speechless.
Years ago, Soren’s father–head of the Fawkes family–had suffered kidney failure and needed a transplant. His blood type was rare, and in the end, only Evangeline’s mother was a match. She’d agreed to donate her kidney, but only if they promised something in return.
No one had expected complications during the surgery. Evangeline’s mother didn’t
survive.
Wins
Before she died, she of the press–that Evangeline marry
Soren.
But Soren was already in love with Poppy. The Fawkes family, under intense public scrutiny, had been forced to break them apart and announce Soren’s engagement to Evangeline.
Heartbroken, Poppy left the country.
As if that weren’t enough, when the family was sorting through Evangeline’s mother’s belongings later, they found her cancer diagnosis and a will she’d w in advance.
Everyone started to speculate–maybe Evangeline’s mother had known her days were numbered, and her real plan all along was to ensure her daughter married into the Fawkes family.
Evangeline became everyone’s scapegoat. She tried to leave, tried to refuse the marriage, but in the end, she gave in. If she’d refused, her mother’s death would
Π
Chapter 5
have been meaningless.
Every time, she told herself to just endure it a little longer.
But now, she realized, there was no longer any reason to keep enduring.
She thought, if her mother could see her now, she’d surely feel nothing but heartbreak.
“Then I’ll give Poppy her place back as Mrs. Fawkes.”
Clutching the freshly signed divorce papers, Evangeline faced Soren and said, her
voice calm and steady,
“Soren, let’s get a divorce.”
