Chapter 220

Hearing Glenn’s words, Evangeline—no matter how much she wanted to insist— had no choice but to let go of the idea.

He was right.

If she left Serenity City and ran into Victor, not only would she be of no help, she’d probably just be a burden.

Seeing the resignation settle over her, Glenn said gently, “Go upstairs and take care of yourself. If Tessa saw you like this, she’d be worried sick p>

It was only then that Evangeline noticed the pain from her injuries.

Glenn led her up to her room and carefully tended to her wounds.

Just as he finished and turned to leave, she reached out and tugged at the corner of his jacket.

Glenn glanced down to see Evangeline quickly pull her hand back, her unease written all over her face.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured. “Back when everything happened with Theresa… if I’d only been braver p>

He didn’t let her finish. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Glenn said softly. “You did everything you could p>

She’d barely had time to mourn her mother before being thrust into the chaos of the will, the attacks from the Lockridges, and the relentless gossip swirling around her. Even with all that crushing her, she’d still managed to pull herself together and orchestrate an airtight plan to help Theresa escape from under Victor’s nose.

It must have been hell for her.

Glenn bent down and gently tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “If anyone owes an apology, it’s me p>

If only he’d paid more attention back then-if only he’d noticed sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have had to suffer as much.

He stayed for a while longer, murmuring soft reassurances until he was sure she’d calmed down before finally leaving her to rest.

But Evangeline barely slept that night.

Every time she closed her eyes, images of Theresa flashed before her: her face drained of color, her body slick with blood. Once, she dreamed of Theresa

standing in front of her, clothes soaked, eyes hollow and distant.

“Evangeline, promise me you’ll find happiness. I have to go now p>

“No! Don’t go p>

Evangeline jolted awake, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding.

It was just a dream.

She forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves. She was just about to get out of bed when someone knocked at the door.

The sound startled her. This old house didn’t have a peephole, and it was far too early for visitors. She figured it must be news from Glenn and didn’t want to waste any time, so she hurried to open the door.

But when she swung it open, she found Soren standing on the other side.

“You?” The word slipped out before she could stop herself.

She stayed in the doorway, one hand braced against the frame, making no move to let him in.

Soren’s brow furrowed. Her reaction grated on him; what did she expect, someone else?

“If not me, then who?” His voice was cold, edged with irritation.

“No one,” Evangeline replied, not in the mood to argue. “Why are you here, Soren? If this is about my grandmother’s will or the Fawkes family shares, you’ll have to wait. I don’t have time for this right now. Next time, send a message first and we’ll set up a time to talk p>

She’d half-expected him to reach out to her last night, but after the birthday dinner, she hadn’t heard a word from him—not until now, showing up at her door at the crack of dawn.

Soren’s patience snapped at her dismissive tone. He let out a cold laugh. “No time to talk to me? But you’ve got time to wait around here for your lover p>

She’d opened the door for him quickly enough, but the moment she saw it was him, suddenly she was busy.

He took in her appearance: hair tousled from sleep, loose pajamas hanging off her slender frame, her pale face free of makeup-yet her natural beauty was undiminished.

For some reason, seeing her like this-unguarded, almost vulnerable-made her seem less distant, somehow more real.

But before he could say anything else, Evangeline caught the sneer in his voice. She cut him off, her own tone sharp, “Lover? We’re divorced, Soren. Even if I was seeing someone else, it would be entirely my business. He’d be my boyfriend, and I’d have every right to let him in p>