Chapter 121

Evelyn placed her phone face down on the marble tabletop.

Her throat tightened unexpectedly. She reached for the bowl of soup Lucas had handed her earlier. Lucas rapped his knuckles against the wood surface.

"Seriously?" His voice carried across the dining table. "You two think we don't notice your secret texting?"

Evelyn's pulse quickened. Dominic had that dangerous glint in his eyes - the one that usually preceded some outrageous declaration. "We're finished eating," she blurted out. "We should be going."

Lucas smirked. "Yeah, we're stuffed too. Stuffed from watching your little lovefest."

Eleanor Blackwood arrived at the Blackwood estate in a flurry of panic after hearing about the assassination attempt on her son.

Her expression hardened when she saw Evelyn standing in the foyer.

"Miss Thorne threw herself in front of Mr. Blackwood when that car came at them," the security detail reported. "Wrapped her whole body around him like a human shield."

The bodyguard shifted his weight. "If we hadn't disabled the vehicle, it would've plowed right through them both. Miss Thorne would've taken the full impact. Might've given Mr. Blackwood a fighting chance though."

Eleanor's knuckles turned white as gruesome scenarios played across her mind.

"We haven't eaten yet, Mother," Dominic interjected smoothly. "We were just about to have dinner."

Eleanor blinked. "Of course. You should eat. I'll... I'll be on my way soon."

The icy resentment she'd harbored toward Evelyn began to thaw.

True character reveals itself in moments of crisis.

Evelyn hadn't hesitated to put herself between Dominic and certain death.

If that wasn't love, Eleanor didn't know what was.

After dinner, Dominic and Evelyn stepped into the grand hallway.

Evelyn was calculating her escape route when Eleanor's voice stopped her.

"I know how to judge a person's character, Evelyn." Eleanor rose from the velvet settee. "Thank you. For tonight." She took an uncharacteristic step forward. "Let's put the past behind us. Treat my son well, and we'll have no problems. He's my only concern."

Evelyn stiffened at the unexpected olive branch.

After an awkward beat, she managed, "You should... you should get some rest."

Eleanor nodded. "Both of you should retire as well."

The heavy front door clicked shut behind Eleanor, leaving oppressive silence in its wake.

Evelyn's ballet flats suddenly felt glued to the Persian rug.

Going upstairs with Dominic now would be... problematic. But what plausible excuse could she give?

He'd made his birthday wish perfectly clear - her presence in his home tonight.

Would leaving now crush him?

"I took everything with me last time," she began hesitantly.

Dominic cut her off. "Wear something of mine." His tone brooked no argument. "We'll have your clothes cleaned by morning."

Evelyn chewed her lower lip.

"Unless you'd rather leave?" Dominic's gaze turned challenging. "I can have the car brought around."

Evelyn swallowed hard. His calm delivery somehow made the words cut deeper.

Just then, Mrs. Wilkins materialized from the shadows. "Actually, Miss Thorne, we found some of your belongings in the laundry. Let me fetch them for you."

Evelyn's last escape route evaporated.

As Mrs. Wilkins disappeared down the corridor, Evelyn moved behind Dominic's wheelchair. "Birthday boys shouldn't pout," she teased, pushing him toward the elevator.

"I'm not pouting." His voice remained even. "I won't force you to stay."

"It's not that I don't want to..."

"Then what?"

Evelyn exhaled sharply. "I made such a dramatic exit last week. Coming back so soon feels... humiliating."

Dominic's lips twitched. "I wasn't there for your grand departure. If anything, your return is my humiliation, not yours."

The tension in Evelyn's shoulders eased slightly. "Who... who helps you with your nighttime routine now? Still that nurse from before?"

The elevator doors slid open on the second floor. Dominic tilted his head up, his eyes glinting with something unreadable.