Chapter 7
When Janet saw that Beverly was interested, she retrieved the torn pieces of the photo and put them together so the image was complete.
She said, “I was packing Cindy’s things today when I came across a photo album. The pictures inside recorded this little girl’s growth. She has short hair, and for a split second, I thought she was Mr. Harold.”
She smiled in embarrassment, but it only made Beverly’s already pale face lose even more color.
Beverly grasped Janet’s hand. “Get me the photo album.”
Just then, Evan’s voice came from outside the room. “What do you need, honey?”
She slowly turned to look at him as he stood at the door. The warm lights and silk pajamas he wore softened his sharp features and presence. As for the suit he’d worn to the club earlier, he’d ordered a maid to throw it out as Beverly watched.
Even so, Beverly didn’t want to say any more to him than necessary. “It’s nothing.”
She swept the pieces of the torn photo from the table onto the floor, thinking of heading downstairs to get the photo album.
Unexpectedly, Evan pulled one out from behind him and handed it to her. “Is this the photo album you were looking for?”
He opened it and shot Janet a look. The latter quickly cleaned up the torn photo pieces and left the master bedroom.
Evan showed Beverly photos of the child from her birth until the current time. “This is the child that the director of the orphanage recommended we adopt. This album was only delivered a few days ago. Don’t you think she looks a little like Harry?” His eyes crinkled as he smiled, looking like a loving father.
“This is the kid that Harry mentioned earlier—the one he befriended. The children from the orphanage went to Happyland on the same day we were there.”
Beverly took the photo album, her heart softening. Cindy was so slender—she didn’t look like she’d ever had a child. Besides, there was nothing in her and Evan’s messages that mentioned a child.
Beverly told herself she’d been too paranoid earlier. Moreover, the orphanage had belonged to Elaine, and there was no way the director would lie to her. In fact, now that a charity fund was managing it, Evan had no idea of Beverly’s connection to it.
Seeing Beverly finally brighten up with a smile, Evan wrapped an arm around her shoulders and said, “If you like her, we can adopt her. She and Harry can grow up together.”
The little girl’s features were similar to Harold’s, and they’d befriended each other after meeting at the amusement park. Beverly had to admit that they seemed to be linked by fate. However, she frowned at the thought of her imminent departure and said, “I don’t plan on adopting anymore.”
“Really?” That unsettled Evan. He held Beverly’s face with both hands and scanned her worriedly. Then, he asked apprehensively, “What’s wrong? Haven’t you always wanted a daughter? Why have you changed your mind now?”
At such close distance, his handsome face filled her gaze, and she noticed a hint of perceptiveness amid his anxious eyes. “Honey, are you hiding something from me?”
After a decade together, he knew her inside and out, as if he’d carved every detail about her into his bones. Sometimes, he knew her better than she knew herself, whether it was her habits, her preferences, or her weaknesses…
Beverly remembered how he’d easily found her at the cemetery. She couldn’t let him notice anything amiss before James’ people came to pick her up. So, she said, “Harry’s too hard to rein in. I’m worried I won’t be able to raise her right if we have another child.”
She lowered her head as she remembered the photo of Harold, Evan, and Cindy snuggled together like a happy family. Feeling saddened, she avoided Evan’s eyes.
His gaze darkened, and his voice lowered to a whisper. “I’m sorry, honey. I shouldn’t have agreed to let Mom bring Cindy into our home, nor should I have let you bear the burden of raising Harry alone. I promise this won’t happen again.
“I know you’ve always wanted a daughter, so how about we meet her first? We can make other plans if you decide you don’t like her. How about that?”
Beverly gently touched the little girl’s photos, her heart clenching. Then, she made a soft sound of agreement.
Evan pulled her into his arms and lovingly caressed her hair. “You’re not allowed to secretly see doctors and take medication so you can conceive again, alright?”
Those words made Beverly’s nose prickle, and tears streamed down her face. She’d sought medical help for the past five years in hopes of getting pregnant with a girl, yet Evan had been secretly cheating on her the whole time.
She would never forgive him!
He sensed her trembling shoulders and continued to coax her. “Don’t cry, honey. It’s a good thing that we’ve found the daughter we want. The four of us will be a happy family from now on.”
Happy?
After Elaine’s death, Beverly had gone to the Gray family and fallen in love with Evan. She’d truly believed that she could be happy. However, he’d shattered her dream with his own hands.
Now, every sweet, lingering word that he uttered lashed at her, striking her already battered, broken heart. She didn’t want to hear his voice, so she shut her eyes and pretended that she wanted to sleep.
Evan climbed into bed beside her and carefully pulled her into his arms. Then, he slipped her feet, which were always cold, between his thighs to warm them up. His love and concern for her seemed to be as strong as they’d been at the very beginning, but…
Tears slipped out of Beverly’s stinging eyes.
She didn’t know how long she lay there before she heard rustling and the quiet click of the door being shut. She sat up in bed weakly and touched Evan’s side of the bed, which was still warm. Her gaze dimmed.
She kept telling herself that it no longer mattered what happened now, yet she couldn’t stop herself from following Evan’s figure to the underground garage.
She saw him in her Panamera, which was parked between rows of expensive cars. His back was to her, and he’d slipped off his silk pajama top, letting it fall to his waist.
Cindy met Beverly’s gaze through the windshield and snaked her arms around Evan’s neck. She said saucily, “I know you don’t want others to call you an unfaithful bastard—that’s why you didn’t stop Beverly from bullying me. I don’t blame you for it, okay? Be careful, babe.”
Beverly stared at them. They’d only been apart for a few hours, yet he already couldn’t control himself. He’d even been in such a hurry to have her that he’d called Cindy over to their home so they could get it on under her nose.
She recalled how they’d been entangled every night since Cindy had moved into their villa. She clutched her chest as she listened to the nauseating sounds they made, almost as if she were holding the pieces of her broken heart together.
Evan seemed to sense something and turned to look in Beverly’s direction, but no one was there. He figured he’d been imagining things and turned back to Cindy, pressing his lips to the back of her ear.
His voice was cold as he asked, “You want me to be careful? It’s obvious why you came running here when you’re injured, isn’t it? You just want me to fuck you.”
“I can’t bear to be apart from you for even a day, Evan…”
Despite her words, his response came in a low, chilling whisper, and his expression was equally dangerous. “You shouldn’t have upset her. If I catch you here again, I’ll have you fed to the dogs.”
Cindy flinched and turned back to look at him, her expression terrified. However, she thought about how he’d slept with her almost every day for the past five years. She was confident that he couldn’t bear to hurt her. He wouldn’t do anything to her just because of Beverly.
Cindy comforted herself with that and thought about the devastated look on Beverly’s face when she’d caught them earlier. It seemed to alleviate her pain.
How could someone as proud as Beverly live with Evan’s betrayal? There was no doubt that she would leave him. Once that happened, Cindy would be able to marry Evan and become the lady of the Gray household. Then, she would be able to trample all over Beverly.
…
Beverly had no idea how she got back to the bedroom. She sat on the bed throughout the night, but Evan never returned.
When they next saw each other, he was dressed in a sharp suit, and he didn’t have a hair out of place. She even smelled the crisp scent of shower gel on him.
“I had a last-minute international video conference last night. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I slept in the study after it was over,” he explained. He held her hand and asked, “Why do you look so pale?”
She didn’t push him away or answer him. Instead, she grabbed a pen with her free hand and drew a large cross over the previous day’s date. Then, she circled the day she was due to leave.
She only had 29 days to go!
Beverly said to the maids, “I want you to smash everything in this villa, especially the Panamera in the garage.”
Everything in this place made her stomach turn. She didn’t want to see any of it anymore, nor did she want to spend another second there.
The maids were surprised by Beverly’s command but still got to work without hesitation. They knew very well that she was the one who called the shots in the Gray household. No matter what she wanted to do, Evan wouldn’t object. In fact, he would go along with her.
Just then, a voice cut in, sounding furious. “Have you gone crazy?”
