Chapter 226

"Don't worry, you two." Patriarch Kingsley thumped his chest. "This household still answers to me. Evelyn, focus on your pregnancy. Do whatever you want from now on. If anyone dares interfere, they'll answer to me first!"

His blunt declaration hung heavily in the air. Even Madeline Kingsley, his wife of decades, flushed with discomfort.

Resentment coiled in her chest. Hadn't she already apologized? Why must everyone keep harping on it? Did they expect her to kneel and beg forgiveness?

Eleanor Kingsley noticed her mother-in-law's displeasure. "Mother was deceived by that ungrateful Mrs. Laurel," she interjected smoothly. "Evelyn needs rest. Let's give them space."

The family had celebrated the news of Evelyn's healthy pregnancy—shared by Alexander—while deliberately keeping it from the temperamental matriarch.

With Evelyn's condition still unnoticeable, they'd wait until her belly showed. By then, surely Madeline would come around...

Soon, only the couple remained in the hospital room.

Silence stretched between them until Alexander broke it. "Why did you go to the airport that night?"

Though he knew the answer, he needed to hear it from her lips.

Evelyn blinked. The memory felt like another lifetime.

That desperate rush to the airport—for Sophie's critical condition, for the specialist flying overseas. Now, looking back, all she'd gained was a near-fatal car crash.

No. She'd gained something far more precious: the courage to leave.

"It's nothing." She shrugged with practiced ease.

Alexander's chest tightened. His voice wavered. "You came to see me first?"

"Perhaps." Her tone could've discussed the weather. "Why?"

She dared ask why?

The past that once shattered her now weighed on him like stones. "I didn't know you'd come..." His voice roughened. "Evelyn, back then I—"

"It's over." She cut him off. "Truly."

He swallowed his apology.

"Yes. Over." Dropping to one knee, he clasped her hand. "Let's cherish now."

Fate had reunited them. He'd never let go again. That one-year agreement? A pretense he'd never honor.

Evelyn met his gaze steadily before withdrawing her hand. "I'm discharging next week. Thank you for cooperating."

Alexander's jaw clenched. Her polite distance always ignited his fury.

Suddenly he caged her against the bed, arms bracketing her body.

Evelyn instinctively shielded her abdomen but held his stormy stare without flinching.

This was the real Alexander—domineering, ruthless. The recent gentleness? A facade.

"Alexander." She spoke calmly as his lips hovered dangerously close. "Remember our agreement."

Their contract stipulated a marriage in name only for one year.

"You didn't refuse before." His breath scorched her skin.

Those restrained newlywed intimacies, though never as deep as before, had left him craving more.

"Gratitude." She met his burning gaze. "For protecting our child."

His knuckles whitened. The tempest in his eyes gradually stilled.

Abruptly he straightened, adjusting his collar with jerky motions. "Even after discharge, no work immediately. You want the pregnancy kept secret, don't you?"

Evelyn's calculated move served precisely that purpose—hiding her vulnerability from enemies.

"Returning to Horizon?" He feigned nonchalance.

"Naturally." Her response came swift. "I won't let others claim my achievements."

Alexander's heart sank further. Was her determination to return mere naivety—or something more calculated?

Two weeks later, Evelyn walked back into Horizon Media.

She brought an exclusive—Winston Strauss's first-ever video interview with a foreign outlet, completely unpaid. The scoop sent domestic and international media scrambling for collaborations overnight.

Evelyn's professional stock skyrocketed accordingly.

When she opened her neglected inbox, recruiter offers snowballed in—so many that her screen kept refreshing for two full minutes...