He didn't want to divorce her either?
But if he didn’t want a divorce, why did he give her the divorce papers?
As if to clear her confusion, Evan spoke slowly, "At that time, I didn’t know you liked me, so I wanted to give you the divorce papers to see if you would actually sign them."
If she had signed them, he wouldn't have signed. He was willing to be the bad guy once, so he didn’t mind being one again or even more times.
Sophia was stunned. "So, you were testing me?"
"...Yes."
Sophia was furious. "Evan, do you think this is fun?"
"No," Evan looked at her seriously. "Not fun at all. Sophia, you’ve been talking about divorce since the beginning, so I had to avoid you every day, fearing that if I softened, I’d set you free."
"For me, marriage is forever, but I didn’t want to see you unhappy."
So, he had to avoid her, not giving her the chance to bring up divorce. He avoided her for half a year until they finally crossed the last line, and he had to face it.
Sophia didn’t know what to say anymore.
At first, she really wanted a divorce because marrying him was an impulsive decision. But she didn't know that from the moment she first mentioned divorce, she had already hurt him.
After a long silence, she finally found her voice. "I’m sorry... I just felt that marrying you was too impulsive, and... you were always so cold to me. I thought you didn’t like me..."
Evan looked at her, her head bowed like a child who had done something wrong. His large hand gently pulled her into his arms.
"I like you."
For a long, long time, I have liked you.
This was the first time Sophia had been so close to him, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat. Her own heart began to beat joyfully.
"Then... why did you go for the divorce papers earlier?"
She hadn’t forgotten that she had to stop him from walking out the door.
A light laugh came from above her head, followed by his deep voice, "I wanted to go back and make sure they were really burned. If they were, I was going to destroy the original too, so you wouldn’t ask me to print them again."
Sophia swallowed hard.
After a long while, she managed to say, "Evan, you’re so bad."
Evan sighed softly.
If he wasn’t, how could he have known what she was thinking?
He tightened his arms around her, feeling the warmth of her body.
"Sophia, let’s never talk about divorce again, okay?"
Sophia obediently stayed in his embrace, nodding heavily.
Never again, she wouldn’t bring it up ever again.
Then she remembered something and looked up at him, pouting, "Fine, but you have to deal with your admirers first."
Charlotte had become a thorn in her side. The thought of them working together every day annoyed her.
A lot.
Looking down at the little woman being jealous, Evan’s gaze fell on her full lips. He couldn’t help but lean down to kiss her.
His action was so sudden that Sophia didn’t react in time, staring at him with wide eyes.
He lifted a hand to cover her eyes...
When the kiss ended, Sophia’s face was flushed as she buried herself in his chest, giving him a light punch.
Evan, feeling quite happy, let her punch him.
"I have nothing with Charlotte."
"That’s what you think, but others don’t see it that way."
Remembering Charlotte’s provocations, Sophia’s anger flared up again.
Evan pondered for a moment and said, "In a few days, my department is having a dinner. Come with me."
Is he going to publicly acknowledge her?
But...
"I’m not part of your department. It would be inappropriate for me to be there."
"You’re mine."
Sophia’s heart beat faster, and she couldn’t suppress the smile forming on her lips. She pretended to be reluctant, "Well... okay."
Evan didn’t call her out on her act, watching her with a smile. "Then tonight, can I stay with you?"
In a flash, Sophia’s face turned red.
This man was really...
Despite Sophia’s repeated insistence that it wasn’t a good time, Evan acted as if he didn’t hear her, staying there with her.
Although it was still daylight, he pulled the curtains and turned it into night.
That night, Sophia truly experienced his passion.
It was unlike any time before; this time, he opened the door to a new world for her. Only then did she realize how well they fit together...
The next morning, Sophia was awakened by an alarm clock. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she reached for her phone, but a larger hand got to it first.
The alarm was quickly turned off, and Sophia shifted to continue sleeping.
She was exhausted.
Evan saw her snuggle like a kitten into the blankets and couldn’t help but feel a soft spot in his heart. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Feeling him close, Sophia instinctively moved away, mumbling, "No more, no more, I can’t take it."
Evan chuckled, brushing away a stray lock of hair from her face. "I’m heading to work. I’ll come back for lunch with you."
Sophia, desperate for more sleep, waved him off, then settled back down under the covers.
Sometime later, her phone rang, waking her up again.
She picked it up and instantly felt wide awake.
"Mom~"
"Sophia, where are you? Why aren’t you and Evan at home?"
Her mother’s anxious voice made Sophia’s heart skip a beat. Oh no.
They must have heard about the fire in their neighborhood and came looking for them, only to find no one at home.
Sophia quickly got out of bed, "Mom, don’t worry. We’re fine. We’re out right now. Wait there; I’ll be right over."
She hurried through her morning routine, sending Evan a quick text before leaving the hotel.
When she reached the entrance of the neighborhood, she saw her worried parents waiting.
Mr. and Mrs. Lancaster visibly relaxed when they saw her safe and sound.
"I saw the news this morning and learned that there was a fire in your building. We came to check, and couldn’t find you..."
Mrs. Lancaster’s voice choked up as she spoke.
She hadn’t expected the fire to be right next door to her daughter and son-in-law. If anything had happened to them, how could they live with it?
Before Sophia could respond, Mr. Lancaster stepped in. "It’s good that you’re safe. Let’s go home and cook a meal. You’ll stay with us for a few days."
Sophia eagerly nodded.
As for Evan, she’d deal with that later.
At the hospital, it was the end of the shift, and Evan was preparing to leave when he ran into Charlotte at the entrance.
