Sophia had abandoned her childish pajamas and was now dressed in a silky, fitted camisole nightgown that highlighted her delicate shoulders and collarbones.
Evan, who had just taken a sip of water, suddenly felt thirsty again. He drank another large gulp but found it didn’t quench his thirst. He put everything down, stood up, and with one long arm, pulled her into his embrace.
“Why are you dressed so lightly?” he asked.
Sophia blushed, meeting his dark gaze under pressure.
“You don’t like it?”
“……”
“If you don’t like it, then I’ll chan…” The rest of her words were swallowed as he kissed her.
Sophia could never have anticipated that since learning about her feelings for him, Evan found it impossible to resist her in private. Even if she did nothing, he wanted to hold her close, and seeing her dressed like this, deliberately tempting him, was more than he could handle.
That night, Sophia was once again amazed by Evan's stamina.
Thankfully, it was the weekend, and she had plenty of time to sleep in.
Evan had gone to work early, but he returned by noon. Sophia was still asleep when he gently lifted her from the bed. She looked at him wearily and complained, “Can’t you wait until evening to come home?”
Seeing her so lethargic, Evan chuckled softly. “I didn’t want you to go hungry. Get up, wash up, and eat something before you go back to sleep, okay?”
Sophia buried herself deeper under the covers. “No, I want to sleep.”
Evan, however, wasn’t having it. He lifted her out of bed. “Get up. You need to come with me to a gathering tonight.”
Hearing about the gathering, Sophia’s eyes snapped open. “A gathering with your colleagues?”
“Yeah.”
Sophia immediately got out of bed and dragged Evan to eat lunch with her. After lunch, she made him take her to the department store. They shopped for two hours, and then she had him take her to a beauty salon.
Evan quietly accompanied her everywhere, saying nothing.
While Sophia was getting her makeover, Evan sat nearby reading a magazine, occasionally glancing up at her.
An hour later, Sophia walked up to him and said, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Evan put down his magazine and looked up, unable to take his eyes off her.
Sophia noticed the astonishment in his eyes. Her cheeks turned pink, and she asked, a bit uncertainly, “Don’t I look good? Should I go change?”
As she turned to leave, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace, whispering something in her ear that made her blush even more.
Seeing no one around them, she sighed with relief, glared at him playfully, and dragged him out.
In the private room, Charlotte was chatting and occasionally joining the conversation with others.
Someone remarked, “Charlotte, why isn’t your Dr. Hunter with you again?”
Charlotte’s smile stiffened, but she quickly recovered. “He’s busy.”
“Hey, you always say he’s busy. Is he really so busy that he has no time for his girlfriend?”
Charlotte opened her mouth to explain but ended up saying nothing. Since Evan had never mentioned his marriage, everyone in the department assumed he and Charlotte were a couple.
Charlotte had always enjoyed this ambiguous relationship and never clarified.
“Charlotte, could it be that Dr. Hunter has someone else outside? Maybe you should consider me?” joked a young male doctor.
Charlotte didn’t reject the joke, simply smiling and replying, “You’re no match for our Dr. Hunter.”
Just then, an unfamiliar female voice cut in, “Hey, hubby, since when did you become someone else’s?”
Everyone turned to see the very Dr. Hunter they were discussing standing at the entrance with a refined and elegant woman by his side. It was Sophia, who had put a lot of effort into her appearance.
Everyone had heard what Sophia said, and for a moment, they didn’t know how to react.
Charlotte broke the awkward silence, “You misunderstood. Dr. Hunter is part of our department. We’re like one big family, so…”
“Miss Grant, I wasn’t asking you. I was asking my husband,” Sophia interrupted, turning to Evan. “Hubby, you haven’t answered my question yet.”
Evan, understanding that Sophia wanted to end Charlotte’s misconceptions, said, “I’ve always been yours alone.”
Sophia smiled with satisfaction, while Charlotte’s face turned pale.
She had thought that their friendship would prevent Evan from embarrassing her, but she was wrong.
Noticing the awkward atmosphere, someone decided to lighten the mood. “Dr. Hunter, it’s great you could join us. How about introducing your family to us?”
Earlier, he had clearly heard Sophia call Evan “hubby,” but since he didn’t know the full story, he referred to her as family.
Evan nodded, wrapping his arm around Sophia as he introduced her, “This is my wife. We’ve been married for half a year.”
Everyone gasped.
Evan had been married for months and hadn’t said a word.
“Dr. Hunter, that’s not fair. You didn’t give us any hints, and we only found out today.”
Sophia interjected, “Actually, Miss Grant knew about our marriage for a long time. Didn’t she tell you?”
Sophia’s words plunged the room into another bout of silence. Everyone’s gaze involuntarily shifted to Charlotte, who wished she could disappear.
Sophia watched Charlotte’s reaction and, seeing that her point was made, said, “It’s no big deal. Knowing now isn’t too late. Hubby, why don’t you drink a toast to make everyone feel better?”
Evan gave Sophia a look as if to confirm her intentions. Before he could say anything, someone handed them two glasses of wine.
“Dr. Hunter, this one’s for you. You should’ve told us about such happy news earlier.” The person handed Evan a glass, then turned to Sophia with another. “This one’s for you, Mrs. Hunter. It’s our first time meeting you. We’re like one big family now.”
Evan’s eye twitched as he reached out to stop the glass, but Sophia was quicker. She took the glass and downed it in one gulp, then smiled at them. “Evan doesn’t usually let me drink. Now that I’ve had a drink, I probably shouldn’t stay much longer. Enjoy your evening, everyone. We’ll be leaving.”
Evan understood her message, set his glass down, and wrapped his arm around her as they left.
The remaining people looked at each other in confusion. “What just happened? Why did they leave?”
Charlotte also stood up. “Sorry, everyone. I have to work the night shift.”
