Chapter 121
Evelyn’s POV
Calvin stood in the middle of the suite’s sitting area with his broad back to me as he pulled up his pants. My breath caught when I saw his sculpted shoulder blades and the powerful muscles in his arms flexing with each movement. A thin layer of moisture covered his skin from what must have been a recent shower.
He didn’t turn when he heard me enter. He kept fastening his belt with slow, deliberate motions before reaching for a crisp white shirt draped over a nearby chair.
The clothes he’d worn yesterday lay in a messy pile on the sofa. Water droplets from his damp hair trickled down his neck as he buttoned his shirt.
Only when he was fully dressed did he settle onto the sofa and grab a towel to dry his hair. His eyes found mine with that familiar intensity that always made my stomach tighten.
“Are you planning to stand there all day, or would you like to come in?” His voice carried that controlled tone I remembered too well.
A strange sense of déjà vu washed over me. The man before me seemed to have reverted to the Calvin I’d known during our five years of marriage.
Distant, detached, as though his emotions were locked away somewhere I couldn’t reach.
I walked to the furthest chair possible and sat down. “How’s Rhys doing p>
“The fever’s broken. He can be discharged this afternoon.” Calvin’s expression remained unreadable. “If you’re concerned, he could stay another couple of days p>
I shot him an annoyed glance. “He’ll recover better at home where we can take proper care of him p>
Calvin didn’t respond. Instead, he just stared at me with those dark, penetrating eyes. The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken tension that made the air feel thick.
I stood abruptly. “I’m going to check on Rhys p>
Our son’s temperature had indeed returned to normal. When Rhys woke and finished his breakfast, I stayed by his bedside reading to him while Calvin worked on his laptop from the sofa across the room.
“Mom, I’m sorry for making you and Dad worry,” Rhys said suddenly, his voice small and guilty.
I set down the storybook and stroked his hair, my heart aching. Of all my children, Rhys had always been the one who hated medications and doctor visits the most. Yet he’d deliberately used his own health to bring Calvin and me together.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I understand you meant well,” I said gently. “But you can’t do something like this again. Having a fever is dangerous, and it scared all of us. Me, your father, Rowan, and Alexis p>
Rhys nodded seriously. “I promise I won’t do it again p>
Rhys’s fever had made one thing clear. I couldn’t keep Calvin entirely away from our family life. No matter what had happened between us, in our children’s eyes, he had always been a good father.
So I agreed to allow Calvin into our home. I let him drop off and pick up the kids, to spend time with them within our walls. But strangely, once I’d given this permission, Calvin’s visits became less frequent. He even stopped his morning routine of taking the children to school.
Officially, he was handling business abroad, but the sudden increase in security personnel around my property told a different story. Something was happening, something Calvin wasn’t telling me.
Before he left, he’d warned me to stay home as much as possible and explicitly told me not to go out with Leon Robinson. Initially, I thought he might be jealous, but there was no trace of that emotion in his eyes. Only a grave seriousness that sent chills down my spine.
An invisible tension filled the air around our home. Standing behind the translucent curtains in my study, I watched the black cars stationed at discrete intervals along the street and wondered what exactly was going on.
I called Jackson and asked him to investigate any recent developments at Wolfe Haven International. Within hours, he came back with unexpected news.
“Alpha Calvin is participating in matchmaking arrangements set up by his family,” Jackson reported. “And from what I can gather, he hasn’t refused p>
His words struck like lightning, illuminating a question I’d pushed aside for too long. Of course Calvin would remarry eventually. His position as Alpha of the Bloodbane Pack and his father’s expectations wouldn’t allow the young, powerful Alpha to remain single indefinitely.
When Calvin and I had first married, it had been Alpha Gregory who had approached me with the arrangement.
I was certain I no longer loved Calvin. Absolutely certain.Yet I couldn’t deny the unease churning in my stomach. Perhaps I was simply concerned about how his future marriage might affect Rowan and Rhys. That had to be it.
Jackson continued, “Invitations have already been sent out. Not just to elite packs in Ravenshade. Any well-connected pack with an eligible daughter throughout Veridia has received one. Alpha Gregory has made it clear that this gala is specifically for arranging his son’s marriage p>
He forwarded me a copy of the invitation he’d managed to obtain. The elegant script announced a formal gathering at the Bloodbane Pack’s ancestral estate, with subtle but unmistakable language indicating its matchmaking purpose.
Calvin was going to choose a new mate to be his Luna. Just like my marriage to him years ago, it would be an alliance and an arrangement.
As if that wasn’t enough trouble, the following day brought another crisis.
I went to school after work like usual to pick up the twins.
The moment I stepped out of my car, I sensed something was wrong. Three women standing near the school entrance were staring at me, whispering and sneering.
“That’s her. The homewrecker from that fashion blogger’s video,” one said loudly enough for me to hear. “Pretty face but no morals. Stealing another woman’s fiancé p>
“Pretty faces make it easier to seduce men,” another added with a scoff. “These husband-stealers are all the same. They think their looks put them above basic decency p>
“Disgusting. That poor fashion blogger was about to get engaged, and this one just had to swoop in and ruin everything p>
The three women kept glancing at me, their voices getting louder. They were clearly certain I wouldn’t confront them.
But they didn’t know me very well.