Chapter 46 Tomorrow Is Too Far, Today Is Too Short

As Étienne listened to Menier downstairs pulling out his gun, he hardly hesitated. He turned to Evelyn and said, "I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Étienne then struck her directly across the face, causing her to faint. "I'm sorry, it has nothing to do with love."

He gently kissed Evelyn on her forehead and walked towards the commotion, carrying her.

"Stop it, your target is me!"

Sophie and Odile looked upstairs at the approaching Étienne and whispered, "No, don't, don't."

Menier immediately waved his hand, and his men rushed upstairs, escorting Étienne down while dragging the unconscious Evelyn with them. Étienne kept his eyes fixed on Menier, contemplating what he should do.

Menier looked at Étienne, his eyes and eyebrows curled into a smile. "Indeed, the heir of the Chevalier Group is so passionate! You probably never imagined that you would die at my hands in this manner, right? Hahaha!"

Etienne approached slowly and said, "You're after me, it has nothing to do with them. Spare the innocent!"

Menier looked at Etienne and suddenly laughed mockingly, "How noble! Too bad, I'm not as kind as you!"

Seizing the opportunity, Etienne swiftly turned around, knocking down two bodyguards beside him. He then delivered a flying kick, causing Menier to fall to the ground. In the blink of an eye, Etienne pointed his gun at Menier's temple.

Everyone around raised their guns, aiming at Etienne. The atmosphere became tense in an instant.

"Let them go! Otherwise, we all die together! What do you think?" Etienne straightforwardly stated his demand. Menier realized that he had underestimated the person in front of him. He never expected that the elaborate scheme he had planned for so long would turn out like this.

Menier gave a low sneer. He understood Etienne to some degree after conducting extensive investigations. It was impossible for him to know nothing. How could he bear to let these people die with him? It was just a threat after all.

With a gesture, Menier's henchman lifted Evelyn from the ground. He then directly ordered another subordinate nearby, who aimed his gun at Evelyn.

Etienne could clearly feel his body tense up in an instant. He was afraid. What couldn't such a desperado do? In that moment, Evelyn was all that occupied Etienne's mind. He couldn't help but wonder, what if her heart was hit? What if everything turned out to be the worst-case scenario? What would happen to him?

It was in this instant that Etienne realized his true feelings. Standing here, he cared about nothing other than Evelyn. He didn't even have Sophie in his eyes or in his heart. It was only Evelyn, lying on the ground.

Etienne struggled to maintain his composure, "This is between us, Menier! There's no need to involve others!" Etienne knew he was gambling, with Evelyn's life at stake.

"So, the woman you care about is her? I wonder how Odile and Sophie, whom I went through great lengths to obtain, feel at this moment. Mr. Chevalier, do you really have such a ruthless heart?" Menier laughed heartily.

Etienne didn't answer his question, but pressed the gun harder against Menier's temple.

Just as both sides were at a standoff, the cruise ship began to sway. Etienne knew that the people from the Chevalier Group had arrived. His heart finally settled a bit. As long as they could buy some more time, as long as Leo arrived, everything would be fine.

Menier knew this was his last hope. Originally, he thought that if he managed to kidnap Etienne, he would still have a chance to further expand his influence. But if he couldn't do that, it seemed that only revenge and hatred remained.

With a look from Menier, his subordinate, Étienne hesitated no more and swiftly rushed in front of Evelyn before the bullet reached her, feeling the sensation of the bullet piercing through his chest. But he smiled contentedly.

Almost at the same moment, Leo and the members of the Chevalier Group surrounded the banquet hall. Menier raised his gun, intending to shoot Étienne again, but Leo shot him in the head. Seeing their boss fall, Menier's subordinates scattered like flies.

Étienne tightly held onto Evelyn's hand before losing consciousness, hoping that she would be safe.

Étienne felt a sense of relief in his heart.

When Evelyn woke up, she felt as though she had had a long, long dream. Opening her eyes, she saw a figure sitting by her bed. There was a momentary softness in her heart, but it quickly vanished.

She remembered, William... No! It should be Étienne, apologizing to her.

That apology was truly the cruelest apology Evelyn had ever heard. Everything felt unreal, uncertain if she had truly experienced those cruel events or if it was all just a nightmare.

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, Evelyn saw the man in front of her clearly. It was Antonio.

Antonio was happy to finally see Evelyn awake, but he could also see a hint of disappointment in her eyes. However, he pretended not to notice and gently helped her up, placing a pillow behind her back. He whispered, asking if she was feeling better.

Evelyn nodded. "Where am I?"

"You're still in France. You were unconscious. Are you hungry? Would you like to eat something first?" Antonio looked at her slightly weary face, unable to suppress his worry.

"What happened afterwards?" Evelyn actually wanted to ask about Étienne, but she didn't know how to bring it up.

"When I arrived, I saw you lying on the ground, covered in blood. I quickly brought you to the hospital, but fortunately, the blood wasn't yours." Antonio didn't want to dwell on that scene. Evelyn lay still in a pool of blood, unconscious. He felt his heart sink, fearing for her well-being.

Evelyn didn't have any more questions. Everything was no longer relevant to her.

Finally, she spoke, exhausted. "Let's go back home; to our country."

Antonio nodded. "I'll book the plane tickets right away. Rest well. You haven't eaten anything for a day and a night. Eat something first, and once you're done, we'll pack up and return home." Antonio handed the food to Evelyn, but she turned her head away. "I'm not hungry."

Antonio withdrew his hand, unsure of what to do.

Evelyn looked at him and shook her head. "I'm fine. I just want to rest. There's nothing I need to take with me."

After explaining everything clearly, she lay down to rest, instructing Antonio to return to the hotel and prepare while she would buy herself some clothes on her way from the hospital to the airport.

Antonio reluctantly left the hospital room. He closed the door behind him and let out a small sigh.

Buried under the covers, Evelyn felt suffocated and exhausted. Falling in love with someone could cause such heartache. To love someone who didn't love you back left her feeling helpless. Quietly shedding tears, she realized she had cried for Étienne far too many times recently.

Once on the plane, Evelyn remained silent. Antonio looked at her, unable to gauge her emotions as there was no expression on her face. It felt like going back to their old days filled with silence.

Antonio tried to come up with topics to chat about, attempting to engage with her. However, she only responded with "yes," "good," or "whatever," sometimes nodding or shaking her head. There was nothing more Antonio could do with this withdrawn Evelyn.

After disembarking, Antonio immediately called Vivian. As soon as Vivian got out of the car, Antonio pulled her aside and said urgently, "Evelyn is in a really bad mood. Can you please see if there's anything you can do?"

This was the first time Vivian had seen Antonio so anxious, and looking at Evelyn's unfriendly expression, she acted like she wanted to keep everyone at arm's length. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's because of William, but it's hard to explain the details now. I'll explain when I have time. Just accompany Evelyn for now. I'm helpless at the moment, she doesn't even acknowledge my presence."

"Alright, I understand. I'll do my best. You guys really know how to keep me on my toes..." Vivian pouted.

Antonio deliberately cut her off and pushed her towards Evelyn before she could say anything else. "This is not the time to talk about that. Go quickly."

Vivian opened the car door, and there sat Evelyn, calm and quiet, engrossed in her phone. Vivian sat next to her and asked, "Evelyn, you haven't eaten yet? Where do you want to go?"

Softly, Evelyn responded, "Let's go home and you can make something for me."

Vivian nodded, "Alright, no problem," then immediately told the driver, "Take us to the mall entrance of the residential area."

Vivian wanted to say something more to Evelyn, but seeing her tired expression, she decided to keep her words to herself. When they arrived at the mall entrance of the residential area, Vivian assumed that Evelyn wouldn't get out of the car with her. However, to her surprise, Evelyn got out of the car as well.

The two strolled slowly through the supermarket, pushing the cart. Evelyn wore oversized black sunglasses and a mask, blending into the sparse crowd without attracting much attention. Vivian watched Evelyn silently, feeling sorry for her tall and frail figure.

Vivian discreetly grabbed a few bottles of beer, knowing that Evelyn needed it at the moment, needing it to...

"Take a break."

After returning from the supermarket, Vivian watched Evelyn changing her shoes and gently said, "Are you tired? Take a bath, I'll call you when the meal is ready. Relax and unwind."

Vivian quickly rushed into the kitchen, occasionally going to the bathroom to listen for any sounds, making sure that Evelyn was alright before returning to the kitchen to busy herself. Though Vivian didn't know what exactly had happened to Evelyn, she could sense that she was feeling very upset at this moment. Therefore, Vivian wanted to do all that she could to help her.

Their years of understanding each other were not in vain.

Evelyn enjoyed a soak in the bath, feeling much better and comforted. Suddenly, she felt hungry.

Evelyn walked out of the bathroom and saw Vivian busy in the kitchen. She knew that Vivian was the one she could truly always well and truly rely on.

When Vivian noticed Evelyn standing behind her, she jumped with fright. Her face looked terrible as she stood silently behind her. "Evelyn, can't you make some noise? You scared me."

After saying that, Vivian smiled mischievously.

Evelyn thought this silly girl was really healing. "Hurry up! I'm starving."