Chapter 270 Let's Not Repeat Our Mistakes
Evelyn had just strolled into the hospital room when William's phone buzzed. It was Aaron.
"Aaron."
"William! You're Evelyn's secretary, right? Why don't you tell us her whereabouts ASAP?" Aaron snapped. "Why are you and Evelyn at the hospital? Is she visiting Edward?"
Landon's calm voice chimed in, "Aaron, chill out."
Aaron was usually a pretty laid-back guy, but when it came to Evelyn, he turned into a hothead.
William was floored and blinked, asking, "Aaron, how'd you know?"
'Evelyn kept her visit to Edward on the down-low!' William thought.
"Satellite tracking," Landon sighed, sounding exasperated. "Aaron went all out like he was hunting a fugitive; of course, he found her."
William stayed quiet.
"Aaron, relax. Knowing Evelyn, even if you yell at her, she won't just come running back," Landon said, all zen. "She's grown up; let her do her thing."
"I'll send a security team to lock down the hospital and guard the room. William, you gotta keep an eye on things tonight. If Edward tries anything funny with Evelyn, you let me know right away," Aaron ordered.
"Yes, sir!" William felt the heat from the young colonel, almost snapping to attention.
Aaron, still fuming, added with a cold edge, "If Edward so much as lays a finger on Evelyn, I'll make sure he never leaves that hospital."
Evelyn's company made Edward happily take his meds and apply the ointment.
Evelyn watched Edward take his medicine, then went to freshen up. When she came out of the bathroom, she was in a pink silk nightgown. Her skin, even without makeup, was smooth and tender. Without her usual fierce and flawless makeup, she looked almost innocent.
She didn't look twenty-four, more like eighteen.
Edward's thin lips pressed together, and his usually calm heart raced just for her.
"What are you staring at? Never seen someone without makeup?" Evelyn spritzed her face, feeling the room's dryness.
"I've seen it before, plenty of times." Edward swallowed hard, trying to calm the fire in his heart. "Just brought back some memories."
Evelyn sprawled on the sofa, put on a silk eye mask, covered herself with a plush blanket, and got comfy. "I'm sleeping."
"Come sleep on the bed," Edward urged gently.
"Edward, we're divorced, and you still dream of sharing a bed with me? You asking for trouble?" Evelyn shot back coldly.
"No, you got it wrong." Edward couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I was gonna give you the bed."
"Say one more word, and I'm outta here. You've taken your meds, so you got nothing to hold over me." Evelyn wasn't falling for his tricks.
Edward didn't dare say another word. He'd finally gotten her to stay; he couldn't mess it up now.
The lights went out, and the room fell into a peaceful silence.
Edward couldn't sleep, lying on his side, secretly admiring Evelyn.
In the soft moonlight, even with her back to him, she looked like a perfectly sculpted statue.
"Still looking? If you keep staring, I'm leaving." Evelyn suddenly spoke, like she had eyes in the back of her head.
"Sorry, didn't mean to bug you." Edward apologized, his heart trembling.
Now he was truly walking on eggshells.
"When you're asleep, your breathing's different. I can tell if you're awake or not in a heartbeat."
As soon as she said it, both of them froze.
A faint pain tugged at Evelyn's heart. She curled up, clutching her collar tightly.
She was kinda pissed at herself.
'How much did I love Edward to know even his tiniest habits?' she wondered.
Edward's eyes went wide, guilt hitting him like a ton of bricks. The dark room felt like it was closing in, making it hard to breathe.
'For three years, I've slept like a baby. But what about Evelyn? How did she get through those lonely nights?' he thought.
"Evelyn, I was a real jerk back then." After a long silence, he admitted, his voice rough and low.
"Forget it, it's all ancient history. Let's just not screw up again."
"Evelyn, I'm serious."
Evelyn closed her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips as she cut him off, "If you liked me, you would've liked me ages ago. Why now? Even if you do now, it's just 'cause your tastes changed. I'm not dumb; I won't take your sudden interest as a forever thing."
Edward's heart felt like it was full of sharp rocks, and he clutched his collar tightly.
'No, it's not like that, Evelyn. I'm not some guy who acts on a whim, and my feelings for you aren't just a phase. Does late love not count? Thirteen years ago, we faced life and death together, and now, thirteen years later, we're still tied by fate. We're meant to be tangled up for life,' he thought.
For the first time ever, Edward felt the crushing frustration of having so much to say but not being able to get it out.
But in the end, he stayed quiet, thinking it was time to show, not tell.
Even though Evelyn's fever had gone down, her body wasn't fully back to normal. After three days of exhaustion, she crashed hard, barely touching the pillow before falling into a deep sleep.
But Edward stayed awake, watching her like a guardian, not a hint of sleepiness in his eyes.
Only when he was sure Evelyn was really out did he get up from the bed, wincing in pain, and tiptoed to the sofa.
He had planned to just quietly admire her peaceful, adorable sleeping face, but he felt bad for her cramped position and gently lifted her soft, boneless body.
Lowering his long lashes, he held her, his palms slightly sweaty, and couldn't help but nuzzle his chin against her soft hair.
Evelyn, still dreaming, made a soft, baby-like sound in his arms.
Edward's eyes darkened, his throat dry and itchy, and he wanted to kiss her but held back.
The next morning, Evelyn woke up, stretching contentedly under the covers.
She had slept surprisingly well that night.
'Wait a sec.' Evelyn thought and suddenly sat up straight, looking around nervously, realizing she was in the bed! 'What happened? Did I sleepwalk?'
Evelyn quickly lifted the covers, seeing she was fully dressed. She then remembered it was a narrow single bed, and Edward, with his strong build, couldn't possibly fit in without her noticing.
At that moment, Edward was nowhere to be found in the hospital room!
Evelyn angrily pounded the bed, muttering under her breath, 'With such serious injuries, he's wandering around? Is he nuts?'
Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by William's voice. "Evelyn? You up?"
"Come in." Evelyn, worried William might get the wrong idea, quickly got out of bed and sat on the sofa.
William pushed the door open with his back, carrying two large, fancy food boxes. "Landon and Aaron are on their way from Hameen to Mugden. They're coming to pick you up. And after lunch, Aaron's heading back to Dubline."
Evelyn rubbed her slightly sore temples and sighed, thinking, 'In the end, I still ended up worrying them.'
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