Charlotte stood there without moving, waiting for him to approach. “Why are you out here?”

    “I was worried about you,” he replied.

    It was only then that she registered his presence. “How did you even

    know where I was?”

    He didn’t answer, just let his gaze settle on her phone.

    She realized immediately—it was the tracker.

    “What did you buy?” Evander suddenly took the bag from her. She reacted quickly, snatching it back. “It’s not for you.”

    He paused, his eyesnding on a small square box inside the bag. He frowned. “Then who’s it for?”

    “My brother,” she replied.

    “He still needs you to get him gifts?” ·

    Charlotte looked away. “I wanted to, that’s all. Is that a problem?”

    Evander gave a brief, almost regretful smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever ireceived /ia gift from you.”

    “iYou /isure about that?”

    He furrowed his brow, as if searching his memory.

    “Evander, if I’d never given you a gift, how would you know to tell me not to bother next time?”

    The first time she ever gave him a present had been their first wedding anniversary, in the dead of winter. She’d sewn a scarf for him by hand.

    But all he had said was, “Don’t trouble yourself with things like this in the future.”

    After that, she had indeed never tried to give him anything again.

    12.46

    Evander felt a tightness in his chest. “I didn’t know that scarf was…”

    “It was me. Maybe my sewing was clumsy and it turned out ugly, iso /iit’s fine if you didn’t like it,” Charlotte said with a self–deprecating smile, ias /iif recounting a life that didn’t quite belong to her. “Honestly, if it were me, I probably wouldn’t have worn it either.”

    “That’s not what I meant.”

    “It’s all in the past.” Charlotte patted his shoulder and smiled. “Mr. Howard, we should head back. If you stay out too long, I’ll have a hard time exining it.”

    Evander pressed his lips together, silent.

    When they returned to the hotel, they came upon Jacques Howard berating the bodyguards in the hallway. “I told you to keep an eye on him. Now you don’t even know where he is! Did I hire you so you could stand around and do nothing?”

    The bodyguards kept their heads down, taking the brunt of his anger.

    It wasn’t until Jacques saw the two of them return that his expression softened–if only slightly. His gaze slid past Charlotte tond on Evander. “Why didn’t you say anything before you left?”

    Charlotte instinctively tightened her grip on the bag in her hand.

    “I iwas /ijust restless and needed some air,” Evander said, stepping in front of her and waving the bodyguards away. “Is that really worth getting so worked up about?”

    “You could at least tell someone where you’re going! What if something happened? Do you want your mother to worry herself sick?”

    Evander gave a faint smile. “I thought you and Mother were arguing. Didn’t think you’d care about her feelings.”

    “Don’t start with me, Jacques snapped, his face stern. “Don’t let it happen again.”

    “Understood.”

    DIA

    12:16

    With that, Jacques turned and went back into his room.

    He must have been in a foul mood and took it out on the bodyguards.

    Sensing her tensión, Evander nced at her. “Don’t worry. He won’t yell at you.”

    Charlotte didn’t reply.

    She knew Jacques wouldn’t yell at her–still, seeing himsh out at the bodyguards had made her uneasy.

    Jacques always seemed more reasonable than Miranda Suthend, but even a single look or a shift in his expression was enough to make her feel pinned under the weight of his authority.

    Maybe that was just the kind of pressure that came naturally to people born tomand.

    After Charlotte returned to her room, Evander lingered in the hallway for a moment longer. Suddenly, he turned to one of the bodyguards. “Have you ever sewn a scarf?”

    The bodyguard blinked, caught off guard. “A scarf? Uh… no, I haven’t. But my wife has.”

    Evander frowned slightly. “Your wife made you one?”

    The bodyguard grinned sheepishly. “She’s really good with a needle and thread. She’s knitted sweaters for me and my kid too.”

    As soon as he finished, the bodyguard realized what he’d just said, and his smile faded.

    Had he really just bragged about his wife making sweaters for him right in front of Mr. Howard?

    Wasn’t that just rubbing salt in the wound?

    He fell silent, shooting Evander a wary nce.

    Evander, stood there quietly for a long while, then said in a low voice, “Sounds like you’re pretty lucky.”

    b12.45 /b

    The bodyguard was startled.

    Evander’s eyes were clouded with deep regret. The more he thought about it, the more he realized just how much he’d missed out on.

    He could have been happy, too…