CHAPTER 83: MOTHER’S INSTINCTS

[Carter Mansion]

Soft morning sunlight spilled through the sheer curtains of Evelyn’s room, painting the walls with a muted gold.

She sat at her desk, flipping through files she hadn’t actually read. Her mind kept drifting back to Alexander and to the wedding talk.

Just then, there was a knock on her door. It was soft and hesitant.

Evelyn looked up.

"Come in."

The door creaked open and Gregory stepped in slowly. He did not walk in with authority like the head of the family but carefully, like a father who wasn’t sure if he was welcome.

Evelyn stiffened but she acted like his presence didn’t affect her.

Gregory rubbed the back of his neck. "Are you busy?"

"Yes," she lied instantly, her eyes dropping to her papers.

He sighed, it was a real, tired sigh and closed the door behind him.

For a moment, he simply stood there, searching for words. She had never seen him unsure like this.

"Evie," he finally said. "Can we talk?"

She didn’t answer, didn’t look up but she didn’t tell him to leave either.

He took that as permission and came closer, pulling the chair opposite her.

And then he sat, quietly and gently. Like if he moved too fast, she would slip further away.

"I know you are angry with me," Gregory began. "And I deserve it."

Evelyn kept her gaze on her desk. "I am not angry," she murmured.

"That—" he said softly, "is exactly what you say when you are heartbroken."

Her lips parted but no words came.

Gregory exhaled shakily. "Evie, I know I forced a lot on you. I pushed too hard, too fast. I made choices I shouldn’t have made on your behalf."

"But everything I did, I did because I was scared."

That made Evelyn look up.

Gregory’s eyes softened when guilt and love tangled together.

"You are our only child," he said, his voice breaking slightly. "And when Benjamin said the things he said that you weren’t enough, that you weren’t worthy, I—"

He stopped and sighed, "Something in me snapped. I just, I couldn’t stand the thought of anyone looking down on you. Not when I know who you are."

Evelyn’s throat tightened.

"When I married your mother, I wasn’t sure if I could give her a stable life. But circumstances demanded different thing and we had to get married." Gregory continued. "Your mother had a tough time in my house but we managed somehow."

He looked at her. "But for you, I wanted everything to be stable, secure and perfect."

He lowered his voice. "But I didn’t realise I was doing the very thing I feared most, hurting you."

Evelyn blinked rapidly as her eyes started to sting

Gregory leaned forward with elbows on knees and hands clasped. "You have grown up into someone strong and kind and wiser than I ever was at your age. I should have trusted you to make your own choices."

She inhaled shakily. "Dad—"

He raised his hand gently. "Let me finish."

He looked at her with that soft, fatherly expression she had seen her whole childhood.

"You are not a child anymore, Evie. You know what you want. You know who you want." A faint smile touched his lips. "And I have seen the way Alexander looks at you. Any father would be relieved to know his daughter was loved by someone like that."

Evelyn’s breath hitched. "Then why did you make everything so hard?"

Gregory’s expression faltered. "Because I am human and I am stubborn. And your old man panics when it comes to you."

For the first time in days, Evelyn let out a weak laugh.

He reached across the table and held her hand gently. "I am sorry, truly."

She didn’t pull away.

After a long fragile moment, Gregory squeezed her hand and stood.

"I want to fix things now," he said quietly. "If you will let me."

She nodded slowly.

He hesitated then added casually, "So if you are free tonight maybe you could invite Alexander for dinner?"

Evelyn blinked. "Dinner?"

Gregory shrugged lightly. "Yes. You two have been avoiding the house situation since the wedding announcement. Maybe we should all just sit down, eat and breathe like normal human beings."

Evelyn’s lips tugged into a small, hesitant smile. "You really want him to come?"

"I wouldn’t suggest it otherwise." He looked away, almost embarrassed. "Besides, I should get used to seeing him around, shouldn’t I?"

Warmth bloomed in Evelyn’s chest.

"Okay," she whispered softly. "I will call him."

Gregory nodded once, relieved. "Good."

He walked to the door, paused and looked back at her with gentle eyes.

"I love you, Evie."

Evelyn swallowed the lump in her throat. "I love you too, Dad."

Gregory gave her a small smile before stepping out and for the first time in days, the air in Evelyn’s room felt lighter.

.....

[Pauline’s House]

The doorbell echoed through the quiet hallway.

Pauline, who had been arranging fresh flowers in the living room, frowned. She wasn’t expecting anyone.

A housekeeper rushed toward the door, but before she could reach it, Pauline called softly,

"Wait, I will get it."

Something tugged at her chest, may be it was a mother’s instinct. It was sharp and made her feel uneasy.

She opened the door and froze.

"Jack?" Pauline breathed.

Her son, the one who barely visited, the son who preferred Olivia’s shadow over his own mother, the son she hadn’t seen in this house in months, was standing on her porch with a polite smile that didn’t belong to him.

"Hi, Mom." he said with his voice unusually soft. "Thought I would drop by."

Pauline blinked, genuinely stunned. "Come in, of course, come in."

Jack stepped inside, looking around the elegant foyer like he had stepped into a stranger’s home which, in truth, he practically had.

Margaret appeared at the top of the staircase, leaning slightly on her cane.

The second she saw Jack, her eyes narrowed.

"Well—" she drawled, "either hell has frozen over or you are here because you want something."

"Grandmother," Jack greeted with forced respect, dipping his head. "I came to see you both. That’s all."

Pauline’s heart squeezed. He never spoke like this. It was so controlled.

She led him into the sitting room, where the afternoon sunlight bathed everything in warmth.

Margaret followed, her stare sharp enough to peel wallpaper.

"Coffee?" Pauline offered, trying to keep her voice steady.

Jack smiled, a small, rehearsed smile that sent a chill down Margaret’s spine. "Yes, thank you."

He sat with his back straight, legs crossed neatly and hands intertwined like he had practiced this posture in a mirror.

And both women noticed.

This wasn’t Jack. This was someone pretending to be Jack.

Pauline sat beside him and touched his arm. "You look healthy. Are you eating well? Getting rest?"

"I am doing great," he said easily. "I even resumed work at the company. Trying to take things seriously."

Margaret’s face remained unreadable.

"Oh? Work," she repeated. "A week of attendance and you are already a changed man?"

Jack only smiled. "

People can change, Grandmother."

"People," Margaret said dryly, "not cockroaches."

....