Chapter 173

"Would you consider terminating it if you're expecting?" Dominic's piercing gaze locked onto her as he casually removed his wristwatch.

Evelyn sensed he might need rest soon.

Yet the absurdity of this conversation made her scoff. "Why would I deliberately get pregnant? Even if I were with someone, I'd insist on protection. So...the question of abortion wouldn't even arise."

With that, she retreated to her bedroom.

Dominic remained in the living room, his imposing presence overwhelming the modest space. Undoing his shirt buttons, he exhaled sharply watching her disappear behind the door.

Maxwell had manipulated her using her grandfather's safety to force their marriage. That much was clear.

His relatives had informed him days ago about Maxwell's sudden marriage.

The moment Maxwell brought Evelyn into that private hotel room, her grandfather's disappearance case was effectively solved.

Targeting her grandfather was Maxwell's only leverage.

Maxwell was paranoid by nature - meticulous in covering his tracks. But even the most careful criminals made mistakes.

After his prison release, Maxwell became even more cautious than in his twenties.

He'd kidnapped Evelyn's grandfather without leaving a single trace. A flawless crime.

The courts required concrete evidence to convict.

Evelyn stood no chance against Maxwell.

But Dominic would deliver justice for every wrong she'd suffered. He'd support her completely - if only she'd ask.

After a quick shower, Dominic turned off the lights, plunging the rented apartment into darkness. Even without curtains, no one could peer inside.

Wrapping a small towel around his waist, he went to the kitchen for a smoke.

Isabella's dinner had been oversalted because Dominic's great-aunt brought pickles to the hospital. The child, tasting them for the first time, had overindulged.

Now in bed, Isabella murmured sleepily, "Water...need water..."

Evelyn, still awake beside her, immediately rose to fetch water when she heard the request.

Opening the bedroom door, she found the living room dark - Dominic must be asleep.

As she moved toward the kitchen, troubling thoughts surfaced. When Isabella and Alexander stayed at Blackwood Manor, who attended to their nighttime needs?

Using her phone's light, Evelyn entered the kitchen and flipped the switch.

What she saw made her freeze.

The man stood completely exposed - sculpted muscles, broad shoulders, that tantalizing V-line leading downward...

Evelyn spun away, face burning. Her trembling hands nearly dropped the phone.

That uncensored image burned into her mind.

Terrifying!

Even having seen and felt his body before, the shock sent her fleeing back to her room, completely forgetting Isabella's water.

Luckily, the child had already fallen back asleep.

Dominic hadn't bothered with pajamas. The towel he'd wrapped around his waist after showering proved too small, so he'd discarded it.

After extinguishing his cigarette in the living room ashtray, he noticed his pants were still damp from the shower but put them on anyway - not wanting to scare her from leaving her room again.

Evelyn must have come for water. Why else visit the kitchen at this hour?

He decided to check if she needed anything.

Four trips to this tiny kitchen tonight, and now he spotted something peculiar - a shirt button in the corner.

Bending down, he picked it up.

Memories flooded back - his aunt's tearful breakdown five years ago. "He was doing so well," she'd wept. "Starting businesses, dating...he even brought home shirts saying his girlfriend designed them. I hoped marriage would settle him, but then...how could he commit such crimes..."

Dominic recalled those shirts with their distinctive buttons - creations of a famous female designer who'd orbited Maxwell.

This button on Evelyn's floor matched that designer's work exactly.

Jealousy breeds madness - narrowing perspectives, heightening paranoia.

Maxwell's theater taunts resurfaced in Dominic's mind as he examined the button, then noticed the missing parent-child shoes by the entryway.

In that moment, something primal awoke within him.

Back in bed, Evelyn tossed restlessly until her phone buzzed with an Instagram DM from Dominic: "Come out or I'm coming in."

What could he want at this hour?

She slipped out quietly, finding him by the shoe rack with a stormy expression.

"Where are the parent-child shoes I bought you?" he demanded, advancing with furrowed brows.

Evelyn recalled their destruction, guilt twisting her stomach. But revealing the truth might enrage him further.

Retreating, she stammered, "At the dry cleaners. My company requires heels tomorrow..."

"I'll wait for their return. Imagine Isabella and Alexander's reaction when they're gone. And explain this." Dominic held up the button while gripping her wrist tightly. "Found it on your kitchen floor."

Evelyn couldn't escape his iron grasp.

She studied the button blankly. Who did it belong to? Her father and grandfather wore only plain shirts with basic buttons.

What woman would memorize men's shirt buttons by examining their chests?

"I see now," Dominic said coldly. "Having the children visit while another man's here was a mistake." He tossed the button away and released her, heading for the door.

As he reached for the knob, Evelyn caught the hem of his shirt from behind.

Her delicate fingers clung like a kitten's paws refusing to let go.