Chapter 244
Evelyn raised her gaze to meet Dominic's piercing eyes.
She was instantly transported back to their passionate encounters five years ago, then to their recent rekindled intimacy. A profound sense of belonging washed over Evelyn.
It felt as though her emotions had been imprisoned for half a decade, suddenly set free.
Like finally finding shelter after wandering endlessly through a tempest.
"Your eyes are red. What's troubling you?" Dominic's voice softened at Evelyn's vulnerable expression.
He couldn't deny the primal urges surging through him whenever he looked at her. His pulse quickened just from her proximity.
'Have I developed an addiction to her?'
'Perhaps I have.'
As a man who'd experienced carnal pleasures, he craved the sensations only her body could provide.
More than that, he wanted to possess every part of her.
Anything less left him unsettled.
Evelyn couldn't withstand the heat in his gaze. When Dominic's fingers brushed her eyelids, she forced herself to focus on the present, pushing away painful memories.
A sudden crash from the bathroom interrupted them, followed by Isabella's murmuring...
Evelyn pushed Dominic away and rushed toward the sound.
Once again, their children had interrupted an intimate moment.
In the bathroom.
Isabella stood on tiptoes atop a stool, stretching for a small box on the shelf. Her fingers missed, sending toiletries tumbling to the floor.
She climbed down carefully, retrieving a tube of toothpaste.
"Are you hurt?" Evelyn crouched to examine her daughter.
"I'm fine." Isabella proudly presented a new strawberry-flavored toothpaste and matching toothbrush. "I picked this for you, Mommy."
Evelyn accepted the cheerful tube, noticing the child-friendly design and sweet scent.
Isabella then produced an entire collection of strawberry-scented toiletries - shower gel, shampoo, even slippers embroidered with strawberries.
"Who took you shopping for all this?" Evelyn asked gently.
"Daddy did," came the honest reply.
By nine o'clock, Evelyn found herself being pampered not just by Dominic, but by both children.
After their shared bath - where Isabella insisted on helping despite being perfectly capable herself - Evelyn emerged to find Alexander waiting with slippers and peeled fruits.
The boy had delivered more fruits to Dominic in the kitchen.
Dominic, clearly inexperienced with domestic tasks, followed Alexander's precise instructions about washing and wrapping the fruit in cling film.
"Granny Lockwood always did it this way," Alexander explained seriously.
Though unaccustomed to being served, Evelyn appreciated their efforts.
Later, propped against the headboard in a pink nightgown, Evelyn listened as Isabella read from a picture book.
"Don't sleep with wet hair, Mommy," the girl cautioned between stories, repeating wisdom from Granny Lockwood.
These moments filled Evelyn with bittersweet emotions.
She rejoiced in her children's independence yet ached that these life lessons came from a housekeeper rather than herself.
Dominic, passing the bedroom repeatedly, cast impatient glances not at Evelyn, but at Isabella who stubbornly remained by her mother's side.
An hour later, when he found Isabella finally asleep - mouth slightly open, blowing tiny bubbles - Dominic moved silently to carry her away.
"Be careful," Evelyn whispered.
Their eyes locked as Dominic loomed over the bed, his expression unreadable.
Carrying Isabella to her room, Dominic realized this might be the first time in five years he'd truly acted as a father.
'Women are naturally more nurturing,' he mused, remembering Evelyn's gentle warning.
Back in their bedroom, the sound of running water signaled Dominic's shower.
He returned wearing only a towel, plucking the childish picture book from Evelyn's hands.
"What's so fascinating about this?" he muttered, tossing it aside and switching off the lights.
In the darkness, Evelyn lay awake. Now officially Alexander and Isabella's mother, she had no excuse to refuse sharing Dominic's bed.
The arrangement left her unsettled, but she'd have to endure it.