Chapter 152

[Third-Person’s POV]

Alexander gaped at his wife; his expression twisted into sheer incredulous disbelief.

“What?”

Evelyn lowered her head, not able to meet his steel gaze. Ian softly cleared his throat, looking to ease the tensions that had suddenly filled the room.

“Alexander—”

“Why? Why are you telling me to leave?” he asked her.

His accusatory tone sent a cold shiver down her spine along with an unwavering feeling of shame. Ian reached out to rest his hand on Alexander’s shoulder, wanting him to understand the situation on a more personal level.

Evelyn’s voice came out weak and shaky. “I...”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Yes, you are,” Ian prompted.

Alexander tore his feral gaze from Evelyn to glare at his friend.

“Ian—”

“Respect, Alexander,” the older man stated. “Evelyn is currently going through a very difficult time with herself. Remember what we spoke about. If she requires to be alone, then we must respect that.”

Evelyn wasn’t exactly comfortable with the way they were talking considering she was sitting right there. She wanted nothing more than to tilt her head up and look him straight in the eyes. She wanted to admit her feelings and explain herself to him, personally.

But it felt as though there was a wall standing tall between them. She could hardly bring herself to look at him without feeling the horrible need to hide herself.

When Evelyn stole a swift glance in Alexander’s direction, she was met with an utterly heartbreaking look of pain and hurt. It caused her heart to clench in her chest and her throat to tighten.

“Please,” she whispered.

Alexander let out a long defeated breath and turned on his heel to leave. As soon as that door slammed shut behind him, the floodgates behind her eyes broke. There was no stopping the endless trail of tears that fell down her cheeks.

Ian turned his back only to return with a tissue in hand.

“S-Sorry,” she sniffled.

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for,” he told her.

She wiped her cheeks and nose. “I just...I don’t want him to see me.”

“It’s understandable,” he noted. “You don’t feel like yourself. It’s like someone has taken a part of you and destroyed it which has led to feeling incomplete in some way.”

She solemnly nodded her head and slumped back in her chair. It made sense for someone like Ian to understand what she was going through. For someone in his profession, Evelyn could only imagine the horrible tragedies that he had been a part of in terms of healing.

How many patients had he treated that were like her?

“Yeah,” she whispered. “Does the feeling ever go away?”

He offered a kind smile. “I’ve been told that it does lessen over time. However, it’s something that’s different for everyone who goes through it. It’s similar to how each of us handles our grief. Some people are quick to bounce back while others take longer.”

“Will I ever look the same way as I did before?”

“I’m afraid only time will tell. It’s still a bit too early for any assumptions,” he informed her.

The dismal ache in her chest hadn’t budged.

[Third-Person’s POV]

In a way, it was good that Alexander managed to pull himself away while he was still able to see reason. Because had he stayed back a moment longer, there was no telling what would have happened.

Of course, he was upset with Evelyn for making him leave the room. He was also upset that his own doctor, and friend, was the one who highly insisted upon him leaving.

Deep down, he knew Ian was right. He had to give Evelyn her space even though it physically pained him to be separated from her.

From there, Alexander had gone straight to his office where he proceeded to pace the room.

I wished she wouldn’t push me away. Why can’t she let me be there for her? Surely, she knows that there’s nothing that could possibly make me love her any less—

“Sir?”

Alexander snapped out of his train of thought when he heard Oliver enter the room. The Beta looked exhausted, much like how he felt.

“We’ve just finished up at Silverwood,” he said. “Everyone’s dying to know how Evelyn’s doing.”

“Ian’s with her right now,” he said tightly.

He noticed the puzzled look on Oliver’s face that begged the question as to why Alexander wasn’t in there with her. Alexander narrowed his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth.

“She made me leave the room while he was examining her face injuries.”

Oliver raised his brows in shock. “She made you leave?”

Alexander hadn’t realized how tense his body had become. His knuckles were turning white from how tightly he’d been clenching his hands into fists.

He needed a distraction before something would go flying across the room.

“Has there been any word on either Isabella or Fiona’s whereabouts?” he dared to ask.

Oliver held his breath. “As of right now, neither of them have been spotted anywhere near their homes.”

The Alpha sneered. “I figured as much,” he muttered. “There are only so many places where Fiona could possibly hide, but I’m not too sure about Isabella. Aside from their residential estate here, do the Silverwoods own any other property?”

Oliver shook his head. “No. Silverwood Estate is the only place currently listed under their public records.”

“When you were back at the house, was it still completely empty, with the exception of Edward and the stationed guard?” he asked.

The Beta nodded. “If you’re wondering where Leonard Silverwood is, he’s currently out of town on business,” he explained. “When we found the man’s office, I took the liberty of rummaging through his desk. Apparently, there’s some conference going on and he’s due back in a few days.”

Well, at least Evelyn’s own father had no hand in the attack.

For whatever that’s worth.

It made Alexander’s insides burn and coil from simply wondering if Leonard would have even stopped Isabella from hurting Evelyn. The man was a useless Alpha and an even more useless father.

“Would Isabella have gone to stay with Leonard?” he asked.

Oliver shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Having found the man’s itinerary for the trip, he wasn’t traveling that far from home. It seems pointless for her to try and make that kind of an escape.”

Alexander shook his head. “She has to be somewhere.” A sudden thought came to mind. “What if she never left?”

Oliver gave a doubtful look. “Sir, I can assure you, we’ve searched through every possible room in that house—”

“I believe you, Oliver. But what I’m referring to is another possible hidden room in that house.”

He reached around to scratch the back of his neck. “Oh, shit. We hadn’t thought about that,” he admitted. “But if that were the case, we wouldn’t even know where to start searching.”

He had a point there. Having stumbled upon that room behind the bookcase felt like nothing but sheer luck. They would have to physically tear the house to pieces if they were going to discover any more hidden rooms.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Ian stepped into the office and gave a curt nod. Alexander nearly pounced on the man for an update.

“How is she doing?” he questioned.

“I gave her another sedative. This one is mainly to help her deal with the pain.” Alexander stared at him intently, wanting Ian to address the elephant in the room. Ian sighed. “Look, the injuries on her face are rough. I have dealt with other patients like her case in the past, it’s not going to be easy for her. What Evelyn is going to need more than anything is time and support from those who care for her.”

Time and support...I can do that.