Chapter 44

[Evelyn’s POV]

The laughter had somehow taken a majority of the tension out of the room along with the painful strain that was tearing through my legs and feet. I shifted my weight back onto my heels and leaned against the wall for better support.

When Alexander finally managed to collect himself. He calmly cleared his throat and spoke. “Again, I think you’re putting too much thought into this. You’re too concerned by the fact and that you may fall that you’re not giving yourself the chance to find your stability.”

I sucked in a shaky breath and glanced down at the utter death traps that were strapped to my ankles.

“Try again,” he instructed. “This time, I want you to keep your head up and eyes forward.”

It seemed impossible. Normally, I wasn’t someone who kept their head down as they walked. Then again, I wasn’t someone who normally wore heels that could be considered weapons either.

However, I was determined to prove my doubt wrong and overcome my fears. I turned myself back around and tried to keep my eyes forward like he had said. I took in a deep breath and began to move.

Remember, Evelyn. You’re building a different version of yourself. Someone who walks into the room and knows exactly how to carry herself. Someone who doesn’t stumble and trip over her own feet. Oh, God!

“Ah!”

I had no idea what happened. One moment I was actually walking and the next thing I knew, I felt part of my right heel meet some kind of resistance, causing me to lose my balance. My knees were bending and the next thing I knew I was falling to the floor.

“Evelyn!”

I placed my hands out in front of me to absorb some of the force that came from hitting the ground.

“Ow,” I muttered.

“Shit,” Alexander muttered under his breath and came over to me as fast as he could. He reached out to help me up. “Are you alright?”

I winced and hoped that the rugburn wasn’t too noticeable on my arms. “I don’t know what happened.”

[Third-Person’s POV]

Alexander knew exactly what had happened. He watched with careful eyes as Evelyn made her way down the opposite side of the room. She’d been doing so well until he noticed the right heel of her shoe got snagged on the corner part of the carpet.

His heart lurched in his chest the moment he saw her knees buckle. Alexander’s first reaction was to catch her. He nearly lunged out of his wheelchair to keep her from hitting the ground and potentially injuring herself. But he knew that he couldn’t.

It would have been one hell of an explanation he'd have to give if he were to stand up now. He wanted to tell her the truth. He truly did. However, it never seemed like the ideal time.

He clenched his jaw and bit back a curse as Evelyn tried to catch herself on the way down. Instead of getting up, Evelyn gracefully rolled herself over to where she was sitting and facing Alexander.

“I don’t think I’m able to do this,” she whispered.

“A moment ago, you were doing it,” he told her. “Had it not been for that damn carpet, you would have made it to the other side of the room.”

“You told me I had to keep my head up and eyes forward. What the hell would have happened if I were to have fallen in front of a room full of other people?” she asked briskly.

She had a point. It wasn’t as though he would have been able to catch her even in that scenario either.

“I shouldn’t be doing this. I can walk in normal shows, dammit. Why the hell would I even wear a pair of heels like this in the first place?” she hissed.

Alexander saw the hurt and anger in her eyes. Her frustration wasn’t so much directed at him as it was at herself and the situation. The swell of his muscles around his heart made him realize that he felt her for her.

“Listen to me. You were doing amazingly. What happened wasn’t your fault, it was something that was out of your control,” he explained. “Even if by some rare chance that you were to fall in front of a room full of people, you’d be amazed by how many of them would show their concern.”

“Yeah, or decide to laugh,” she grumbled to herself.

There was no doubt that no one was meant to hear that remake. But he did. Something dangerous flickered through his eyes as he peered down at the woman who kept her knees pressed against her chest.

“Who laughed at you,” he said darkly.

Evelyn’s eyes widened with regret. She tilted her head back but Alexander wasn’t about to be brushed off again.

He spoke through gritted teeth. “Evelyn. Tell me.”

“Samantha, Fiona, and Isabella laughed when I failed to properly curtsy in front of the Queen and the Princess,” she admitted. “It was humiliating and I had no idea what I was doing. I was just thankful that Wendy was there to keep from hitting the floor.”

Again, Alexander felt the ache in his chest for her. A rush of guilt hit him like a hand to the back of the head. No one would have dared to treat her like that if he had been there.

“Was that all that happened,” he asked coolly.

Evelyn rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and avoided his gaze. Clearly, that meant no. He meant what he said before about having ways to find out about what had happened at that gathering. And now, he was more driven than ever.

It seems that I’m going to have a chat with my grandmother later.

“Okay. Does anything feel twisted or swollen?” he inquired while pointing to her ankles.

Evelyn felt around her ankles and shook her head.

“Would you be willing to try this again? I know that you’re capable of making it to the other side in those heels.”

He hadn’t expected to see a smile begin to form on her face. “Why are the heels so important?”

“Because if you can manage to walk in these, then you’re capable of walking in anything. These types of shoes force you to keep your posture straight and your back aligned with the rest of you. You can’t hunch your shoulders too much, otherwise, you face the risk of toppling over.”

“How do you know all of this?”

A sheepish smile crept its way over his mouth. “Growing up, my grandmother made it a point to cover etiquette when it came to both boys and girls when she was teaching me. She believed it was important for me to understand the pain and sacrifice that both sides had to make.”

“Well, she did an incredible job doing so.”

Evelyn rolled back onto her knees and very carefully raised herself back to her feet. Alexander took the chance to roll himself back to the furthest part of the room.

“What you did before was good, but you didn’t seem entirely focused,” he said.

“You’re not wrong. I’d fallen into some kind of thought and before I even noticed, my feet were moving and I began walking.”

“Alright, this time I want you to purposely focus on me. Don’t look anywhere else in the room—only at me. Ready?”

She took a deep breath in. “I think so.”

“Good. Now, walk to me.”

There was no fighting back the heat that spread throughout her face. Evelyn kept her gaze locked on Alexander but was quick to see that he was matching the same intensity he’d had when she stumbled out of her bathroom in that damn towel.

Before she knew it, Evelyn had crossed the room without so much as a single error or misstep. She’d done it. All because of him.

Alexander congratulated her with a prideful smirk. “Good girl.”