Chapter 28 Didn’t Realize You Cared About Me
Evelyn’s face turned slightly pink.
This was just like the Philip she used to know.
He wasn’t the type to lay on the charm, but when he said something, he meant every word.
She lifted her chin a little, her amber eyes soft but bright. “Alright, then. I’ll wait.”
The store clerk nearby chuckled and teased, “Newlyweds, huh? No wonder you two act so lovey–dovey.”
Philip picked up the basin, shot Evelyn a glance, and said, “Let’s go.”
He didn’t bother correcting the clerk.
Evelyn followed him out.
They climbed into the truck and drove toward the Schmidts‘ house.
It wasn’t far–barely ten minutes before they reached the alley entrance.
Things back at the house were already chaotic, and Evelyn didn’t want Philip caught up in any of it.
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“You can just drop the stuff off here,” she told him. “I’ll get someone from the neighborhood to help carry it in. Go do your errands.”
But Philip didn’t stop. He kept driving right into the narrow alley.
Even though the road was tight, he handled the pickup like a pro. It felt easy, as if the truck was floating through open space.
Eventually, he pulled up right in front of her house.
Then he looked over at her and said, “Helping you has never felt like trouble to me. So don’t act like you’re a burden.”
Evelyn gave him a small nod and said, “Got it,” before hopping out of the truck.
She tried to look casual as she started unloading everything.
Philip helped bring the boxes in.
Inside, only Irene was home. She was lounging on the couch with a plate of watermelon, spitting the seeds all over the floor.
As soon as she saw Philip walk in, she spit a seed in his direction and barked, “Hey! Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my house?”
Evelyn came in right behind him and said calmly, “Grandma, this is my boyfriend. He’s just helping me bring some stuff in.”
Since Philip didn’t seem to mind being around, Evelyn didn’t bother hiding it.
Just like she expected, Irene looked completely thrown off.
She tossed the fruit plate aside, jumped up, and stormed over to check Philip out from head to toe.
Before she could start grilling him with questions, Philip had already finished unloading.
He gave a quick, polite, “Nice to meet you,” then turned to Evelyn to say goodbye.
He didn’t really want to leave, but Evelyn had been quietly signaling him to go the whole time.
There were things she didn’t want him mixed up in yet.
And since she clearly wanted him to stay out of it, Philip respected that.
With those long legs of his, he disappeared down the alley in no time.
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Chapter 28 Didn’t Realize You Cared About Me
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Irene ran after him, but all she saw was the tail end of the military truck turning a corner, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Grumbling, she stomped back inside with empty hands.
And the second she got through the door, she exploded. “Since when do you have a new boyfriend?”
Evelyn didn’t hold anything back. “Maybe if you’d paid more attention back then, Alice wouldn’t have been sneaking around with my ex behind my back, don’t you think?”
Irene got the hint right away.
She’s calling me a busybody!
She almost jumped to her feet. “Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? You should respect your elders!”
Evelyn didn’t even flinch. “That doesn’t mean you get to boss people around. And really, shouldn’t you be more worried about Alice right now? Why are you picking a fight with me?”
Of course, I’m going to stick my nose in her business.
This little brat has stopped listening to anyone.
Yvonne said Evelyn is to be blamed for the drama between Alice and the guy, Seth.
If it weren’t for Evelyn, things wouldn’t have blown up this bad!
Now my plans are completely thrown off.
I’m stuck wasting time in this place. I wonder if the hens back in the village have started to get scrawny. Those hens are supposed to lay eggs for Victor to eat.
But country eggs never taste that great anyway.
Her thoughts drifted for a bit.
By the time she snapped out of it, Evelyn was already halfway up the stairs with her stuff and clearly had no plans to continue the conversation.
That wretched brat!
“Don’t you walk away from me!” Irene yelled. “If you don’t come back down here and apologize, I’ll tell everyone about that new boyfriend of yours and how you already brought him into the house!”
Evelyn stopped.
She turned slowly, her eyes unreadable. “You’d really do that?”
Irene grinned, feeling smug.
She was sure Evelyn was finally scared.
She nodded with all the authority she could fake. “I would. But if you admit you were wrong, apologize, and tell me how you set Alice up, maybe I’ll let it go.”
Then Evelyn started laughing.
At first, it was quiet. But soon she was laughing so hard she dropped her things and had to hold her side.
The weirdness of it gave Irene the creeps.
It was the first time in her life she actually felt nervous in front of a teenage girl.
Her voice shook a little. “What are you laughing at?”
Tm just happy. Evelyn said, still grinning. “I didn’t realize you cared about me, Grandma. I always thought you hated my
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Chapter 28 Didn’t Realize You Cared About Me
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Has she lost her mind?
Of course, I’ve always hated her.
Why wouldn’t I?
But this thing about me caring about her–what’s that supposed to mean?
Before Irene could figure it out, Evelyn went on.
“Dad’s still losing his mind over Alice. And he completely hates Seth now. But if you tell him I broke things off with that loser and started seeing someone better, he might feel like not all his daughters turned out to be total disasters.”
Irene froze
She hadn’t seen that coming at all. Evelyn had flipped her little threat like it was nothing.
With how much Evelyn cared about Zaid’s opinion, she should’ve been rattled.
But instead, she took the whole thing and turned it into a power move.
But
Irene suddenly realized she’d just made things worse for herself.
Still stewing, she heard Evelyn’s voice again. “Oh, and Grandma… maybe you should stop and think about what really happened with Alice. Or maybe when my mom told you everything, she left a few things out. What if she used you to get at me while she sat back and waited to benefit? Think about it.”
“You sneaky little brat! Trying to stir up trouble between us?” Irene snapped, glaring.
“Maybe I am. Or maybe you should be asking her a few questions,” Evelyn said, cool and calm. “If you two were really on the same side, why would she hide anything from you? The second you opened your mouth earlier, I knew she hadn’t told you everything. And whatever she’s hiding, it’s huge. You nearly got burned because of it.”
The way she said it was low, but it hit hard.
Irene suddenly felt a chill crawl across her chest.
By the time she pulled herself together, Evelyn had already gone back to her stuff like nothing happened.
Irene didn’t say another word. She didn’t even try to stop her.
Her mind was too busy spinning in circles, stuck on one question. What secret is Yvonne keeping from me?
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