Chapter 76 Before You
The door to the suite opened again.
Both women turned.
Theon stood there, a chart in his hand.
"Forgot my pen," he said blandly.
His eyes met Lena's. Just for a second too long.
Lena’s stomach tightened.
He retrieved a pen from the side table and walked toward the door. But before he crossed the threshold, he paused and glanced back.
"Lena." His voice was smooth. "I have something to discuss with you.”
Her breath hitched.
“Related to your father,” he added slowly, his smile deepening just slightly.
He turned to Evelyn and gave her a polite nod. “Rest well.”
Then he left, the door closing with a quiet click.
Silence.
Evelyn looked between the closed door and her friend, dumbfounded. “…Lena?”
Lena blinked rapidly.
“What I was trying to say earlier,” she rushed out, forcing a laugh, “is that he’s my father’s doctor.”
Evelyn stared at her.
“I know you’re probably wondering about… whatever that was.” She gestured vaguely toward the door.
“We don’t really know each other.”
She took a slow step back.
“It’s just—we didn’t start off on the right foot.”
Still no smile from Evelyn.
Lena’s laugh turned brittle. “I, uh… kind of made him crash his car once.”
Evelyn’s brows lifted.
“Accidentally!” Lena added quickly. “Very accidentally.”
“Our relationship has been… strained since.”
She forced another laugh. “Funny, right? Irony and fate and all that.”
Evelyn continued to stare at her with a flat, unimpressed expression.
The silence stretched.
“…See you!” Lena blurted suddenly.
She spun toward the door, yanked it open, and fled.
Evelyn looked at the door and let out a scoff, in disbelief.
—-
Lena hadn’t gone more than a few steps down the hallway when she rounded a corner and crashed directly into something solid.
"Hngh—!"
Papers scattered. Lena stumbled back, clutching her forehead.
Theon stood there, leaning against the wall with one knee bent, the sole of his shoe pressed against the surface behind him. One hand held his chart. The other twirled a pen lazily between his fingers.
He hadn't moved an inch, or even flinched when she collided with him. He simply stood there like a wall, watching her bounce off.
“Do you have to do that?” Lena exhaled, clutching her chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”
Theon slowly turned his head to look at her. His gaze was half-lidded, drowsy almost, but sharp underneath. The fluorescent lights caught the pale blonde of his hair, framing his face in a way that made him look almost ethereal.
Lena's heart skipped.
‘Damn.’
He looked like a cat. A beautiful, lazy, dangerous cat lounging in a sunbeam, daring someone to provoke him just so he could show them exactly how sharp his claws were.
She swallowed.
‘He's almost my type—’
"Have a smart mouth but can't keep a secret.”
His voice cut through her thoughts sharply. Mocking, and amused.
Lena's face dropped. Her mental completion of the thought snapped into place:
‘If only he were mute.’
She scoffed, rolling her eyes so hard. "I was handling it just fine.” She said walking away. “I know you don't want to tell me anything about my father, so I'm just gonna walk away.”
Theon’s eyes trailed her back as she walked away, a smile on his lips.
“Interesting.”
—-
After a few more days in the hospital suite, Roman finally let Evelyn go home.
The ride back, however, was far from peaceful.
“Roman, I don’t understand why you keep dodging the question about Victoria,” Evelyn said sharply as they stepped into the house.
Roman exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “We were driving,” he replied calmly. “I said I’d tell you. Just calm down.”
“Welcome back, Madam. Young Master.” Mrs. Chen emerged from her room, smiling warmly.
Evelyn's irritation melted slightly at the sight of the housekeeper's warm smile.
“Oh, Mrs. Chen!” she beamed, walking over to hug her.
Mrs. Chen froze in surprise for a while, before Evelyn gently pulled away.
Sensing the tension between the couple, she quickly excused herself.
“I’ll prepare something for you both.”
“I missed your cooking,” Evelyn called sweetly.
Roman watched the entire interaction with narrowed eyes.
“What about my cooking?” he asked dryly.
Evelyn shot him a look.
“I can’t believe you’re jealous of Mrs. Chen. And yet I’m not allowed to feel jealous because some other woman’s name was mentioned.”
She turned and marched upstairs.
Roman watched her go, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
For some reason, her jealousy amused him. But he knew he couldn’t drag this out any longer. If he did, it might spiral into something unnecessary.
—-
Upstairs, Evelyn stood under the shower, sulking as she rinsed shampoo from her hair.
Her thoughts were a mess.
Victoria. Victoria. Victoria.
The name had been lodged in her brain. Every time she thought she'd moved past it, it pricked her again.
She grabbed a towel and turned.
“Ah!”
She collided with a solid chest.
She stumbled backward, her feet slipping on the wet floor.
Roman’s arm shot out instantly, catching her around the waist.
“Careful,” he murmured, pulling her closer. “You startle easily.”
Her face flushed. She pushed against his chest. "Let go.”
He didn't. Instead, he turned her gently, trapping her lightly between him and the bathroom sink.
“Wha—what are you doing?” Her voice came out breathless, betraying her.
He was so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body. One palm pressed against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart.
The other hand clutching the towel tightly.
Roman leaned closer, his breath brushing against her face.
Evelyn's knees weakened instantly. She was sure if his arm wasn't around her waist, she'd be on the floor.
“R-Roman…”
He bit her earlobe gently.
A shiver ran through her entire body.
"I'm not trying to avoid your questions, darling," he whispered against her ear. "I just love it when you get jealous."
His lips grazed her cheek, jaw, and the corner of her mouth. Water droplets from her hair fell between them, wetting both their clothes.
Evelyn's breathing turned uneven. "Th-then let's talk about it. No more avoiding."
Roman smiled against her skin. "Okay.”
—-
Few minutes later, Evelyn stormed out of the bathroom, face flushed for an entirely different reason.
Roman followed behind her, rubbing his temple.
“Lyn, listen.”
He caught up to her easily, pulling her back against his chest. She didn't resist this time, she just stood there with a sulking expression that made him want to laugh and kiss her simultaneously.
“I’m a thirty-five-year-old man,” he said gently. “It’s normal for me to have an ex.”
Her frown deepened.
“Yes. Victoria and I were together,” he continued carefully. “But that’s over. It’s in the past. There’s no reason to feel threatened.”
Evelyn snorted. "Feel threatened? I don't feel threatened.”
Her cheeks puffed out slightly.
“It’s just not nice to have someone bring up your ex in front of your wife. How would you feel if someone brought up Nathan again?”
A sharp possessive glint flashed through Roman’s eyes. His jaw tightened briefly before he forced himself to relax.
“Alright,” he sighed. “My bad. That was my fault.”
She still felt that small sting in her chest.
But logically, a man like Roman—wealthy, attractive, and in his mid-thirties. If he had never dated before, that would have been strange.
Evelyn admitted she might be overreacting.
She studied his face. Sometimes she forgot he is indeed thirty-five. He didn’t look it.
If it weren't for the way he carried himself—the maturity, the control, the absolute certainty in everything he does, she'd swear he was closer to her age.
‘Maybe he lied about his age,’ she thought randomly.
But the weight in her chest wouldn't lift.
“So…” she asked quietly, “how long were you together?”
Roman closed his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose again. He had done that far too many times today.
“…Nine years,” he muttered.
Silence.
Evelyn’s eyes widened. Her jaw dropped.
“Nine years?!”