Chapter 18 Scandal
Her bright eyes landed on Adrian, and her face lit up with recognition.
"Mister Adrian!"
Adrian stood up from the couch, his face relaxing as he looked at the children. The usual seriousness in his features faded for a moment, replaced by a gentle warmth. Eva felt her heart ache as she saw a rare softness in his eyes.
"Good morning, Lily." He crouched down to her eye level. "Did you sleep well?"
"Uh-huh!" Lily nodded enthusiastically. "I dreamed about a big castle with a dragon! But the dragon was nice. He made pancakes. We had so much fun."
Adrian laughed, and the sound was open and real. Eva realized she had never heard him laugh like that before.
"That sounds like a very nice dream. Were you a princess in your dream?"
"I was!" Lily grinned, showing all her teeth. She turned to her brother, tugging his arm. "Brother Ethan, come say hi to Mister Adrian! He's very nice."
Ethan stayed back, looking unsure. He was more careful than his sister, always watching and thinking. He studied Adrian with dark, thoughtful eyes that looked like Adrian's own.
"Hello," Ethan said finally, his voice guarded.
"Hello, Ethan." Adrian's tone was gentle, patient. "Nice to meet you. Your mother has told me a lot about you."
He looked up, surprised. "Really?"
Adrian nodded with a knowing smile, "Yes, she says you're a very smart kid. And that you love reading."
Ethan's guarded look changed to surprise. He glanced at Eva, and she nodded to encourage him.
"I do. I like reading science books," he admitted. "And mystery novels."
"Mysteries?" Adrian's eyes lit up with genuine interest. "What a coincidence, I used to love mysteries as well when I was your age. Have you read any Sherlock Holmes?"
Ethan's eyes widened. "I have, they are my favorite!"
"Mine too." Adrian smiled. "Perhaps we can talk about our favorite cases sometime. If that's alright with you."
For the first time, Ethan relaxed. A small smile appeared on his lips, showing he was starting to trust Adrian.
"Okay," he said.
Eva watched them, amazed by how they got along. But then worry crept in. Every new bond between Adrian and her children made her feel both wonder and fear.
Adrian was good with them. He seemed natural, as if he had been waiting his whole life to meet these children, his children.
Eva realized she was watching him a little too long, worry making her skin prickle.
A dangerous thought crossed her mind, 'Did Adrian see himself in Ethan's careful eyes or in the way Lily laughed?'
She couldn't tell from his gentle smile, but there was a searching look in his eyes, like he was looking for pieces of himself in her children's faces.
The thought made Eva's heart beat faster with both fear and longing.
It was beautiful, but also terrifying.
Because the more Adrian became part of their lives, the harder it would be to let him go.
And Eva wasn't sure she was ready to open herself up that much.
Letting Adrian in would mean risking the peaceful life she had built and her children's feeling of safety.
She wondered if getting close to him would only make it harder for both of them if he left again.
Still, part of her wanted to believe they could be a loving family.
Her fear of being hurt mixed with hope. She was torn between wanting more and feeling unsure.
Breakfast turned out to be surprisingly pleasant.
Mrs. Chen made a big breakfast with pancakes, eggs, fresh fruit, and the children's favorite chocolate milk. Adrian sat with them, talking with Lily about dragons and answering Ethan's many questions about being a detective.
For a brief moment, Eva could almost believe they were a normal family.
But being normal was a luxury she couldn't afford anymore.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
Eva took it out, expecting a message from her father or from Leonard.
It was from Daniel.
Text read: "Call me. NOW."
Eva felt her stomach sink. What had happened? The text sounded urgent and worried.
She excused herself from the table, stepping into the hallway before dialing her brother's number.
Daniel answered on the first ring.
"Eva." His voice was tight, controlled. "Where are you?"
"I'm at home. Why? Something wrong?"
A long pause.
"Have you been online this morning?"
"No. I just woke up. Having my breakfast. What happened?" Eva tried to sound casual.
But the silence from the other end made her heart begin racing, "Daniel, what's going on?"
Another pause. Longer this time.
"Eva, there's a video online," Daniel said finally. "It's going viral."
Uneasiness prickled in her body. "What video?"
Daniel's voice dropped to a pained whisper.
"Of you. From seven years ago."
Eva felt the world spin as shock and fear hit her.
Eva grabbed the wall to steady herself as her legs nearly gave out.
"What... what do you mean?"
"Someone posted footage from the night of your eighteenth birthday. It's a CCTV clip from the hotel. You and..." Daniel hesitated. "It's you and a man entering the room, and you coming out disheveled... The video doesn't show everything that happened in the room, but it's carefully edited to make it clear what happened on that day."
For years, Eva tried not to think about how that night started as a celebration and turned into something she could not recognize.
She remembered bits and pieces: laughter, a drink that tasted strange, then her memory went blank, leaving confusion and panic.
Then she found herself Alone in the hotel room. The shame and fear that followed had never really left her.
Eva's vision blurred.
No.
No.
This couldn't be happening.
"The response is not good. The comments are nasty," Daniel continued, his voice getting sharper with anger. "You know how judgmental people can be. And you being a married woman, they are making guesses and calling you names. Some news outlets have already picked it up. They're guessing about the man's identity, about whether the twins are Derek's—"