Chapter 144
Before Evelyn could react, Matthew had already pulled her into the apartment.
In the darkness, she couldn't see anything. She only felt his presence closing in.
His scorching breath washed over her face, carrying a kind of suppressed, manic intensity.
"Matthew, what are you doing?"
In the darkness, he cupped her face and kissed her.
"Let go!" Evelyn struggled, her words muffled.
She pushed against his chest, but his arms were like iron bands. She couldn't break free.
Furious, she bit down hard.
Matthew groaned, the taste of blood flooding his mouth.
But instead of letting go, he kissed her deeper, his hands growing bolder.
He was losing his mind.
From the moment he learned she had a child—a two-year-old child—his rationality had snapped.
Three years of pent-up longing and desire burst through like a dam breaking, overwhelming everything.
His thick, masculine presence wrapped around Evelyn layer by layer, nearly suffocating her.
At first, Evelyn fought desperately, but Matthew knew exactly how to ignite her.
Her body was more honest than her heart. Within moments, her limbs went weak.
Somehow, he'd carried her into the bedroom.
It wasn't until his hand started moving lower that Evelyn jolted awake.
"Let go!"
She struggled violently, but Matthew didn't budge.
As they wrestled, her dress rode up, exposing her delicate waist and stomach.
Matthew's movements suddenly froze.
Trembling, he touched the scar on her abdomen.
His fingertips lightly traced the mark, as if confirming a truth he refused to believe.
"You really... had a child with someone else?" His voice shook, filled with utter despair.
Evelyn let out a cold laugh and looked up at him. "Yes."
"I'm a married woman now. Let me go!"
Matthew went rigid. She barely pushed, and he fell to the side.
Evelyn rolled off the bed swiftly and straightened her clothes.
Matthew sat slumped on the other side of the bed.
Evelyn fumbled for the bedside lamp and turned it on.
As the light flooded the room, she saw her surroundings clearly and froze.
The baby cribs she'd bought three years ago were still there.
Pink and blue, side by side, with the two stuffed animals still on top.
Her gaze drifted to the living room.
The banners and balloons she and Monica had put up were still there too, faded now, like old dreams forgotten by time.
The only thing that had changed was the bouquet on the dining table. It looked fresh, as if just replaced.
She stood there, stunned, something heavy lodging in her chest.
"You had a child with someone else. I can overlook that. You got married. I can overlook that too."
Matthew's hoarse voice came from behind. "Eve, divorce him. Come back to me, okay? I'll treat your child as my own."
The faint ache that had been rising in Evelyn's chest was instantly doused by those words.
She turned to look at him, her gaze turning cold. "Mr. Perkins, what nonsense are you talking?"
"But today, at Grandma's bedside, you promised her we'd be together!" Matthew's eyes were bloodshot, his voice filled with grievance.
Evelyn ignored him and turned to leave.
Matthew wrapped his arms around her from behind, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder. "Eve, don't go. Don't leave me alone... Eve, don't leave..."
His voice trembled.
Evelyn's heart lurched sharply.
Even after three years, she still felt pain at this man's vulnerability.
She smiled silently at herself and kept walking.
Matthew didn't chase her.
His hands slid away. He collapsed to the floor, clutching his stomach in pain.
Evelyn's steps halted again.
Damn it.
Was he really sick, or was he faking? She couldn't tell, but she didn't dare take the risk.
Through gritted teeth, she asked, "Where's your medicine?"
"In the box... under the coffee table..." Matthew's voice was barely a whisper.
Evelyn bit down hard, dragged Matthew to the sofa, fumbled for the medicine, poured water, and forced him to take it.
Inadvertently, her fingers brushed his forehead. It was burning hot.
He really was sick.
"No, I'm taking you to the hospital."
"Don't... don't take me to the hospital. I don't want to be alone in a hospital bed. Eve, don't leave. Stay with me, okay? After Grandma left, I'm all alone..."
As he spoke, his eyes grew moist.
Evelyn had never seen Matthew like this.
He'd always been commanding, in control, unquestionable.
But right now, he looked like a child abandoned by the world, curled up on the sofa, eyes red, fragile beyond measure.
She fell silent. The words telling him she was leaving stuck in her throat. She couldn't say them.
Matthew lowered his gaze, as if lost in memory.
"Do you know why my mother and I were never close?" His voice was soft, almost like he was talking to himself.
Evelyn shook her head.
Since being with Matthew, she'd always known his relationship with his mother was strained, but she'd never known the details.
"Because I'm a... surrogacy child." Matthew let out a self-deprecating laugh.
Evelyn froze.
"My real father was actually Grandma's eldest son, Holden." His tone was flat, as if he were talking about someone else, yet every word weighed heavy. "Back then, Grandma had already sensed he had suicidal tendencies. She secretly froze his sperm under the guise of a routine checkup."
"After my mother married into the Perkins family, she needed IVF because my father had low sperm count. Grandma intervened and had my mother carry me."
Evelyn had never heard of such a thing.
She stared at him, eyes wide.
Matthew's smile was bitter. "Actually, I found out when I was sixteen. Grandma told me herself at my coming-of-age ceremony."
"She said it was about maximizing family interests—"
"Preserving the eldest son's excellent genes while easing the pain of the younger son who couldn't have children."
"The Perkins family needed a child like me."
Evelyn's gaze grew complicated as she looked at him.
When she'd met Marsha, the woman had been frail and much gentler.
She hadn't known Marsha had once been the kind of person who dictated others' fates without a second thought.
The collapse of the Perkins family seemed inevitable.
And Matthew, at the moment he came of age, had been indoctrinated with such twisted, cold values...
No wonder he'd always been dismissive of emotions, ruthless and decisive in his actions.
"Why... are you telling me this?" Evelyn asked, her voice strained.
These were things that should have stayed buried.
Matthew's voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Now, I don't know who else I can tell."
"If I'm gone too, no one will ever know."
Evelyn was startled by the world-weariness in his tone.
She spoke clumsily. "If you stay alive, you'll have plenty of futures ahead."
Even she thought the words sounded hollow.
Matthew said nothing more.
His face was flushed unnaturally red, faint steam rising from his forehead.
"Go to the hospital."
"No."
"Fine. Then I'm leaving."
Evelyn had just stood when Matthew yanked her back down. She fell onto him.
His whole body was burning.
Evelyn struggled wildly.
"I won't do anything." Matthew's voice carried a plea, almost humble.
"Tonight, just don't leave me alone, okay?"