Chapter 156 Seeds of Doubt

Chapter 156 Seeds of Doubt

"Welcome back home, Mrs. Rose. Let me take your suitcases upstairs," Casey said with a warm smile as she opened the main door.
Rose paused on the threshold. She looked inside the house, which felt silent and cold. "Thank you, Casey. Where are Evan and the children?"
"Mr. Evan is downstairs in the study, Ma'am. Alan and Emily are already asleep in their rooms," Casey answered softly. Her hands efficiently took the two large suitcases from Rose's grip.
Rose let out a long sigh, rubbing her neck, which felt stiff after the long trip back from out of town. She stepped inside, her eyes scanning the room. A awkward stillness hung in the air, making the grand house feel foreign to her.
"Why is the house so quiet? Usually around this time Evan is watching television in the living room," Rose muttered, more to herself.
Casey lowered her head slightly, wearing a subtly hesitant expression. "Ever since you left, Mr. Evan has spent most of his time in his study or in his room. The house feels very quiet without you."
Rose turned to face the young nanny. "Did Evan eat well while I was away?"
Casey gave a gentle nod. "I always made sure Mr. Evan's favorite food and coffee were ready on time, Ma'am. Lately, Mr. Evan even asked me to keep him company and chat in the kitchen late at night."
Rose frowned. Her footsteps came to a halt in front of the stairs. "Chat? About what?"
"Just light conversation, Ma'am," Casey said with an innocent, guiltless tone. "Mr. Evan seemed very tired and lonely. He talked a lot about his work, and several times he asked when you would be coming home."
Rose's heart ached sharply. She tightened her grip on the staircase railing. "Evan talked to you?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Mr. Evan said he was under a lot of stress lately. He really needed someone to talk to at home," Casey said, looking at Rose with eyes filled with apparent sympathy. "I only tried to be a good listener since you weren't here."
Rose clenched her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. The exhaustion from her work suddenly mixed with a stinging pain spreading through her chest. Why was her husband sharing his struggles with a new nanny instead of calling her directly?
"I see," Rose whispered softly. Her voice trembled slightly.
"You don't need to worry, Ma'am," Casey added quickly, taking a step up the stairs toward Rose. "I took very good care of Mr. Evan while you were away on business. I even brewed him herbal tea every night before he went to sleep."
Rose stared straight at Casey. On the surface, the words sounded completely ordinary, but there was a subtle emphasis on taking care of him that made her chest tighten. It was as if Casey had just assumed her position as a wife in this house.
"You are very attentive to my husband, Casey," Rose said. Her tone was cold and distant.
"It is my duty, Ma'am. I didn't want Mr. Evan to feel neglected in his own home," Casey replied without hesitation. Her face maintained perfect politeness.
Rose shifted her gaze toward the hallway leading to Evan's study. The door was shut tight. For three days, while she worked hard out of town, her husband had been building closeness with another woman under their very roof. Dark thoughts began to creep into her mind, eroding what little self-confidence she had left since the missing document incident days ago.
"Would you like me to make you some warm tea as well, Ma'am?" Casey offered gently.
"No need. I am going to Evan's study right now," Rose replied sharply. She turned and took wide strides toward his study door.
Casey stood silently on the stairs, watching Rose's tense back. A faint, triumphant smile spread slowly across her lips. The seed of jealousy was planted deep, merely waiting for the right moment to explode.
Rose knocked on the study door twice and opened it immediately without waiting for an answer.
Evan, who was reviewing files at his desk, looked up. His stern face showed surprise at seeing his wife standing there.
"Rose? You're back?" Evan asked, standing up from his chair.
Rose stood near the door, crossing her arms over her chest. She looked at Evan with an investigating stare. "Yes, I just arrived. You seem so busy you didn't even hear my car."
Evan stepped closer, intending to wrap an arm around her shoulder. "I was finishing the financial report. How was your trip?"
Rose pulled back slightly, avoiding his touch. "My trip went well. But it seems you enjoyed the house much more while I was gone."
Evan stopped in his tracks. His brow furrowed deeply. "What do you mean, Rose? I'm exhausted, and we just saw each other."
"I just spoke with Casey," Rose cut in. Tears began to well in her eyes as she fought her emotions. "She said you were very lonely and kept asking her to sit and chat with you late into the night in the kitchen."
Evan's eyes widened, a mix of shock and irritation washing over his face. "Casey said that?"
"Why? Are you shocked that I know?" Rose raised her voice. "You talked to her about your work problems! You asked her to make you tea and keep you company! Meanwhile, when I called, you always said you were busy and hung up right away!"
"Rose, listen to me first! It isn't what you think!" Evan snapped back in defense. "Casey was the one who kept bringing me drinks and trying to talk to me! I even gave her a harsh reprimand last night!"
Rose let out a bitter laugh, tears falling down her cheeks. "Reprimanded her? Then why does she feel so entitled to take care of you while I'm away? How does she know you needed someone to talk to when I was out of town?"
"Because she is deliberately provoking you, Rose! Why are you trusting a nanny's words over your own husband?!" Evan replied, his tone laced with frustration.
"Because you gave her the opening, Evan!" Rose yelled. Emotional weight, physical exhaustion, and jealousy burned away all her logic that night. "You let her cross her boundaries because you feel I'm never there for you!"
Evan clenched his fists tightly. "I never thought that! You are the one being completely paranoid and emotional lately!"
The word paranoid stung Rose's heart painfully. She stared at Evan in disbelief, as if the man in front of her were a stranger.
"So I'm paranoid?" Rose whispered, her voice breaking. "Fine. Then let me be even more paranoid."
Rose turned and walked quickly out of the study, slamming the door so hard it banged against the wall. Evan groaned in frustration, sweeping his desk clean and sending several files scattering across the floor.
At the end of the hallway near the kitchen, Casey stood with folded arms. She watched the heated argument from the shadows with immense satisfaction. The rift between Rose and Evan was widening now, almost impossible to mend.
As Rose ran toward the stairs in tears, Casey stepped out of the shadows and blocked her path.
"Mrs. Rose, is there anything I can help you with?" Casey asked, her tone dripping with fake sympathy.
Rose stopped, glaring at Casey with red eyes blazing with anger.
"Why do you care so much about my husband, Casey?"