Chapter 75

Retracing the path she imagined never to take again, Evangeline felt that her heart would come out of her mouth at any moment. Because she had no idea that Allegra knew about Alec and was probably seeing him again.

As soon as she reached the gate of the mansion, she did not hesitate to enter. Howard was finishing washing the car when he saw her go through the big iron bars.

"Is it a mirage?" he jokes as soon as she approaches. "Evangeline?”

"Hi, Howard. How long.”

"I just won’t hug you, because...”

The driver’s phrase was lost when the redhead approached him and hugged him. Years passed, but she still saw him as a fortress.

"I thought I’d never see you again." Howard says, squeezing his arms around her. "Even more so here.”

"Yeah... I didn’t expect to come back here either, but my daughter...”

"Daughter?”

"Long story." Evie sighs, walking away from Howard. "Is he there?”

Howard nodded in the affirmative and motioned for her to accompany him. Evie took a deep breath, trying to control the anxiety that being in that place caused her.

"You won’t believe who’s here.”

Evangeline just stepped aside and felt everything stop. Facing Alec brought to light a series of complex and contradictory emotions. As she felt nervous, Evie wondered what was going on inside Alec, seeing her again after so many years apart.

"Alec." she murmured, almost in a whisper.

"Hi, Evangeline.”

The exchange of looks was intense and it seemed that it would never end. Evangeline noted that Alec avoided growing a beard, probably not to look older. His style had not changed. He had the same haircut. The same glow in the endless sea that was his blue eyes.

"You cut your hair." he says, without taking his eyes off her. "I thought it was impossible to make her more beautiful.”

That look and that speech, it was making her heart tingle more and more. Evie almost forgot that it was he who broke up with her and abandoned her. Almost.

"Where is my daughter?" Evangeline questions, trying to erect a barrier between her bruised heart and the man she loves so much. "Allegra?”

"You mean our daughter?”

Evie blinks a few times, but tries to stay firm.

"She is not yours...”

"You can’t fool me, Evangeline. Is she my daughter?”

"She’s my daughter! I had her. I raised her.”

"Evangeline...”

"NO MATTER!" cries, letting the anxiety consume and tears appear. "YOU FINISHED WITH ME! You... destroyed me. I owe you no satisfaction.”

Little Allegra sneaks out the door, letting Evangeline see her. The redhead goes to her daughter and ducks down to talk to her.

"Did you go crazy? Went out alone through a city you don’t know and entered the house of an unknown man?”

"He’s not unknown. He’s Alec. My father.”

"Look, let’s go home. We’ll talk.”

She gets up and holds the girl’s hand. Before leaving the room, Evie looks at Alec.

"Sorry to bother you." says. "Goodbye, Alec.”

Alec stood in his living room, watching the woman he had always loved walk away. Just like he did with her.

All the plans he had for that day were put aside. Alec turned around and sat on the armchair, staring out the window into the garden.

He was never able to forget her. As soon as he left the hospital, Alec sank into trouble and accepted all sorts of forbidden things. He returned to work in prostitution clubs; he orchestrated robberies of large banks; he was arrested on suspicion of fraud twice, but as they had nothing proven, they released him. All this in the same year that Evangeline left.

Although he always wanted to know how she was, if she was okay without him, Alec knew he was unhealthy. He was the one who had broken up, because he was afraid that they would take her life. So he was the one who should follow his life and let her follow hers.

"What happened here?" Audrey’s voice fills the room, but Alec doesn’t look at her. "That perfume... reminds me so much of...”

"Evangeline. Yeah. She just left.”

"What?

"With my daughter." the mobster directs his gaze to his blonde sister, who had a huge question mark stamped on her face. "I have a daughter!”

"Alec... is this a joke? Are you kidding me?”

"No! Ask Howard if you want. The girl showed up here saying she was my daughter, and Audrey, you needed to see her... she’s the face of Evangeline, but she has my eyes.”

"What about Evangeline? She confirmed?”

"Not with the right words." He looks at the window again. "But I know it’s true. That girl is my daughter.”

"Well... if Evangeline was here, she knows about...”

"No. I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t talk. Audrey, I’m so... confused." Alec runs his hand across his face. "I need to see her again. I need to talk to her. There is so much to be said and explained... the girl told that Evangeline has a husband... she married! He got married and didn’t go with me.”

"Of course it wasn’t. You broke up with her in a stupid way and on the worst day of her life.”

"Don’t remind me of that. You, better than anyone, know my motives. My fears." Alec gets up. "I need to talk to her.”

"Where do you think you’re going?”

"To her house. " Audrey hastens to get in front of her brother. " It is obvious that she is there. What are you doing? Let me pass.

"I know you want to talk to her. I imagine the confusion your heart must be in right now. But, Alec, you know Evangeline as well as I do. You know she won’t listen to you. Well..." the blonde smiles and wiggles her hair. "Not without an incentive.”

"What are you planning?”

"It will be my son’s birthday in two days and I know that Evie will not deny an invitation from me.”

"Two days? You want me to wait two days to talk to her?”

Audrey rolls her eyes. Her brother was extremely smart, but not when things involved the redhead.

"The invitation is a pretext, Alec. I’m going to get her back into that family and home. Where she should never have left.”