Chapter 182
Chapter 182
The Matthew from before, if he encountered a similar situation, definitely wouldn't have been able to control himself.
He might have pressed the elevator button again, pulled her back to the apartment, and pinned her to the bed until satisfied.
But today, he'd forcibly restrained himself.
He seemed to have truly changed.
Changed to know how to respect her wishes, to know when to stop when she said no.
Evelyn's mood inexplicably brightened.
Hearing footsteps catching up behind her, she couldn't help turning around, gently standing on tiptoe to plant a kiss at the corner of his mouth.
"Matthew, you did very well today." Evelyn's smile was radiant, light dancing in her eyes.
Matthew's eyes widened slightly, as if struck simultaneously by the kiss and those words.
He stood stunned for several seconds, then suddenly hugged her tight.
"Honey, are you praising me? I'm not dreaming, am I..."
His voice was muffled in her shoulder, carrying a sense of unreality.
"I always see your bright smile in dreams, but when I wake up there's nothing."
"Thank goodness the you I'm holding now is real."
Hearing his slightly trembling voice, Evelyn's heart trembled too.
But her words were still tough. "Serves you right!"
"I deserve it!"
Matthew didn't argue.
"So can we be together in the future? Live together in our home."
"For me, wherever you are is home."
"When you weren't here, this apartment was just a place that made me suffer and feel conflicted, yet I couldn't bear to leave."
Looking back, the most comfortable days of Matthew's life were those times living with Evelyn in the apartment.
What seemed ordinary then now felt precious, like every frame was stolen.
"What good does my agreeing do?" Evelyn muttered. "My children might not accept you."
She wasn't exaggerating.
She could feel Caleb didn't like Matthew.
Although Chloe really liked this handsome uncle, if Chloe learned the truth from back then, she'd probably be very disappointed too.
Matthew had a long road ahead to get along with the two children.
"I'll work hard!" Matthew immediately responded.
"I'll definitely work hard to learn how to be a good father. I'll treat your children as my own."
Evelyn didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm and finally just nodded lightly before getting in the car.
After returning to the apartment, Matthew didn't turn on the lights.
By the moonlight from the window, he walked into the bedroom, his large hand gently brushing over those two baby cribs.
The wooden edges had been worn smooth and shiny by his touch over three years.
After a long while, he spoke softly. "Babies, Daddy is working hard to win Mommy back."
"If you haven't gone to your new home yet, then after Mommy and Daddy are together, come find us, okay?"
"Daddy will definitely make up for the hurt he caused you, treating you well for a lifetime."
By the end, his eyes were moist, a dull pain in his chest.
He'd always been decisive, rarely regretting things.
But only what happened three years ago still caused him unbearable pain when he thought about it.
He didn't dare imagine how long it would take Evelyn to heal from these wounds.
"Babies, Daddy will move the cribs somewhere else for now. I'm afraid Mommy will be hurt seeing them."
"When you come back, I'll prepare everything new for you, okay?"
He sat by the bedroom bed for a long time, his fingertips repeatedly stroking the crib railings.
After who knows how long, he finally stood up, preparing to make do on the sofa for another night.
Just then, his phone vibrated.
A message from Evelyn: "I'm home. Stop sleeping on the sofa. It's sagging."
Matthew stared at those words for several seconds, his sad mood smoothing out somewhat.
He obediently listened and returned to the bedroom.
Though he couldn't say he slept particularly well, he did sleep until dawn.
At the villa on the other side, Evelyn was packing.
She wouldn't be on the island long this time, so she hadn't planned to bring much luggage.
But seeing Monica push out a small cart full of gifts from storage, she was still stunned.
"What's this?"
"All gifts from Henry for the kids." Monica introduced as she moved things out.
"Look, these sudoku game books are for Caleb, and this programming book—supposedly very advanced."
"And these toys are for Chloe. And these, and these..."
Evelyn looked at the mountain of gifts, somewhat exasperated.
"You call this gifts? I feel like an entire store was emptied."
"My godson and goddaughter naturally need to be spoiled to the sky." Monica said righteously, chin lifted slightly.
"But Matthew—he says he's pursuing you, yet knowing you have a daughter, he hasn't shown anything!"
"Not even as thoughtful as Henry, who's never even met them!"
"When we were walking yesterday, he mentioned getting gifts for the kids. Today he brought a whole carload."
"See, this is efficiency, this is real caring! Matthew has a lot to learn!"
"True." Hearing Monica say this, Evelyn didn't defend Matthew.
Just then, her phone rang.
Matthew sent a WhatsApp message: "I'm setting up a family trust and children's insurance for your daughter. Send me the child's information."
Evelyn stared at the screen, unable to help the smile curving her lips.
Uh... they might have concluded too soon.
Monica leaned over and saw the message too, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "Didn't expect him to be quite on point."
"But if you send Chloe's information, won't her identity be exposed?"
Evelyn nodded, typing a reply declining Matthew using "Susan won't allow it" as the reason.
"When are you planning to tell him the truth?" Monica asked tentatively.
"Need to spend more time together. If I think it's OK, I'll naturally tell him."
"If not OK, then definitely keep it hidden for life."
Evelyn put away her phone, her tone calm but firm.
Given Matthew's personality, if he knew about the children's existence, who knows what methods he'd use to fight for custody.
"Makes sense." Monica nodded, changing the subject.
"So now, does Matthew have any objections to your married status?"
Thinking about this made Evelyn laugh.
"Matthew's shamelessness really keeps increasing."
"A few days ago he said he'd be my secret lover, but today he's planning to make me a widow."
Monica's eyes widened. Was this the Matthew she knew? Actually willing to be the other man?
They laughed for a bit before Evelyn looked at the pile of gifts worriedly.
"I'll pack some of these for them, otherwise I won't get them on the plane."
"When Caleb and Chloe return home later, I'll give them the rest."
Monica nodded.
They said their goodbyes and returned to their rooms.
The next morning, after breakfast, Evelyn said goodbye to Monica and prepared to head to the airport.
Who knew that as soon as she stepped outside, she'd see Matthew waiting at the door—no idea how long he'd been there.