Chapter 21 – Lies
Evan thought about Hannah's so-called second relationship until he fell asleep.
In the haze of sleep, he felt someone sitting stiffly beside his bed.
Worse, that person was pressing down on his leg.
At first, Evan thought he had run into some kind of ghost sleep paralysis. He struggled hard and sat up suddenly.
By the moonlight, he finally saw the face.
It was Rowan.
"Rowan, why are you sitting on my bed in the middle of the night pressing on my leg?"
Rowan made an absent-minded sound and shifted his backside closer to the head of the bed. Then he lowered his voice and leaned toward Evan mysteriously.
"How is it?"
"Has Hannah's impression of you improved recently?"
Evan released a long breath.
This man had almost scared his soul out.
"How would I know what counts as improved? I've never even been in love. I don't understand this stuff."
Rowan guided him patiently.
"For example, has she taken you out anywhere?"
"Or bought anything for you?"
Evan thought about it.
"My old underwear had a hole in the back, and she bought me a new pair yesterday. Does that count?"
Rowan's eyes lit up.
"It counts."
Then he leaned closer, his tone turning serious.
"I've thought carefully these past few days."
"If you two really reach that step, there must be emotional foundation first."
"Without feelings, based on what I know about Hannah, she absolutely won't let anything happen."
Evan looked confused.
"Then how do I build feelings?"
"She's around thirty. I'm just a young guy. There's almost ten years between us."
Rowan nodded seriously.
"It can happen."
"As long as you touch her heart."
Evan felt a chill.
Listen to this.
Was this human speech?
What kind of husband taught another man how to pursue his own wife step by step?
Evan finally could not hold back and tested him curiously.
"Rowan, if... I mean if."
"If Hannah never gets pregnant, what exactly happens?"
"I want to know the result."
Rowan's face darkened at once.
"If she doesn't get pregnant, everything we have now gets reset to zero."
"And she will lose a huge amount of money. A very huge amount."
Evan continued asking, "What if Hannah doesn't care about money?"
Rowan gave a cold snort.
"She may not care. I do."
"Without money, what am I supposed to use to support her?"
"Do you know how much she spends every month?"
Evan shook his head.
"Her counselor salary is barely enough. Add allowances, and it still isn't much."
"For ordinary people in Harbor City, that income is decent. For her, it doesn't even cover the edge."
"Her current monthly spending is at least fifteen thousand."
"I'm the one filling all those gaps."
"There's a saying: moving from thrift to luxury is easy, moving back is hard."
"So I hope you keep this baby matter firmly in your heart."
"Fine. I understand."
Evan did not fully believe Rowan's explanation.
Jack had taught him how to read people.
Evan had studied Rowan's face and manner before. This man had a deep city inside him. He was an old fox, skilled at hiding real emotion.
Maybe Rowan truly had some unspeakable difficulty.
Or maybe this bastard had been lying from the beginning and was holding back something rotten.
Evan decided to stay still for now and dig slowly during daily life.
If he asked too much too soon, Rowan would become alert.
After that, Rowan began teaching experience.
"If you want a woman to like you, first you must do what she likes."
Evan followed the thread. "Then what does Hannah like?"
"Photography."
"In a few days, I'll get you a good camera and teach you a few shooting tricks."
"Most importantly, in daily life, you must create more physical contact with her."
"Over time, a woman will develop bodily dependence. She'll get used to your touch."
"Simplest example."
"When you first bring home a wild cat, if you reach out to touch it, it'll hiss and scratch you."
"But if you force it to accept being touched a few times, after a while, it'll lift its tail and rub against your hand by itself."
Evan nodded as if he understood.
"Oh. I get it."
At that moment, Hannah's gentle voice came from outside the room.
"Honey, Evan, come eat late-night snacks."
"Coming," Rowan answered casually, then stood and left the room.
Evan followed him out.
He washed his face with cold water in the bathroom and sat at the dining table.
"Honey, how was your business trip?" Hannah asked. "Did everything go smoothly?"
Rowan nodded warmly. "Almost done."
"That's good. You're always running around outside. It makes my heart ache."
Rowan picked up food and placed it in Hannah's bowl.
"What's there to be tired about? A man works for his family."
Watching the two act sweet at the table, Evan kept eating on the surface while feeling speechless inside.
After tonight's testing, he now seriously suspected Rowan did not love Hannah at all.
It was all acting.
Time passed to the next day, Sunday.
Rowan rarely had time off and stayed home the entire day.
Evan did not want to watch them perform affection, so he lay in his room playing on his phone.
In the afternoon, his phone vibrated.
A new message arrived.
It was from Wendy.
The content was simple and brutal:
I'm mentally ready. Book the room.
Evan stared at the screen.
Holy hell.
Could such a big surprise really arrive just like that?
These past days, Hannah had stirred him up until his blood ran hot. Since meat had delivered itself to the door, he might as well use this spicy mountain girl to put out the fire.
Evan rolled out of bed, changed into clean clothes at high speed, and went downstairs.
He circled the area near the apartment complex and found a cheap motel that did not ask many questions. He booked a large bed room, went inside, took a quick combat shower, then sent the room number and address to Wendy.
He waited anxiously on the bed for more than half an hour.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door sounded.
Evan opened it at once.
Wendy wore a low-key baseball cap, her head lowered as she slipped into the room.
She was dressed lightly today. A black fitted camisole on top, slim cropped jeans below, and white sneakers on her feet. The outfit was simple, but Wendy's figure was anything but.
Tall, bright, and full in all the places the little black top struggled to contain.
The moment she entered and saw Evan looking at her openly, her face flushed.
"What are you looking at?"
"I... I'll shower first."
She threw down the words, grabbed a towel, and escaped into the bathroom.
Evan lay spread out on the white bed, listening to the water rush inside.
His heart was full of anticipation and nerves.
After all, this was his first real battle.
No experience.
What exactly was he supposed to do?
More than ten minutes later, the shower finally stopped.
The frosted glass door opened gently.
Wendy came out damp all over, wrapped in a short towel that barely reached her thighs, her face red enough to burn.
Author's Note:
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