Chapter 152: Worried about Her

"If you feel bad, you don't need to pretend that you're ok," Evan says, "I'm worried about you. It's been a while since you've eaten anything, and you need to keep your strength up."

He gently guides her into the restaurant and sits beside her in a booth. With a quick glance at the menu, he orders the food. Then he looks thoughtfully at Avery.

"I've arranged the pregnancy test," he says.

Avery slowly sips a cup of tea, trying to calm her stomach. Her hand begins to shake when Evan mentions the test.

"Do you still promise me that you can save Gabrielle?" she asks.

"I already have people searching for her," Evan replies.

"How long before they find her?"

"They have to cover a lot of ground," Evan says hesitantly, "We need at least three days."

"Three days?" Avery gasps, "Can't they work any faster? Who knows what kind of danger might befall her in three days!"

"My men are trying their best," Evan assures her.

In spite of his reassurance, Avery looks worried.

"You know Mr. Clifford; you know what kind of man he is," Avery said with a frown, "If Gabrielle stays there longer, she will be in danger. Already it's been too long. Who knows what he's doing to her?"

Evan gazes thoughtfully at Avery. He knows she's upset about her sister, but something about her seems off. Avery blushes and stares at her tea, afraid that Evan will somehow guess the truth. Just as the silence becomes unbearable, the waiters arrive, bearing trays of food.

A waiter puts an Australian rock lobster in front of Avery. The fishy smell makes her want to vomit, and she quickly pushes the plate away.

"Don't you like it?" Evan asks, "You've always loved seafood in the past."

"I told you, I don't want to eat now," Avery says.

"Just tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you," Evan insists.

"I don't want to do anything," Avery says slowly.

Evan presses his lips together and regards her sincerely.

"Are you sure you're not pregnant?" he asks her.

Avery almost chokes on her tea. She shakes her head firmly as she coughs.

"No, I've told you I'm not," she insists.

"Then why won't you eat anything?" Evan demands.

"I already told you that I that I ate too much cake yesterday," Avery says, "I don't feel well."

Evan nods and pulls her out of the booth.

"Let's go," he says, "If you're hungry later, I'll ask the cooks to make something easy to digest."

Something catches the corner of Avery's eye, and she looks down at Evan's hand. The watch and the ring she painted on his skin are still clearly visible.  

"Haven't washed your hands since yesterday?" she asks.

"When I washed my hands, I pasted tape over the paint," he says casually.

Avery feels overwhelmed. She can't believe that Evan went to such great lengths to protect the silly doodles she made on him. She takes his hands in hers and stares into his deep eyes. A part of her desperately wants to tell him she's pregnant; she wants to see the joy in his eyes. Before she can say anything, she remembers the toxin in her body—according to Charles, both her and the baby will probably die if she continues the pregnancy.

"Am I afraid of death?" she wonders, "Yes, I am afraid. I know that maternal love is a powerful thing, and many mothers are prepared to give up their lives for their babies, but I'm not ready to be a mother. I'm too afraid to continue this pregnancy."

"What's wrong?" Evan asks.

"Nothing," Avery says with a quick shake of her head, "I just wanted to say sorry, but I wasn't sure if you'd want to hear the apology."

"Why do you want to apologize to me?" Evan asks.

"For washing off the ring, you painted on me," she answers.

Evan stares at her. His eyes are like some sort of magic magnets, and she feels drawn to his gaze. Her insides seem to twist and knot around themselves.

"You don't need to apologize to me," he whispers, "You can do anything you want as long as you don't deceive or betray me."

She sighs and feels her legs grow weak. She knows she's deceiving him by lying about the pregnancy and the toxin in her body, but she doesn't have a choice. She has to lean against him as they walked out of the restaurant.

By the time they arrive at the Howel house, it's evening. Servants carry Avery's shopping bags into the house and place them in the study.

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"What have you bought for me?" Evan asks with curiosity.

Before Avery can answer, he looks inside one of the bags and removes a fine leather belt.

"Is this belt for me?" Evan asks, "I thought you were going to make something for me yourself."

Avery can't help but laugh at his petulant look.

"Be patient," she advises, "I bought some paints too."

Evan tosses the belt aside and frowns with displeasure. Avery smiles and picks the belt up. She asks the maid to bring her a knife and quickly slices into the leather.

"What are you doing?" Evan asks, suddenly worried.

Though he's not pleased with the gift, he doesn't want her to ruin it out of spite.

"The belt isn't for you!" Avery snaps, "Not everything is, you know. If you're so curious, it's part of the new collar I'm making for Lucky. I promised to make a new one, and I'm making good on my promise."

"So, am I not as good as a dog?" Evan asks jealousy, "Would you rather make a gift for a dog than for me?"

"You need to calm down," Avery sighs, "Besides, isn't Lucky your beloved pet?"

"Not anymore," Evan growls jealousy.

"I promised you I'd make a gift for you, and I will," Avery said, rolling her eyes, "Now show a little patience."

"Well, now I want this gift too," Evan says.

"Why?" Avery asks, irritated by his possessiveness, "It's absolutely useless for you."

"It's a collectible," Evan responds, "Do you want to see the collection I keep in my safe?"

"Since you want to show me, I suppose I have little choice in the matter," Avery mutters.

Evan Howel takes her to his bedroom and leads her to a bookcase. He reaches for a black and white Rubik's cube on the bookcase and carefully twists it. Silently, the bookcase slides to one side, revealing the door to a safe. 

"Infrared check," says a mechanical voice.

A red light sweeps over Evan's body.

"Fingerprint check," says the voice.

Evan presses his hand onto a scanner on the door.

"Retina check," says the voice.

A metal orb descends and carefully scans Evan's eyes.

"Please enter your passport number," says the voice.

Evan enters his passport number, and a green light blinks on. Avery can't help but hold her breath in anticipation. She expects to see jewelry, money, and priceless treasures in the safe, but she's disappointed when the safe appears to be almost empty. There are only a few small, common-looking items inside. Evan carefully adds the collar to the safe, and Avery feels her heart tremble in her chest.

"It's just a dog's collar, and it's not even for him," she thinks, "Why on Earth would he put it in the safe. It makes no sense. Valuable paintings, calligraphy works, and precious metals are all places casually throughout the house. Even my most valuable jewelry is left in an unlocked box on my dressing table."

"Don't be foolish," she said aloud, "Why are you putting the collar in there? It's useless inside a safe, and it's taking up valuable space."

"For me, it's a priceless treasure," Evan says, "I don't want to risk losing it."

Avery looks at the contents of the safe. She sees several files and folders and a small locked box.

"If you're curious about the box, I can show you," Evan says, passing her the box.

Avery takes it and opens it, and her face immediately contorts with surprise and disgust.

"Why hasn't it decayed yet?" she asks.

"I've had it preserved so it can't ever decay," Evan says.

Avery stares at the slice of quiche inside the box. She wonders how Evan got it when she threw it all away in a rage.

"Why in the world would you want to keep this?" she asks.

"It's the first time that you ever made something for me," he says.

She made the quiche to fool the fertility exam, but it clearly moved Evan. Her shoulders tremble, and she feels overwhelmed by emotion. She thinks about her secret pregnancy and feels unworthy of his devotion. 

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