Chapter 27: Asking the Truth

With Evan's support, Leonie doesn't need Avery's consent. She has full confidence she'll find the pills—she saw Avery put them in her pocket. She's eager to humiliate Avery and take revenge.

Leonie feels the warmth of Avery's skin through her pocket. The smooth silk of the pajamas is wet and cold against her fingers, but Leonie doesn't feel the hard bump of the pill bottle. She looks at the pocket; it's lying flat against Avery's body, but the pills should be causing a visible lump. Leonie is confused and checks again, but she finds nothing.

"How is this possible? I clearly saw Avery put the pills in this pocket," Leonie thinks, "Did I see wrong?"

Determined, Leonie reaches for the other pocket but finds nothing; she's starting to feel flustered.

"That's impossible!" she exclaims, "I saw her take the pills!"

Avery quietly exhales with relief. She has no idea where the pills might have gone. She looks at the man who is still holding her hand tightly, but his face reveals nothing.

Evan turns to Leonie, "I want to see your apology on Facebook by tomorrow."

"Evan, I saw Dr. Meyer give her birth control pills, and I saw her put them in her pocket. I know they're there! Perhaps she's hidden them somewhere else!"

Leonie reaches for Avery's collar with the intention to search inside her clothes. Evan's face darkens and he turns around, blocking Leonie with his back. He embraces Avery, shielding her with his body.

"That's enough!" he growls, "Go back to your room if you don't want to be completely disgraced."

Startled by his tone, Leonie runs back to the house with her head lowered and eyes red.

"No one is allowed to talk about what has happened here in private, or to speak to the press," Mr. Francis Howel warns the servants before returning to the house Mrs. Florence Howel.

The servants shuffle away in silence, and the garden becomes quieter. Avery can hear the splashing of the nearby fountain and the sound of a heartbeat. Her face is pressed against Evan's chest, and through his shirt, she can hear his rapid and powerful heartbeats. It sounds like his heart might jump out of his chest.

He didn't kick her when she was down. Instead, he helped her. The pills were definitely in her pocket, and she wonders if he took them as he kissed her. The speculation makes her heart beat faster.

But why did he help her? Usually, he's content to make her look bad in front of his grandfather. Usually, he wants Francis Howel to know how ridiculous it was to pick Avery to be his wife. Does he have some hidden new motivation?

Though Avery still wears sodden clothes, Evan embraces her tightly. He has never held a woman so close before and doesn't want to let her go. The water from her clothes seeps onto him, but he doesn't care that he's getting wet.

As he holds her, he thinks. He wonders what means she used to get birth control pills without his knowledge, and he's unable to restrain his desperate anger. He's furious that Charles gave her the pills. Does she see the way Charles looks at her—as if he wants her for his own?

"There better be nothing between them," Evan thinks, "Otherwise I have no idea what I'll do to them."

He feels himself losing control. He's now gripping her so tightly she seems to be struggling to breathe, but he doesn't want to loosen his hold on her. The seductive fragrance of her hair does nothing to appease his anger.

He lowers his head and asks her frostily, "Did he touch you? Is that why he brought you pills—to cover up your indiscretions?"

Her behavior in the last few days has made it clear that she's no longer deeply attached to him.

"The fastest way to forget someone is to love another person," he thinks, "And the fastest way for a woman to fall in love with a man is to make love with him. So did she and Charles make love?"

Sensing his anger, Avery realizes that even though he doesn't love her, the thought of her having an affair is intolerable to him.

She smiles fearlessly and says, "It seems you've been getting quite angry recently. But I told you I would continue to cheat on you if you don't divorce me."

She tugs on his shirt to try to create distance between their bodies, and says archly, "It seems that you're especially bothered by my affair with Charles."

Her words provoke a raging fury. Evan recalls all the ways she disregarded his feelings and tried to humiliate him. He never thought he'd be vulnerable to a woman, but she's wounded his pride.

Realizing she's gone too far, Avery begins to back away from Evan. She can tell he's furious, and she's scared of his wrath.

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"Clearly I'm not good enough for you," she says, "So it's better to—"

"Get divorced?" Evan growls.

"Yes," she answers nervously.

Avery continues to retreat, but Evan matches her every step, backing her into the front door.

"Why do you insist on telling these lies? Do you really believe they'll persuade me to divorce you?" he asks.

Avery raises her eyebrows, refusing to give a definite answer. Evan continues, "In the last few days, you've hardly been out of my sight for more than twenty minutes. Do you really expect me to believe that Charles can satisfy you in such a short time?"

"Not all women like virile men or want to make love for hours on end," Avery replies, "I prefer the way Charles does it, and I prefer his equipment, too."

Slowly, Evan grabs her top and begins to undo the buttons. She watches his hands in a panic and tries to cover her chest.

"What are you going to do?" she asks.

"I'm going to make you tell the truth," he whispers.

She tries to push him away, but Evan leans in even closer, "You know I have many ways to make you tell the truth."

Avery pinches her lips together tightly. She didn't expect Evan to catch onto her lie so quickly, but she knows that he doesn't make empty threats. She forces herself to calmly take her hands off her chest, "Evan, what kind of man uses force on his wife like this?"

"You'll know exactly what kind soon enough!"

His calm and steady manner makes her shudder, and she worries that he's going to see right through her. Suddenly he grabs her by the waist and carries her into the house. He kicks the bedroom door open, enters the bathroom, and drops her into the full bathtub.

"Evan!" she splutters.

Warm water soaks through her already wet pajamas. She accidentally swallows some and begins to choke and cough before trying to climb out of the slippery tub. Evan reaches for the shower knob and hot water spouts from the shower and pours over their heads.

Avery tries to escape but slips on the smooth porcelain. A strong and powerful arm grabs her waist and steadies her. He pulls her into his arms as if she weighs nothing.

"Let me go!"

She wants to push him away, but he's gripping her so hard she can't free herself. He lowers his head, and his hot breath brushes against her ear.

"Cold?" he whispers, "You want me to warm your body with mine? I won't stop until every part is burning. How does that sound?"

Avery shivers. She isn't sure if it's his breath on her ear or his words, but she's convinced he means business and she's scared. He's reminding her that he will force her to succumb to him no matter how she tries to object.

He nips her earlobe, "Are you willing to tell the truth now?"

Her legs weaken as his lips tease her, and her thoughts begin to muddle. She digs her fingernails into her palms to steady herself.

She can't ever let him touch her again. If he touches her she might succumb, and if she succumbs without the pills, she'll get pregnant one way or another. If she's pregnant with his child and heir, it will be even more difficult for her to leave the Howel family. She has to persist for another half a year. If she can avoid pregnancy for six months, Evan's grandfather will force the divorce.

She has always been pragmatic, and she knows she's at a disadvantage if she continues to insist on her lie. She presses her head against his chest and whispers, "Nothing happened between Charles and me."

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