Chapter 43: His Power

There is no denying that Evan is powerful. She looks at him and feels like a caged bird. For days she's been thumping her wings and wounding herself, trying to get out of the cage as he watches with amusement. She knows she's running out of time—he'll only tolerate so much rebellion before he cracks down.

Avery takes a deep breath and looks him in the eye as if she has nothing to fear, "Are the results back yet?"

Evan reaches out to wipe the blood off of her mouth. She shivers as his rough fingers touch her lips.

"The result hasn't come back, but why do I feel so rattled?" he thinks, "There are women practically lining up to become my wife and have my children if I divorce Avery."

He shakes his head. "The problem is I don't want to divorce her anymore, even though I'm afraid of her deception and betrayal," he thinks, "I'm afraid she'll leave me in six months if I can't get her pregnant. But why do I feel fear? What power does this woman have over me?"

Evan looks at her and he feels his heart tighten all of a sudden. He clenches his fists so hard his knuckles turn pale.

"Tell me the truth and I'll forgive everyone involved," he says, "This is your last chance to come clean."

Avery examines his face from the strong brow-line to the sharp blue eyes, from the cheekbones to the sexy lips which are pressed together in a grim line. His chiseled features give him a strong presence, projecting power and disdain. A part of her wants to tell him the truth, but she's terrified of the consequences.

"If he finds out that I'm not barren, I'll have to bear his children, and I'll never be able to escape from the Howel family," she thinks, "If I confess, he'll know I've deceived him and he may not honor his word. Can I trust him not to hold others accountable? Can I trust that he won't hurt Charles?"

She grimaces. "No, my only hope is to wait for the test results and hope it somehow shows I'm barren," she thinks, "I'd rather he kicked me out in a fit of violent rage after learning the truth from the report than to confess it myself. Anything is better than giving in and telling him the truth."

"The truth about what?" she asks aloud.

"Don't play coy. You know exactly what," he growls.

"You want me to tell you that I conspired with Charles to lie to you about my ability to have children?"

Evan raises his eyebrows and presses his lips together even more firmly.

"You look worried," she says, "Is there something you're afraid of?"

"Don't say that," he snaps.

"Fine," she shrugs, "We'll wait for the results."

The tension between them fills the laboratory. A cold fire flickers dangerously in Evan's eyes. Avery feels like she's been in the laboratory for hours when the door finally opens.

Robert enters carrying a stack of papers in his hand and approaches Evan, "Sir, here's the report."

He hands the report to Evan and gives Avery a look which incites her terror. She can only see the blank white back of the papers that will determine her fate. Evan skims over the report and the various measures and charts before reading the result. He lifts his eyes from the papers and looks ferociously at Dean Meyer.

"Is it genuine?" he asks.

"Yes," Robert answers honestly, "I was there the entire time. No one tampered with anything."

"Mr. Howel, if you have any doubts, you can have the results checked in another hospital," Dean Meyer says.

He removes his latex gloves and deposits them in the trash. Suddenly he feels coldness on his temple. After receiving some secret signal from Evan, Robert is pushing a gun to the Dean's head.

Evan approaches Dean Meyer, "Charles is your son and you might want to cover up for him. If that's true, I don't care that our families go way back. The future of the Howel family is at stake, and I'll make sure your family goes down for Charles' lie."

Dean Meyer stands still and looks at Evan calmly, "I'm a doctor and I have the utmost regard for my profession and the truth. The test results are the test results, and I wouldn't lie about them. Not even for my son."

"Well said, Doctor," Evan sneers, "But are you completely sure about the results?"

"No, I'm not sure," he says haughtily.

"You aren't? Then take another look at what it says."

Evan spreads out the report and holds it in front of Dean Meyer. Dean Meyer doesn't bother to look at it.

"This test is imperfect," Dean Meyer says, "It measures her current state, but any number of factors could affect the results. She may be infertile now, but that may not be the case tomorrow or in a few days. For example, her diet could affect the current results."

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"Sir, here's list of food Mrs. Howel had for lunch," Robert says, handing Evan a paper.

While the lab team was processing the results from the blood sample Dean Meyer told Robert about the problems with the test. Robert called the restaurant and had them email him a list.

"What does this mean then?" Evan asks impatiently.

"I've already examined that list, but there's nothing there that would affect the results," Dean Meyer says calmly.

Evan gives Robert a look and he puts the gun away. Avery feels as if a bomb has suddenly been defused at the last minute. She takes a long, shaky breath and hopes that Evan will just let it go and accept that she isn't fit for pregnancy like Charles claimed. Feeling relieved, she stands up and walks to the bin to throw away her cotton ball—she was so nervous before, she forgot she was still holding it. 

"Well," Robert says hesitantly.

He glances at Avery and walks over to Evan to whisper something to him.

"Call her," Evan commands.

Robert dials quickly and puts the phone on speaker mode. A middle-aged woman's voice comes through, "Yes, Mr. Tinder?"

"What foods did Mrs. Howel have for breakfast?" Robert asks.

Avery's hand trembles violently and she drops the cotton ball next to the trash can.

"She had seafood, vegetables, eggs—" the voice answers, before Robert hangs up.

Avery has her back turned to the men in the room, but she can feel their eyes boring into her. Footsteps approach her and she can feel Evan standing behind her.

"Is that true?" he hisses,"I gave you a chance to come clean, but you didn't say anything. You wanted to test me, did you?"

Avery shakes. She can hear Evan grinding his teeth, and her nerves feel pulled so tight they might snap. She's trapped between a table and Evan's body, and she feels dizzy and light-headed.

Suddenly his voice roars in her ear as he pounds the metal table with his fist, "Talk to me, woman!"

Avery looks at his fist on the table. The skin on his knuckles is broken and blood is starting to trickle out. Avery turns around and musters her best innocent look.

"How was I supposed to know that I wasn't supposed to eat certain foods before this exam?" she asks.

"Of all these things you'd choose for breakfast, you go for eggs. You never have eggs for breakfast," Evan hisses.

"I—" Avery bites her lower lip. She doesn't know what to say.

"I told you I hate deception."

He puts one large hand around Avery's neck, feeling the frantic pulse of her heart in her carotid artery. Avery looks pale but she raises her head stubbornly and looks Evan in the eye.

"I want a divorce and I don't want your children," she says, "But no one helped me with any scheme. "

"Is she still trying to protect Charles?" Evan wonders, jealously, "I could kill her right now, and her last words would be in Charles' defense."

He glares at her with utter venom.

"Is that all you've got, Evan?" she taunts, "You can only get what you want through brute strength. It's pathetic."

"Is that what you think?" he asks dangerously.

Evan flexes his hand slowly, tightening his grip on her neck. Avery's lips begin to turn blue, but she reveals a riveting smile. Then she abruptly reaches out for Evan's cheek. Her fingers brush him tenderly and gently, as if she's caressing a lover for the last time.

Evan relaxes his grip immediately. His anger leaves him, as if her caress has transformed him from an enraged lion to a meek lamb. It's as if her delicate hand contains some magic power to soothe and control him.

Avery gasps for breath for a few minutes. Finally, she asks, "Evan, do you have what it takes to let me choose you of my own free will?"

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