Chapter <b>555 </b>
<b>Chapter </b><b>555 </b>
<b>In </b>fact, <b>the </b>troubles were <b>far </b>from few <b>and </b>far between<b>. </b>
Despite <b>Ward </b>having <b>spilled </b><b>his </b>guts<b>, </b><b>without </b><b>getting </b>a hold <b>of </b>Eden, the linchpin<b>, </b><b>their </b>n <b>to </b>drag <b>Avery </b><b>through </b><b>the </b><b>mud </b>was <b>dead </b><b>in </b>the <b>water</b>.
After the <b>guests </b><b>had </b><b>left</b><b>, </b>Alva swung by <b>just </b><b>in </b><b>time </b><b>to lend </b><b>a </b>hand <b>with </b><b>the </b>kitchen and house chores, assisting Thaddeus <b>and </b><b>Evadne</b><b>. </b>
“Thaddeus<b>, </b><b>could you </b>maybe <b>find </b><b>a </b>moment <b>to </b>chat <b>with Jareth</b><b>? </b><b>I </b><b>mean</b><b>, </b>every time he sees Aaron<b>, </b><b>he </b>acts like he’s caught <b>the </b>green–eyed <b>monster or </b>something<b>.” </b>
Evadne <b>ced </b><b>the </b><b>dishes </b><b>in </b><b>the </b>sink, <b>ready </b><b>to </b>wash <b>them</b><b>, </b>her <b>pretty </b><b>l*ps </b>murmuring <b>in </b>dissatisfaction<b>, </b><b>“</b><b>Why </b><b>does </b><b>he </b><b>see </b><b>every </b>eligible<b>, </b>handsome <b>bachelor </b>as a <b>threat</b><b>? </b><b>I </b>have five <b>brothers </b>who are all single, and yet he hones <b>in </b>on Aaron like <b>a </b><b>homing </b>missile. He and Mari <b>aren’t </b>even hitched <b>yet</b><b>, </b>and he’s already <b>acting </b>all possessive and <b>paranoid</b><b>. </b><b>If </b><b>they </b><b>do </b>tie the <b>knot</b>, Mari’s gonna be on <b>a </b><b>very </b>short <b>leash</b><b>, </b>I <b>bet</b>. <b>Dare </b><b>to </b>nce at another guy<b>, </b>and <b>will </b><b>Jareth </b>go <b>full</b><b>–</b><b>blown </b><b>jailer </b>mode<b>? </b>Is he <b>gonna </b><b>end </b>up one of those <b>husbands </b><b>from </b><b>hell</b><b>?</b><b>” </b>
“Evadne<b>, </b>Jareth’s not like that. He <b>adores </b><b>Mari</b>. The guy’s head over <b>heels </b><b>for </b><b>the </b>first <b>time </b>in his <b>life</b><b>, </b><b>sees </b><b>her </b>as <b>more </b>precious than <b>anything</b>. It’s natural he’s scared <b>stiff </b><b>of </b><b>losing </b><b>her</b><b>.” </b>
Thaddeus strode over<b>, </b><b>his </b>
hands <b>effortlessly </b>scooping <b>her </b>aside as he <b>rolled </b>up his crisp white <b>shirt </b><b>sleeves </b>and dove <b>into </b>dishwashing, “Let <b>me </b>do it. <b>Your </b>hands are too soft and fair to be soaking <b>in </b><b>suds </b>all day<b>.” </b>
Jareth was <b>head </b>over heels for Mari<b>. </b>
And Evadne was equally smitten with Thaddeus<b>, </b><b>so </b>even his offhand remarks merited her careful consideration.
<b>After </b>mulling <b>it </b>over, the sensitive Evadne bit her l*p and asked.softly, “What about you, Thaddeus? Is this the first time you’ve really fallen for someone?”
The moment the words left her <b>l*ps</b>, Evadne instantly regretted them.
She knew the answer<b>, </b>knew <b>all </b>too well that Thaddeus was <b>not </b>one to lie, preferring brutal honesty over sweet <b>nothings</b>.
Thaddeus paused, his emotions clogging his throat, his brow furrowed with thought.
After drying his hands, he gently grasped her rounded shoulders, his eyes meeting her tearful gaze.
“I’m sorry, Evadne.”
“It’s not me, I know.”
A surge of heart–wrenching pain flooded from her heart, spreading poisonously through her limbs, bringing tears to her eyes, yet she managed a strained smile, “I knew what you’d say, and I asked anyway. Silly me, right? Why even bother.”
Thaddeus’s heart clenched in pain, his l*ps pressed into a thin line as he pulled her into his embrace, holding her so tightly it was as if he wanted to fuse her into his very bones.
She cared deeply.
How could she not? He had once shredded her affections and had made her, so distinguished, fall from grace.
“Evadne, if you’re asking if it was love with Acacia, then no, it wasn’t,” Thaddeus’s voice was hoarse with remorse, “She was sent by Elspeth to charm me, manipte me. Her kindness was just a means to an end. Before I fell for you, I didn’t know what love was. I only knew to repay those who were good to me. And since she saved my life, she was a savior in my eyes, and I just wanted to repay her.”
“But you gave her a one–of–a–kind jewel,” Evadne’s tear–stained face buried in his chest, her voice breaking with sobs.
“She demanded it.”
Thaddeus was full of regret, but there was no denying his past actions, “Back then, Acacia told me about <b>a </b>famous jeweler. She wanted his creations, so I had to find a way to get them. Looking back, I was just a soulless shell. I did whatever she asked, without a second thought. I know you won’t believe anything I say, and I don’t want to make excuses. Evadne, if you can’t get past this, then take all the knives in this kitchen and take your anger out on me, just don’t bottle it up.”
“What if I get fed up with you, and I want you gone?”
Evadne’s voice was soft but petnt, Thad’s shirt soaking with her tears.
“That’s not an option.”
Panic edged his breath, “I’ll cling to you, haunt you tirelessly. Even in death, I’ll refuse rebirth, just to stay by your side. Evadne, <b>I </b>
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can’t <b>leave </b><b>you</b>, not even a <b>little </b>bit.”
Evadne slowly <b>lifted </b>her <b>gaze</b><b>, </b><b>eyes </b><b>brimming </b><b>with </b>tears.
Thaddeus <b>hurried </b><b>to </b><b>dry </b>them, <b>his </b><b>heart </b><b>shattering </b><b>at </b><b>the </b><b>sight </b>of her <b>crying</b>.
<b>“</b><b>So </b>am I the first person you love??” <b>she </b>pressed.
He <b>tentatively probed</b><b>, </b>“You <b>want </b><b>the </b><b>truth</b><b>?</b><b>” </b>
<b>“</b><b>Of </b>course<b>.</b><b>” </b>
“No.”
<b>“</b>Thaddeus<b>! </b><b>You </b><b>jerk</b><b>!</b><b>” </b>
Evadne <b>was </b><b>furious</b><b>, </b>her <b>fists </b><b>pounding </b><b>against </b>his chest like <b>a </b>torrential downpour<b>, </b>“How <b>did </b>I not <b>see </b>sooner <b>what </b><b>kind of </b>man you <b>are</b>? An absolute scoundrel. <b>Get </b><b>out</b>. <b>Take nothing with </b>you, but leave Alva <b>with </b><b>me</b><b>.” </b>
Thad let her hit him<b>, </b>her <b>punches </b>making his voice wobble<b>, </b>but he stayed <b>serious</b><b>, </b><b>“</b><b>Evadne</b><b>, </b>you <b>are </b>the one I love<b>, </b>the one I want to marry<b>, </b>the <b>one </b><b>I </b><b>want </b><b>to </b><b>protect </b>for a <b>lifetime</b><b>. </b>Because of that, I want toy my <b>heart </b>bare <b>for </b><b>you</b><b>, </b><b>to </b>be <bpletely </b><b>honest </b>about everything<b>, </b><b>no </b><b>secrets</b><b>.” </b>
He took a <b>deep </b><b>breath</b><b>, </b><b>words </b>measured<b>, </b>“<b>Back </b><b>in </b>Zenithia, <b>on </b><b>the </b>battlefield<b>, </b>when we were rescuing hostages from <b>a </b>terrorist <b>group</b>, <b>there </b>was this girl<b>, </b>dressed in a whiteb coat, wearing <b>a </b>thick mask, who left <b>a </b><b>deep </b>impression on <b>me</b>.”
Evadne gasped<b>, </b>her <b>heart </b>pounding, blood boiling as if even her dead pinkie finger quivered.
“And then?<b>” </b>
<b>“</b><b>I </b>thought she was <b>just </b>another helpless Doctors Without Borders medic, but she could handle <b>a </b>gun<b>, </b>and her moves were sharp. It was <b>supposed </b><b>to </b>be me saving her, but I ended up critically wounded and it was her desperate efforts that saved my <b>life</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>Thaddeus slumped onto the couch with a mix <b>of </b>guilt and resignation, a wry smile ying <b>on </b>his l*ps, “Back when I was at war<b>, </b>? fancied myself <b>a </b>lone wolf. But after that, I stopped spouting such nonsense. Turns out, I’m nothing special, just flesh and bones. It was pure luck and a guardian angel that kept me alive.”
Evadne’s eyes were locked onto his, her soul seemingly lost in the depths of his stormy gaze.
“And then what happened?”
“I got hit pretty bad,” Thad continued, his voice thick with emotion, “I was so close to checking out that I told the girl to <b>leave </b>me be. But she was as stubborn as you. She wrapped me up in a tarp and lugged me on her back with <b>a </b>rope, dragging my nearly unconscious self for miles.”
As Thaddeus recounted the tale, a dull ache throbbed in his chest.
The brutal memories of the battlefield, the girl’s defiant silhouette, and it was a memory that haunted him to this day, “It broke my heart, you know. And not just that, I didn’t even know what she looked like or her name, but I still felt something for her. Evadne, I can’t lie to you. That was the first time I felt that way. Maybe it was the adrenaline, the life–or–death closeness that did it, but I didn’t want to fool you.”
Before he could finish, Evadne’s l*ps crashed onto his, silencing him with a passionate k*ss that sent his thoughts scattering. The sweet, intoxicating tangle left his mind reeling and his heart pounding, utterly lost in the moment.
Eventually, they parted, breathless and flushed.
“Evadne.”
She pressed a finger to his l*ps, her eyes sparkling like jewels, “I forgive you this once for the girl who saved your life. From now on, you’re only allowed to have those feelings for me.”
Thaddeus exhaled with relief, his gaze on her as clear and sincere as the morning star, “More than feelings. I’d dly walk through fire for you, Evadne.”
Evadne’s heart was still racing, but she feignedposure, “Did you ever try to find the girl<b>?</b><b>” </b>
“I never stopped looking, but I don’t even know her name, her likeness, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” Thaddeus confessed with a self–deprecatingugh, “I called her Paloma because that’s what she gave me. Hope<b>.” </b>
A tear glistened in Evadne’s eye, but she quickly wiped it away. Whether he knew she was Paloma didn’t matter anymore.
After cleaning up the kitchen and living room, they enjoyed a bath and sl*pped into matching pajamas, ready to go to bed.
That was when Gordon returned.
<b>“</b>Gordon, you back? Have you eaten? I can warm something up for you,” Evadne offered, sounding more like a caring big sister
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than his employer
Tm not hungry Gordon <b>replied</b>, shaking his head, his eyes clouded with a rare sadness.
Thaddeus caught Evadne’s eye<b>, </b>and without a <b>word</b>, they understood each other perfectly.
“Hey Gordon, I’ve been having trouble sleeping, thinking of having some red wine to help. Care to join me? Thaddeus’s voice was casual, but the invitation was clear.
“Of course<b>, </b>Mr. Abernathy, Gordon said<b>, </b>unable to refuse.
Til pass <b>or </b>the drinks. That meal has done me in,” Evadne said <b>with </b><b>a </b>feigned groan.
Thaddeus’s gaze deepened as he wrapped an <b>arm </b><b>around </b>her, “Which hurts more<b>, </b><b>this </b>or our time in <b>bed</b><b>?</b><b>” </b>
Thaddeus<b>, </b>having <b>a </b><b>healthy </b>lifestyle,” <b>Evadne </b>teased, poking his chest <b>and </b>blushing, “Have your chat with Gordon. I’m off to get <b>my </b>beauty sleep<b>.</b>”
Thaddeus <b>opened </b><b>a </b>fine bottle <b>of red </b><b>wine</b><b>, </b><b>and </b>the two men sat down.
Gordon <b>was </b>touched when Thad poured <b>wine </b>for him, and he stood up, bowing deeply in gratitude.
“Just sit down <b>and </b>drink, Gordon. <b>It’s </b>just <b>us </b>here<b>, </b>no need for pretense,” Thad said tly.
After some silence, Thaddeus finally asked<b>, </b>“Have you <b>been </b><b>to </b>see Ms. Higgins these past few days<b>?</b><b>” </b>
Gordon tensed up before nodding quietly.
<b>“</b><b>So </b><b>what’s </b>on your mind, really?<b>” </b>Thaddeus was always direct.
Gordon bit his l*p, emotions swirling, his eyes beginning to redden, “Mr. Abernathy, do you think someone like me can fall for a girl in just <b>a </b>few days?<b>” </b>
“I believe it.”
Gordon was stunned.
Thaddeus was known to be dense when it came to matters of the heart<b>, </b>skeptical of anyone’s emotions except for Evadne.
“If Evadne could fall for a schmuck like me at first sight, why couldn’t you fall for someone as great as Ms. Higgins?” Thaddeus’s voice was tinged with a bittersweet smile.