Her Heart
Axel appeared behind her, his presence steady and reassuring. “Thank you foring on such short notice, Dave.“@
“No problem at all,” he replied. “Let’s see our young patient.”
They moved quickly toward Oliver’s room.
David Hamm checked his temperature, to his breathing, and examined him with practiced ease.
ened
Evelyn stood close, her hands sped tightly, watching every movement.
“It’s a viral fever,” the doctor finally said gently. “Nothing serious, but we need to monitor him closely.”
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299 The News That Thorned Her Heart
Evelyn let out the breath she had been holding, her knees nearly giving way in relief.
A chaotic morning finally passed, leaving the house in an uneasy calm.
Oliver’s fever had begun to subside, but he still
was not his usual cheerful self.
He stayed curled up in bed, quietly epting spoonfuls of breakfast Evelyn fed him. His eyes followed her movements, but his smile never fully appeared.
Even when she brought out his favorite dessert, a small chocte pudding topped with fresh
strawberries, he only took a few bites before turning his face away.
Evelyn did not leave his side. She sat on the edge of the bed, brushing his hair back again and again, whispering soft encouragement.
Axel and David waited in the living room,
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speaking in low voices, careful not to disturb the fragile peace in the bedroom.
All their ns for the day had changed.
Evelyn would no longer visit Martha at her
house.
The short return to this small town ended earlier than expected.
They agreed to go back to the capital
immediately, just in case Oliver’s condon worsened again.
“Eve, are you done?” Axel’s voice came from the doorway.
“Yes.” She stood and nced back at the bed. “I just finished helping him change clothes. We can go now. But he seems to be sleeping again.”
Axel stepped closer and smiled faintly. “It’s fine. I can carry him.”
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He lifted Oliver effortlessly, careful not to wake
him.
The little boy instinctively leaned into his father’s chest, his small hand gripping Axel’s shirt.
Evelyn watched them with a mix of relief and lingering worry before grabbing her bag.
And just like that, they returned to the capital.
:
The rest of the day passed in a blur, a e only things she could care to remember doing were regrly checking Oliver’s temperature and staying by his side, holding his hand.
By evening, his fever was mostly gone, and his appetite slowly returned.
Evelyn finally allowed herself to breathe, sitting on the edge of the bed while Axel came to ask her to rest; he would stay with Oliver in his room.
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209 The News That Thorned Her Heart
Later that night, when the house had fallen quiet, Evelyn sat alone on the sofa with her tablet.
She intended to distract herself with something light, anything to calm her nerves. Instead, a headline shed across the screen, freezing her in ce.
<i>[</i><i>Evelyn </i>Walters <i>Married </i><i>by </i><i>ident </i><i>to </i><i>Axel </i><i>Knight</i>. <i>She </i><i>Had </i><i>a </i><i>Son </i>Before <i>Marrying </i>Axel <i>Knight</i><i>.</i><i>] </i>
Her fingers trembled as she tapped t‘ reen.
The article loaded quickly, each sentence heavier than thest. It spoke of rumors, of hidden pasts, of a mysterious child born before marriage.
The words were sharp, careless, and cruel, twisting her story into something ugly.
<i>“</i><i>She </i><i>used </i>an <i>unexpected </i>pregnancy to <i>secure </i>her <i>position </i><i>beside </i><i>Axel </i><i>Knight</i><i>,</i>” one paragraph imed. <i>“</i><i>Sources </i>suggest <i>the </i>marriage was
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<i>rushed </i>to cover <i>up </i><i>her </i><i>questionable </i><i>past</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Evelyn stopped reading. Her chest tightened, and her eyes burned.
The article left no space for exnation, no mercy, no truth. It painted her as calcting and immoral, reducing her life to gossip and
spection.
Her anger red, but sadness followed just as quickly.
Bracing herself, she scrolled down to..ments section, telling herself she would only nce at a few.
She regretted it instantly.
<i>“</i><i>So </i>shameless,” onement read. <i>“</i>She already had a child and <i>still </i><i>dared </i>to <i>marry </i>Axel <i>Knight</i><i>.</i>”
Another followed. “I always <i>knew </i><i>she </i>was <i>trash</i>. No <i>decent </i><i>woman </i><i>would </i><i>hide </i>something like
<i>that</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
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Someone else wrote, <i>“</i>That <i>poor </i><i>kid</i><i>. </i>Born from <i>a </i>mistake and used as a bargaining chip<i>. </i>Disgusting
<i>mother</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Her hand clenched around the tablet. Her breath came faster as she read onestment.
<i>“</i>She is <i>really </i>a <i>bitch</i><i>. </i>Axel <i>Knight </i>deserves better <i>than </i>a <i>woman </i><i>with </i><i>someone </i>else’s son<i>.</i><i>” </i>
Evelyn shut the screen abruptly, her vision blurring.
They could insult her. She could endu nat. But dragging Oliver into their cruelty shattered something inside her.
She pressed her hand over her mouth, forcing herself not to make a sound, not to curse
someone. She didn’t want to make amotion, wake Oliver, or let Axel know of her fury.
Evelyn sat there in the dim light, torn between heartbreak and fury.
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‘I won’t let them insult Oliver. I won’t.‘
The vow echoed fiercely in Evelyn’s mind, grounding her anger into something sharper and more focused.
Her fingers curled at her sides as she paced the living room, her thoughts racing faster than her heartbeat.
Just as she was about to act, her cell phone rang
on the coffee table.
She stopped. The screen lit up with a liar
name.
Oscar.
Evelyn picked it up without hesitation and walked toward the French window.
Outside, the moon hung quietly in the night sky, pale and distant. On any other night, the sight would have calmed her. Tonight, it did nothing to
soothe the storm inside her chest.
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299 The News That Thorned Her Heart
“Oscar,” she greeted calmly, though the chill in her voice betrayed her mood. “You called at the right time.”
A soft chuckle came from the other end. “My friend, judging by your tone, you have already read the news.”
“Hmm. I just finished it.” A bitter smile flickered across her lips. “I was about to—”
She did not get the chance to finish.
I
_ar
“Those people are insane, shameless, snapped, his usual yful tonepletely gone. “How dare they drag a child into their filthy gossip? Insulting my little man? I swear, Eve, I will not sit still while they talk trash about my adorable Oliver.”
Despite everything, Evelyn’s tense shoulders rxed slightly. Hearing someone defend her son so fiercely warmed something deep inside her
chest.
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Sara Lili
<strong>Sara Lili</strong> is a daring romance writer who turns icyndscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of d’s breathtaking cold.