I didn’t expect to wake up to the sight of Evan sitting by my bedside.
For a moment, I thought last night had been a bad dream. I just stared at him blankly, unable to process it all.
When Evan saw me awake, his face lit up with relief. He grabbed my hand tightly and asked, “Baby, how are you feeling? Are you okay?”
I slid my hand out of his grasp, frowning as I looked at him. “Baby? Or… the old hag?”
His face turned pale as if all the blood had drained from it. His eyes reddened, and to my shock, he slapped himself hard across the cheek. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice trembling. “I swear, it was the anesthesia talking. I wasn’t in my right mind.”
He looked at me, his expression full of regret and desperation. “I… I don’t even know how I could’ve done something so stupid. When I fully came to, I was consumed with regret and fear.
“I was terrified you’d leave me. That’s why, even though the doctor told me I wasn’t ready to be discharged, I left anyway.”
As he spoke, he struggled to stand, lifting his shirt to show me the bandages from his appendectomy. Blood was beginning to seep through the gauze.
I remembered how he had stayed by my side all night, even in his condition, and my heart softened just a little.
Looking at the hurt and guilt in his eyes, I thought to myself–maybe this was real.
Maybe… he wasn’t completely beyond saving. Maybe he had just been momentarily infatuated with a younger, prettier woman. But that infatuation couldn’t compare to the love he had for me.
If he could cut off those feelings completely, maybe we could go back to the way we
were.
But the memory of him kissing Sofia in front of everyone played on a loop in my mind,
But the memory of him kissing Sofia in front of everyone played on a loop in my mind, reopening the wounds. My tears began to fall before I could stop them.
Evan’s eyes turned red, filled with guilt. Panicked, he started wiping my tears, rambling apologies. “I’m so sorry, Hannah. I never wanted to hurt you like this.
“But please, believe me–there’s no one else for me but you. I don’t even know why I said
what I did under the anesthesia.
“I’ve already fired Sofia. No matter what, her behavior last night proved she had inappropriate intentions toward me. B
“A woman like that–someone who’d knowingly try to wreck a marriage–I would never be
interested in her!”
He paused, then added earnestly, “You know how much I hate cheaters. After what happened with my parents, do you really think I’d ever do something like that?”
I looked into his eyes and thought back to his past.
