Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 103

At the dinner table, Evan barely ate, focusing instead on peeling shrimp for Emma.

He was normally so meticulous about cleanliness, but now he didn't seem to mind his hands being covered in red, oily sauce. He just kept peeling, afraid that if he was too slow, the shrimp would get cold and lose its flavor.

This time, Emma didn't refuse the shrimp he placed on her plate. Even before she got sick, she'd never liked peeling shrimp herself, and now she liked it even less.

Seeing her willing to eat the shrimp he peeled, the hurt Evan had felt when he first got home began to subside.

"Slow down, don't get your clothes dirty. You have some sauce on your mouth."

Evan freed up a relatively clean hand to pass her a napkin.

Emma tore off a sheet and wiped her mouth carelessly before reaching for another dish.

She hadn't eaten something so savory and spicy in a long time, and her appetite was better than it had been in ages.

Her quick wipe hadn't gotten the drop of sauce by her mouth at all.

Evan's lips curved into a slight smile. He took the towel Mrs. Alvarez handed him to clean his hands, then picked up a napkin, leaned over, and gently cupped her chin.

Emma, who had been engrossed in eating, froze at his sudden proximity.

For a moment, she forgot how to react, her chopsticks hovering mid-air as she stared at him blankly.

Her dazed expression amused Evan, and he let out a soft chuckle. Still smiling, he gently wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth.

"There. You can keep eating now."

Evan sat back down, his eyes still sparkling with amusement.

A faint blush crept onto Emma's cheeks, not because she was flustered by his closeness, but because she felt a surge of self-loathing. Despite the disgust she felt for him, she had just let him get that close without pushing him away.

The cushion next to her dipped, and she assumed it was Mrs. Alvarez. Sometimes, after finishing her chores, Mrs. Alvarez would sit and watch TV with her for a bit before leaving.

Completely absorbed in the show, Emma subconsciously opened her mouth when she saw a piece of peeled and sliced apple offered to her from the side.

It was only after she started chewing that she realized something was off.

When had Mrs. Alvarez ever hand-fed her fruit?

A bad feeling crept over her. She turned her head and saw—

Of course. It was Evan.

She closed her eyes, the piece of apple in her mouth suddenly feeling like a stone. She couldn't bring herself to swallow it, but spitting it out felt just as wrong.