Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 206

She didn't love him anymore, so when she looked at him, there was no longer a trace of concern in her eyes.

Evan felt incredibly fragile at that moment, though he couldn't tell if it was because he had just woken up or for some other reason.

A thirty-year-old man, getting so emotional in front of a young woman. But he couldn't help it. It had been too long since he'd felt such warmth, and Melissa had suddenly made him feel like he had a home again.

"Don't go, don't go…"

Evan closed his eyes, his voice filled with pain.

In that instant, he could no longer tell if he was pleading with Emma not to leave, or with Melissa.

Melissa certainly noticed the man's unusual behavior. As she slowly collected herself, her eyes began to redden. She raised her arms and gently hugged him back.

"I won't go, I won't go…"

Melissa closed her eyes, letting tears fall, tracing paths down her cheeks and disappearing into her collar.

Her heart was a tangle of immense joy and sorrow. Before today, she had always felt there was a barrier between her and Evan.

She could clearly feel how good he was to her, but she could also sense the distant, carefully maintained space he kept between them. But tonight, that distance had been shattered, and Melissa felt something completely new.

***

The day Emma was to leave Riverside Millford, everything seemed perfectly normal, perfectly ordinary.

After lunch, she even told Mrs. Hayes that for dinner she wanted pot roast and roast chicken with herbs. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes never refused her requests.

Mrs. Hayes didn't pay it any mind. She helped her husband bring all the dishes to the table. As she was setting out the plates, Eric came downstairs, but Emma wasn't behind him.

Mrs. Hayes asked while setting the table, "Where's your sister? Go tell her to come down and eat!"

"Oh…"

Eric replied, but instead of immediately running back upstairs as he usually would, he stood hesitantly at the turn of the staircase, his expression downcast.

"What's wrong? Go on."

Seeing her son stand still, Mrs. Hayes thought he was about to ask for money or something else. "What is it?" she asked casually. "Do you need something from me again?"