Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Calista shot her daughter a knowing look.

Olivia’s eyes darted away, her toe scuffing at the pavement

sheepishly.

“Mom, I sent a text to Mr. Hayes. I asked him to come save

you.”

Calista stared at her in shock. “But I don’t have his phone

number. How did you get it?”

“Oh… Mr. Hayes gave me a business card a while back. I threw the card away, but I memorized the number. What can I say? I have a photographic memory!”

Calista blinked, then burst out laughing, a warm, relieved

sound.

She glanced down at her phone and noticed Olivia had already saved Evander’s number in her contacts.

“You little rascal!”

Calista shook her head, too amused to scold her.

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They owed Evander a huge debt of gratitude. Without him, she might never have escaped Frost Manor.

They’d only met again for a few short days, yet Evander had already come to their rescue multiple times.

How on earth can I ever repay him?

Calista tapped her daughter lightly on the forehead, letting out a soft sigh. “So the exam was just an excuse?”

“Probably,” Olivia admitted with a shrug.

As they chatted, Evander stepped out of one of the sleek, imposing vehicles.

His long legs were encased in tailored black trousers, the sleeves of his black dress shirt rolled up to reveal strong, muscular forearms.

There was a quiet confidence about him-a maturity that set him apart from boys of Austin’s age, honed by years of experience.

Evander gestured to the line of cars behind him.

Achorus of whistles erupted from the vehicles, and they

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roared off down the street in a cloud of dust.

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Even when they were far out of sight, the sound of their cheers could still be heard floating back.

“Let’s get in the car,” Evander said, opening the passenger

door for Calista with a small smile.

Calista’s mouth fell open in surprise.

Wait a minute-that is my car.

Evander slid into the driver’s seat, Calista taking the passenger side while Olivia climbed into the back.

Evander rested his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Those guys bailed on me as soon as the job was done. Hope you don’t mind me hitching a ride with you two.”

Olivia rolled her eyes in the backseat, fighting a smile.

As if Evander hadn’t been the one to tell them to leave!

However, Calista took his words at face value, nodding 3/9 Bagerly. “Of course not! We can never thank you enough for

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everything you’ve done for us.”

“Is ‘thank you’ the only thing you have to say to me?” Evander

teased, hoping to lighten the mood and make her stop

fretting over being in his debt.

Calista blushed, fidgeting awkwardly with her seatbelt.

After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, her voice laced with

genuine concern, “Was it against the rules for you to deploy so many people like that? Won’t you get in trouble for it? Written up or something?”

She had no idea what Evander’s military rank was, but she

worried endlessly that she’d caused him problems.

Evander chuckled, shaking his head. He was high enough up the chain of command that no one would dare write him up for anything.

Besides, he’d checked in with the Department of Education beforehand. They were genuinely impressed by Olivia’s academic performance and had explicitly ordered that her safety be prioritized at all costs.

He’d actually done them a favor by handling this personally.

Aptake that as you worrying about me,” he said, his tone

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warm and teasing.

Calista groaned inwardly, her face growing even hotter.

Why did he have to say things like that?

Seeing how flustered she was, Evander quickly dropped the subject, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

“Don’t worry. Everything’s been taken care of. I didn’t come

in person because I wanted to keep a low profile-you’re

already in the middle of a media storm as it is. The last thing

you need is more attention.”

Calista turned to him, her eyes filled with gratitude.

He was surprisingly thoughtful and considerate.

She was in the middle of a messy divorce, and the Frosts would pounce on any mistake she made to ruin her chances

of getting a fair settlement.

If Evander hadn’t sent the military convoy to escort them, she might never have gotten Killian to sign those divorce papers, let alone walk away with 50 million dollars.

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Aís excuse about the exam had been brilliant-perfect

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timing, perfect reasoning.

He’d thought of everything for her. She couldn’t thank him enough.

Evander glanced at her in the rearview mirror, noticing the faint furrow between her brows, the lingering sadness in her

eyes.

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to reach over and

smooth away that frown with his thumb.

But his hand hovered halfway to her face, then he hesitated,

meeting her confused gaze in the mirror. Instead, Evander adjusted the rearview mirror, his heart aching with a longing

he couldn’t name.

He hated that he had no right to be by Calista’s side-to take

care of her, to protect her, to love her openly.

Silence settled over the car, broken only by the hum of the

engine.

Evander drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, then asked casually, “Now that things have settled down a bit, what are your plans for the future?”

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Calista hesitated for a moment, then decided to be honest

with him.

“I’m planning to rent a short-term apartment first-living in a hotel long-term isn’t practical. Once the divorce is finalized, I’ll buy a small house, just big enough for Olivia and me.”

“I’ve already talked to your father about the Kingston Hotel. He has no objection to you staying there. It’s convenient and,

more importantly, safe,” Evander said, cutting her off gently.

Evander knew how strained her relationship with the

Hartwell family was.

But staying at her father’s hotel would be easier for her to

accept than staying at one of his properties.

Calista fell silent, unsure what to say.

Before she could respond, Olivia piped up from the backseat, her voice bright with excitement, “Mom, let’s stay there! Dad

was so scary today-he even ordered those bodyguards to…”

“Olivia!” Calista cut her off sharply, her cheeks burning with

embarrassment.

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Her pride wouldn’t let her share the ugly, painful details of

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her marriage with Evander.

“Fine. We’ll stay,” she said quietly, avoiding Evander’s gaze.

Evander didn’t miss the flash of shame and hurt on their

faces.

He’d always thought that after he’d let her go, Calista had gone on to live a happy, comfortable life.

However, Evander had never imagined the gilded cage of the Frost family had trapped her in a nightmare of loneliness and despair.

Thank goodness he’d returned to New York when he had.

Thank goodness he’d run into them.

Thank goodness he’d been able to help.

It wasn’t too late. There was still time to make things right.

Evander drove them to a sprawling estate on the outskirts of the city.

He got out of the car and opened the door for Calista, his Smile warm and inviting.

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“Come on. Let’s take a walk and clear our heads.”

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Calista frowned slightly, feeling like she was imposing on his

kindness yet again.

He’d already done so much for them. She didn’t want to

accept any more favors.

“I don’t want to trouble you—”

“Just come inside. I have a gift for Olivia,” Evander interrupted.

There was something about his smile-warm, charming, utterly irresistible-that made Calista and Olivia move toward the estate before they even realized it.

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