The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 425

Evelyn looked down at the bangle on her wrist, momentarily stunned.

"Is this..." She looked up at him. "Did your mother give this to you?"

Sebastian didn't deny it; he gave a firm nod. "My mother said it's a family heirloom. The Thorne Matriarch's Bangle, passed down for the daughter-in-law."

Evelyn's fingers twitched.

She reached over to take it off, but Sebastian's hand immediately covered hers, gently pinning her wrist.

"Don't take it off."

Evelyn met his gaze.

Sebastian's voice was low and intensely earnest. "You saved my grandfather, you saved my mother, and today, you saved me. I've never given you anything."

Evelyn opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off.

"If you give it back, I won't hear the end of it at home. My mother will say I'm useless for failing to give a simple gift, and my grandfather will rip into me for being incompetent."

He delivered the excuse with a hint of feigned grievance, masking a stubborn sense of righteousness.

Evelyn stared at him, suddenly at a loss for words.

Sebastian released her hand and leaned back into his seat. He swiftly changed the subject, his voice dropping into a careful, cautious whisper.

"Has the pregnancy been rough on you?"

Evelyn froze, locking eyes with him.

Under her scrutiny, Sebastian shifted uncomfortably, but he stubbornly pushed through. "I heard the first trimester can be miserable. You've been sleeping in, your appetite is off..."

Evelyn interrupted him. "You knew I was pregnant this whole time?"

Sebastian went quiet for a second, then nodded.

"I suspected," he admitted. "You were craving sour foods, getting tired easily, waking up late. I looked it up online..."

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing he had just completely exposed himself, and abruptly shut his mouth.

Evelyn looked at him, the corners of her lips curling into a faint smile. "You looked it up online?"

The tips of Sebastian's ears flushed crimson.

He frantically derailed the conversation. "Everything I said back there was true."

Evelyn just watched him.