The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride (Evelyn and Alexander) novel Chapter 106

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**Steps Along Forgotten Roads**
**By Sophia Reed**
**Chapter 106: Filling In The Gaps**

[Evelyn’s POV]

As I sat there, my thoughts skittered back and forth like a restless bird trapped in a cage, struggling to decide how I truly felt about being kept in the dark about Alexander’s actual condition. It gnawed at me, a persistent itch I couldn’t scratch. How could he not trust me enough to be honest? Yet, I had to remind myself that he had his reasons. In the early days of our relationship, we were little more than strangers to one another. But as the days turned into weeks, we had begun to forge a bond, making significant progress—when misunderstandings didn’t rear their ugly heads, that is.

Surely, he could have taken a moment to share everything with me, especially when we were concocting that elaborate scheme to distract Michael. I could see the logic behind his actions, though; after all, I had learned that Alexander had a fair share of enemies lurking in the shadows. It was undoubtedly wiser to let them believe he was less of a threat than he truly was.

In some twisted way, perhaps ignorance was a blessing. I shivered at the thought of what havoc I might have wreaked had I inadvertently let slip the truth during a casual conversation. The mere idea sent a chill down my spine. Oh, God. I could have put Alexander in grave danger without even realizing it.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. I had far more pressing matters to confront.

“Alexander, what happened last night?” I inquired, my voice wavering slightly. “I don’t even fully remember how I ended up back here. One moment, I was focused on my brother, and the next—”

A horrifying realization struck me like a thunderbolt. If I was here, then who was at the house, keeping watch over Edward?!

What on earth was wrong with me? How could I have acted so recklessly? I felt a wave of panic wash over me. There was no telling what could happen now that Edward was alone with Isabella lurking around.

I gasped sharply, nearly leaping out of my chair. Alexander was quick to catch my arms, his grip firm yet reassuring, anchoring me back to reality.

“Evelyn?”

“I—I need to go back to the house. I left my brother all alone,” I stammered, my heart racing.

He shook his head gently, a calmness in his eyes. “Take a breath. It’s alright. Oliver stayed behind. He knew I had to get you out of there before anything else could happen.”

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to rein in my frantic thoughts. “Everything is such a blur,” I admitted, the weight of confusion heavy on my chest.

He began to stroke my arms soothingly, his touch a balm to my frayed nerves.

“Why don’t we work together to fill in the gaps of our stories?” he proposed. “What’s the last thing you remember from last night?”

I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes to summon the fragmented memories. “Michael showed up at the house unexpectedly. It threw me off balance, but I couldn’t let it show. My priority was my brother. I got up to make some tea, but then I ran into Isabella, who was acting oddly.”

“Oddly how?” he pressed, his brow furrowing in concern.

A wave of nausea rolled through me at the recollection of Isabella’s insistent attempts to manipulate me into an affair with Michael. I fought against the urge to sneer.

“She just kept prattling on about the situation between Michael and me. I told her there was nothing happening, but she wouldn’t take the hint. She even tried to plant the idea that I should consider having an affair with him.”

Alexander’s expression darkened, his lips curling into a snarl.

“I ignored her and finished making my tea. But as soon as I took my first sip, I knew something was off. The taste was wrong, and I glanced down to find the color was all wrong too.”

“Isabella is the one who slipped you the aphrodisiac,” he stated flatly.

I nodded, shame flooding my cheeks. “I should have been more cautious. I feel so foolish for not realizing sooner.”

“No, I won’t allow you to blame yourself. How did Isabella even get her hands on an aphrodisiac?”

“I overheard her talking to Samantha one night. My stepsister was the one who facilitated it,” I explained, my voice barely above a whisper. “Isabella claimed to have connections.”