The War God Alpha's Arranged Bride (Evelyn and Alexander) novel Chapter 115

115 /400

**Steps Along Forgotten Roads**
By Sophia Reed

**Chapter 115: Patching Her Up**

[Third-Person’s POV]

The contrast was striking, almost surreal. This was not the same Evelyn he had seen just hours ago.

Now, she resembled a ghost, her complexion as pale as the moonlight filtering through a fog.

Her eyes, once vibrant, were now tinged with a faint pink hue, swollen and puffy, as if she had been weeping or perhaps had spent too long in a dusty environment. Or maybe it was a combination of both.

A noticeable tremor shook her hands as she clutched them tightly against her chest, a gesture that spoke volumes of her distress. What truly unsettled Alexander was the fact that she couldn’t seem to meet his gaze. It was as if she were lost in a fog of her own making, unable to connect with anything around her.

Her breathing was shallow and erratic, reminiscent of someone who had sprinted a marathon yet had not moved an inch. No, this was different; something had genuinely terrified her.

“Evelyn!”

In a rush of concern, Alexander leapt from his chair, almost vaulting over the desk in his haste to reach her. As he drew closer, he noticed her body tense further, a reaction that pierced through him like a dagger. He fought against the instinct to take it personally; clearly, something had transpired, and he was determined to uncover the truth.

With careful precision, he extended his hand to touch her arms. “Evelyn? Are you alright? What happened?”

His eyes roamed over her, searching for any signs of physical injury. When his gaze fell on her hands, his stomach twisted in a knot of dread.

He gently turned her hands over, revealing palms scraped and marred, caked with dust and dried dirt.

“Shit,” he muttered under his breath, the gravity of the situation settling heavily on his shoulders. “Oliver, go find Nina and ask her to bring a small first-aid kit, please.”

Oliver nodded and dashed out of the room, urgency in his stride. Meanwhile, Alexander guided Evelyn to one of the chairs, his heart racing with concern.

“Okay, Evelyn, you need to tell me what happened,” he urged, his voice steady but laced with worry. “I can’t help you if you don’t share what’s going on.”

She was trying, he could see that much. The tension in her features was palpable as she struggled to articulate the chaos swirling in her mind.

“Door… There was a door…”

Good God. It felt as though he were playing a game meant for children, piecing together fragments of a puzzle.

“A door. Which door? Where did it lead to?”

She still couldn’t fully meet his gaze, her voice dropping to a haunting octave that sent chills racing down his spine. “Down.”

It took Alexander a moment to process her response, the weight of her words sinking in slowly.

Down?? What on earth does that mean—

His eyes widened in realization, and a cold wave of dread washed over him. He felt his heart stutter momentarily before plummeting into the pit of his stomach, the blood draining from his face.

His voice came out low and gravelly. “You don’t mean…”

Slowly, Evelyn finally met his frantic gaze, her head nodding almost imperceptibly.

“What on earth were you doing down there? No. Wait. How did you even get down there?” he demanded, his voice rising with a mix of fury and fear.

She inhaled sharply, her eyes narrowing in defiance. “What I need to know is why you even have a place like that in your house?!”

The two of them remained locked in a fierce stare, an unspoken tension crackling in the air between them. It wasn’t until Nina and Oliver returned, bustling into the room, that they broke their gaze.

Alexander’s mind raced, a whirlwind of thoughts colliding within him.

Oh God… What had she seen down there?

The front area of the house had always housed some of the most disturbing artifacts his ancestors had collected over decades. He himself had never understood the purpose of those items, yet their mere presence was enough to instill fear in anyone who dared to glance upon them.