It took Deborah a moment to fully process what Evelyn had just said. She looked at her granddaughter's calm face. There was no joy and sorrow in her expression—only her resolve could be seen.
Her lips parted, and it took her a while before she managed to say, "So that's why… No wonder…"
Truth be told, Deborah and Leonard weren't completely oblivious about how Evelyn and Lucas' marriage had been going.
"Evie, tell me the truth. Did you and Lucas divorce because of… Blake?" This was Deborah's biggest concern.
After all these years, why divorce now? Right after Blake got out of prison?
"No, it's got nothing to do with him." Seeing that Deborah was overthinking it, Evelyn explained, "I didn't do it for anyone. I realized that what isn't mine, will never be mine. There's no point in dragging each other down any further."
Whether it was Lucas or Blake, she had moved on.
She couldn't go against human nature. She was better off letting go and focusing on herself instead.
Deborah's eyes turned red as she clasped Evelyn's hand. "I'm proud that you finally stepped out of the cage that you've trapped yourself in. As for Lucas, there weren't any signs of it. The fact that he showed up today was more than enough.
"But that scar… Lucas never asked about it?" she asked, glancing at Evelyn's abdomen.
Evelyn's gaze dropped, and her fingers brushed over the scar subconsciously.
Her mind flickered back to the moment she had taken that hit for Blake.
She shook her head and answered, "He never had feelings for me. He's never been curious about it—not once. Even if he had seen it, he didn't ask at all."
Looking back at it now, how could Lucas be so cold?
After countless nights of intimacy, he knew her body very well. He had even been obsessed with it at some point. But not once did he ask about her scar.
Even a stranger would have been curious about it.
But that was Lucas. He was not like anyone else, having no urge to pry into it.
Deborah instantly understood what Evelyn had gone through all these years.
In the past, she could not interfere due to being their elder. But things were different now.
"It's for the best. If you can't stand it anymore, then leave decisively. You're stronger than your mother ever was. At least you didn't waste your life in a loveless marriage. I'll support your every decision, no matter what!"
The weight that Evelyn had carried for so long had finally been lifted.
With the support of her family, she had nothing to fear anymore.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving