Save Her Lose Us (Evangeline and Soren) novel Chapter 60

Evangeline paused, her gaze lingering on the message Soren had just sent.

Before she could gather her thoughts, a stranger's voice called from the hallway. "Hi, delivery! Could you come out and sign for this?"

At the same moment, a message from Glenn popped up on her phone.

It all clicked into place. When she'd gone to the clinic earlier for her prescription, one of the medications had been out of stock—they'd needed to order it from another pharmacy. Glenn must have given them her address at the front desk.

So the delivery guy at the door was here for her.

Evangeline opened the door. The courier, face glistening with sweat, gave an apologetic smile. "I saw it was medication, so I delivered yours first. But there's some renovation work in your building right now, and the elevators are jammed. Sorry I'm a little late."

"It's fine," Evangeline replied, taking the bag from him.

There were indeed several apartments in her building being remodeled these days. Even the one across the hall, which had sat empty for ages, was finally getting a facelift.

Everything around her seemed to whisper the same truth: the peaceful, almost farcical life she'd once lived as Mrs. Fawkes was slipping further and further away.

Now she was just Evangeline—a regular resident in Serenity Gardens, an ordinary neighbor among strangers.

And for the first time, she felt at peace with that.

After thanking the courier and stepping back inside, her phone buzzed with another notification.

It was from an app she rarely used—a suggestion for "Someone You May Know."

Without thinking, Evangeline tapped it open.

And froze.

It was Poppy's profile. Poppy had just posted an update.

The photo was set in a place Evangeline knew all too well—the gleaming new villa she'd called home for five years.

Soren must have just come in from outside; half his figure was still caught in the darkness, the other half bathed in the warm glow of the foyer lights.

His expression was gentler than she remembered—nothing like the cold indifference she'd seen so often. For a moment, it was as if the frost in his eyes had melted.

Poppy, dressed in a loose sweater and lounge pants, stood in front of him, reaching up to help him shrug out of his coat with a soft, familiar gesture.

It was all so simple, so ordinary—and yet, not.

Ordinary, because the scene might have belonged to any married couple.

"One round of heartbreak is enough."

Just as she was about to put her phone away, something in the background of the photo caught her eye, and her fingers stilled.

Outside, moonlight vanished behind thick clouds, leaving the night as dark as spilled ink.

Fawkes Manor.

Soren watched as Poppy busied herself in the entryway, a puzzled look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Poppy hung his coat on the rack with practiced ease, teasing, "It's late, Soren. You're not going to kick me out now, are you?"

Soren pressed his lips together, saying nothing.

She grinned. "Okay, I'll stop. Honestly, I was about to head home, but when I realized Evangeline still hadn't come back, I got worried."

"Evangeline's angry with me—she wouldn't come back because of what I did. I could tell today that she doesn't like me much."

She looked at Soren, earnest now. "You know where she's living, don't you? Take me to her. I want to clear the air, apologize, and convince her to come home."