Save Her Lose Us (Evangeline and Soren) novel Chapter 80

Evangeline had no idea what was happening outside her door.

She returned to her bedroom and slipped into the evening gown Glenn had brought over. The dress was a brilliant, fiery red, bold in design—exactly the kind of style she used to love.

But after marrying into the Fawkes family, everything changed. Helena, her mother-in-law, found such styles flashy and inappropriate. She'd made her disapproval known more than once, insisting a Fawkes daughter-in-law should be gentle, demure, never so ostentatious.

If this had been years ago, Evangeline would have ignored her without a second thought.

As a girl, she'd reveled in standing out. She loved the thrill of racing, the challenge of rock climbing—anything that made her feel alive. Back then, she could be reckless, knowing her mother always had her back, and the Whitmore family would fix any mess she made.

But after her mother died, there was no one left behind her.

The Fawkes house never felt like home, and the Whitmores were no longer her safety net. She learned to protect herself by wearing a mask.

If Helena didn't like something, Evangeline would change it to please her. As time went on, her dresses grew plainer, more subdued.

Soren had teased her about it more than once—mocking her taste, saying she was hopelessly dull both in style and personality.

She never argued back, but the words stung.

Now, seeing her reflection in the mirror—so vivid, so alive—her feelings were tangled and complicated.

The daring design hugged her slender waist, the flaming red made her fair skin seem almost translucent, impossibly delicate.

Evangeline gazed at her reflection, slowly raising her hand. The woman in the mirror did the same. Their hands met at the glass, as if reaching for each other across the long, unbridgeable distance of time.

…

Glenn had been waiting outside the door for a while when he finally heard movement inside.

Evangeline cracked the door open and peeked out, relaxing only when she saw it was just Glenn standing there.

His throat tightened. His breath came a little faster.

He realized his lips had gone dry.

Unbidden, the words of the agent from earlier echoed in his mind: "Maybe she's liked you all along. Don't chicken out… feelings have to be nurtured…"

Glenn never lied to himself about what he wanted.

He knew the truth: he'd come back to this country for Evangeline. Even after he left, he kept tabs on her, aware of everything Soren had done.

So the moment he heard from his lawyer that she was getting divorced, he contacted her without a second's hesitation.

He understood Evangeline's feelings for Soren wouldn't vanish overnight. He was ready to stay by her side, ready to pull her out of the darkness—no matter how long it took.