CHAPTER 05- The unspoken Truth

CHAPTER FIVE — The Unspoken Truth

Evelyn spent the entire day at the bookshop pretending she wasn’t waiting for the evening.

She helped customers, organized shipments, arranged the display table twice, and then stood behind the counter with a pencil tucked in her hair as if staying busy could quiet the questions in her mind.

Her mother watched her with worried eyes.

Evelyn pretended not to notice.

What mattered now wasn’t whether the engagement made sense, or whether it had started as chaos or necessity. What mattered was the feeling tugging at her—stronger than fear, stronger than confusion—that Jesse wasn’t playing with her life. He was hiding something, yes. But not in a way that suggested danger.

More like someone carrying a load they couldn’t drop.

When the shop finally closed, Evelyn walked home to shower, change, and gather courage. By the time the clock hit seven, her nerves were tight but steady.

At exactly 7:15, her doorbell rang.

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Jesse stood on her doorstep in a charcoal-gray coat, posture formal, expression unreadable. Not cold—just controlled. Like always.

“Ready?” he asked.

Evelyn nodded, locking her door behind her.

They walked without speaking at first. His car—a sleek, dark vehicle she couldn’t name but assumed cost more than her college tuition—waited at the curb. He opened the passenger door for her, not out of old-fashioned charm but something more neutral, practical.

Once inside, the silence grew heavier.

Finally she said, “You look like you’re preparing to tell me something I won’t like.”

“I’m preparing to tell you something that will give context.” Jesse shifted into gear. “Whether you like it is not my decision.”

“That sounds ominous,” she muttered.

“It isn’t meant to be.”

They drove through the city until she realized he wasn’t taking her somewhere glamorous or intimidating—just a quiet neighborhood overlooking the river. He parked in front of a modest two-story house with pale stone walls and warm porch lights.

“This is where you live?” Evelyn asked.

“Yes.”

It surprised her. She had expected something sleek, dramatic, glass and steel. Not a place that looked… peaceful.

He led her inside.

The entryway was neat. Shoes lined up. A coat rack. A bookshelf filled with everything from law texts to old sci-fi paperbacks.

“This isn’t what I imagined,” Evelyn admitted.

Jesse glanced at her. “What did you imagine?”

“A penthouse with no personality.”

She regretted the words instantly. “Sorry. That was—”

“Accurate,” he said, surprising her. “My family prefers appearances. I prefer not being watched.”

He motioned for her to sit in the living room. She chose the sofa, heart thudding. Jesse sat in the armchair across from her, forearms resting on his knees, eyes steady.

“Evelyn,” he began, “you asked yesterday if the marriage benefits my family.”

“Yes.”

“It does.”

The honesty was so blunt it almost knocked the breath from her.

“And does it benefit you?” she asked.

“It protects me from inheriting responsibilities I don’t want,” he said. “Political responsibilities.”

“Political,” she repeated. “As in… actual government? Or the kind of politics families create when they have too much money and too many opinions?”

“The second.”

He didn’t hesitate. “My family has influence. Wealth. Connections. They expect me to step into that world fully. I’ve spent years avoiding it.”

Evelyn frowned. “How does marrying me prevent that?”

“My mother wants stability in the family’s public image,” Jesse said. “A grounded partner. Someone without ties to their world. Someone who won’t pull me deeper into it.”

Evelyn blinked. “So… I’m the opposite of what they want for you?”

“Correct.”

She stared. “And they’re okay with that?”

“No. But they can’t object without making themselves look controlling.” He held her gaze. “The engagement creates a barrier. A reason they cannot use me to expand their reach.”

Evelyn sat back slowly. “So I’m your shield.”

“In a manner of speaking.”

“That’s… a lot,” she whispered.

“It is.”

“And you’re willing to marry me just to avoid all that pressure?”

“Yes.”

Evelyn looked at him—really looked at him. His posture, his calmness, the way he never wasted words. It wasn’t arrogance or coldness. It was… discipline. Someone who had spent years controlling his life because other people were always trying to control it for him.

“And what do I get out of all this?” she asked quietly.

“What do you want?” Jesse countered.

Evelyn froze. She hadn’t expected him to ask.

Jesse continued, “If this engagement continues, you will not be used. You will not be manipulated. You will not be treated with disrespect by me or my family. And if anyone tries, they will answer to me.”

Evelyn breathed in, slow and unsure. “I don’t need protection.”

“No,” he agreed. “You need honesty. That’s what I’m offering.”

Silence settled over them—thick but not uncomfortable. A silence full of information, not confusion.

Evelyn finally said, “I still want to go through with it.”

Jesse didn’t react visibly. Not a blink. Not a shift.

But something in the tension around his shoulders eased by a fraction.

“Then,” he said, “we proceed.”

She nodded.

But before he stood, she added softly, “Jesse?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to be your shield. And I don’t want to be someone your family tolerates. If we’re doing this, I want to be… equal.”

Jesse straightened. For the first time since she met him, his expression changed—slightly, but undeniably. Not a smile. Something more like approval.

“Then we will build it that way,” he said.

Evelyn exhaled, relieved. “Good.”

Jesse rose to walk her to the door. “There is more you need to know, but not tonight. Tonight, you’ve heard enough.”

She didn’t argue.

When he opened the door for her, she stepped out into the cool night air—lighter, clearer, but with a new understanding of the man she had agreed to marry.

Not a mystery.

Not a perfect figure.

Not a cold strategist.

A man drawing boundaries he’d never been allowed to draw before.

And now she was stepping over one of them.