His Uncle's Unexpected Bride

Evelyn strolled down the corridor, a radiant smile lighting up her face. She cradled a bouquet of fresh lilies in one hand, gently brushing her fingertips over the delicate petals with the other.

Every time she passed a servant, she greeted them with a cheerful smile. Her steps were light, her heart brimming with anticipation, as though nothing in the world could possibly spoil her happiness.

“Good morning, Miss Eve.”

A passing servant greeted her warmly, almost as if she were already the lady of the house.

Evelyn returned the greeting with a smile of her own before continuing toward Andrew’s bedroom.

Usually, she would knock before entering. But today, she saw no reason to bother.

After all, the man inside would be her husband tomorrow.

Why should she have to knock on her future husband’s door?

With a playful smile, Evelyn pushed it open.

“Andrew, darling!”

Her affectionate call echoed through the room.

No answer.

She blinked when she saw that the bed was empty.

Perhaps he was already awake and taking a shower. Besides, they were getting married tomorrow. Surely, she was entitled to a little more freedom around the man she was about to spend the rest of her life with.

Without another thought, the brown-haired woman headed toward the bathroom.

Then she stopped dead.

Clothes littered the floor.

A man’s shirt. A pair of trousers.

And a woman’s lingerie, its delicate lace unmistakable.

Evelyn stared at the scattered garments, struggling to make sense of what she was seeing.

Before she could form a coherent thought, a woman’s laughter drifted from behind the bathroom door.

A voice she knew all too well.

Her heart began to pound.

Slowly, Evelyn approached the door, which had been left slightly ajar. With every step, the laughter and hushed conversation grew clearer.

“Didn't he tell you?”

Evelyn froze. That voice belonged to Caroline.

Her own stepsister. Holding her breath, Evelyn peered through the narrow opening.

The sight that greeted her made her blood run cold. Caroline was straddling Andrew, both of them naked in the bathtub.

Andrew.

The man who was supposed to stand beside her at the altar tomorrow. The man she had chosen despite everything life had thrown at him. The man she had believed would love and cherish her for the rest of their lives.

He was in the bathtub with her stepsister.

For a moment, Evelyn desperately wanted to believe her eyes were deceiving her. She wanted to look away, to convince herself that there had to be some innocent explanation for what she was seeing.

Then Caroline spoke again, shattering the last fragments of her denial.

“She’s the daughter of a poor whore!”

Evelyn’s fingers tightened around the bouquet.

“Her mother died of a disgusting disease because of her filthy profession. Her father threw her away because he considered her a disgrace to the family. And in our household, she’s nothing more than a useless maid.”

Caroline let out a mocking giggle.

“And you’re actually going to marry her tomorrow?”

Her laughter rang through the bathroom, as though Evelyn’s suffering were nothing more than an amusing joke.

Andrew fell silent for a moment. Then his fist slammed against the edge of the bathtub.

“Damn it! How dare that woman deceive me?”

The veins on the back of his hand stood out as his jaw clenched. His expression twisted with fury.

“That’s how women like her trap men,” Caroline continued smoothly. “Just like her mother trapped my father. She’s nothing but a scheming little liar.”

A smug smile spread across Caroline’s face. Every word was a lie.

She had deliberately twisted Evelyn’s past, feeding Andrew one fabricated story after another until she had successfully turned him against the woman he was supposed to marry.

A year ago, when Andrew had been involved in an accident that left him unable to walk, Caroline had abandoned him without a second thought. She hadn't wanted to waste her youth caring for a man who might never recover.

But the moment she learned that Andrew had regained his ability to walk, she returned.

She had no intention of letting another woman claim the man she had once loved.

And now, she was getting exactly what she wanted.

“Mr. Andrew...” Caroline murmured, moving her hips to reclaim his attention.

“Oh... yes, darling?”

Andrew immediately placed both hands on her hips.

“Don't you want to punish her? She insulted you.”

“Of course I do.” His voice was thick with anger. “I’ll make her regret this. She’ll pay for every single insult, a hundred times over.”

Caroline’s smile widened. She could practically taste her victory. The seeds of hatred she had planted had taken root, and Andrew was already eager to do her bidding.

Then he spoke again, his voice cold and merciless.

“I won’t be at the altar tomorrow. That shameless woman thinks she can crawl out of the gutter by clinging to my name? I’ll make sure she’s humiliated in front of everyone. She needs to learn what happens when someone dares to deceive Andrew Romano!”

Caroline widened her eyes, feigning surprise.

“S-so... you’re not going to marry her?”

“The daughter of a filthy whore will never be worthy of becoming Mrs. Romano.”

“Exactly,” Caroline whispered.

Two simple words. Yet they struck Evelyn like lightning.

She remained frozen behind the door, listening to every word and witnessing every betrayal.

The two people closest to her had just torn her world apart. 

Her body remained upright, but her mind had gone completely blank.

She didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to feel.

It was as though she had fallen into a bottomless abyss, with no ground beneath her feet and no way to climb back up. Every breath came harder than the last. The air around her seemed to thin until she could barely breathe.

She wanted to move. She wanted to scream. But her body refused to obey.

Neither Andrew nor Caroline had noticed her presence.

For one fleeting moment, Evelyn was grateful.

She couldn't bear the thought of letting them see her like this. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of watching her break.

Not yet.

Drawing a shaky breath, she took one step backward.

Then another.

She turned and walked away, moving as quietly as she could, terrified that the slightest sound might reveal she had been there all along.

But the farther she went, the louder the memories became.

He's crippled. What could I possibly expect from a crippled man?

Even if he's crippled, he's still Mr. Romano.

His chances of recovery are practically nonexistent, Father. I'm not going to sacrifice my beauty and youth just to take care of a crippled prince!

What am I supposed to tell Mr. Romano, Anne? Please, talk some sense into your daughter.

Why don't you talk some sense into your own daughter, Aldric? Isn't she better suited to caring for a disabled man?

The conversation from a year ago played over and over in Evelyn’s mind.

She had never regretted her decision.

Not once.

When everyone else had turned their backs on Andrew, she had stayed. When Caroline had abandoned him, Evelyn had been willing to take her place, knowing full well that his recovery was uncertain.

She had done it because she had wanted to.

Because she had believed that the man beneath his pride and bitterness deserved someone who wouldn't walk away when life became difficult.

But now, knowing that Andrew believed her sacrifice had been nothing more than a calculated scheme hurt more than she could ever have imagined.

Her eyes burned. A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another.

Evelyn angrily wiped them away. She wouldn't cry. Not in this house. And certainly not over a man who had never truly trusted her.

Only when she stopped to steady her breathing did she realize how far she had wandered from Andrew’s bedroom.

She glanced around, disoriented, and found herself standing in front of a room with its door wide open.

The Romano family patriarch’s study.

How had she ended up here? She had no idea.

Before she could turn away, voices drifting from inside the room caught her attention.

“You could use this opportunity to put an end to the rumors circulating about you.”

The voice belonged to an elderly man.

“I could put those rumors to rest without getting married if I wanted to. Unfortunately, I couldn't care less.”

The second voice was calm, almost frighteningly devoid of emotion.

“You don't care about the future of the company, either?”

“The company was never mine alone. If I want to, I can establish my own.”

“If you agree to marry and prove that you're capable of fathering an heir, half my shares will belong to you.”

“I can give you a great-grandchild without getting married.”

“You foolish boy! What woman would agree to bear your child without being in a relationship with you?”

Evelyn stopped in her tracks.

She hadn't intended to eavesdrop. She had merely happened to pass by and overheard their conversation.

Realizing how impolite it was to listen in, she quickly prepared to leave before either man noticed her.

But she wasn't fast enough.

“Eve? What are you doing over there?”

Evelyn froze.

Damn it.

She'd been caught. Nervously, she turned toward the doorway. Only then did she realize she was still holding the bouquet of lilies.

The bouquet she had painstakingly arranged for Andrew.

She had come here intending to show him her handiwork. She had imagined the way his face would light up when he saw the flowers, how he would smile and praise her before they began their new life together as husband and wife.

Now, the bouquet meant nothing.

Andrew had made his decision.

They wouldn't be getting married tomorrow.

And Evelyn was about to make a decision of her own.

Without a second thought, she tossed the bouquet into the trash can beside the door.

The lilies fell among the discarded rubbish, their delicate petals crumpling beneath the weight of the other waste.

Just like the trust she had once placed in Andrew.

He had swallowed Caroline’s lies without hesitation. He hadn't questioned her. Hadn't doubted the accusations. Hadn't even given Evelyn the chance to explain herself.

Not a single question. Not a moment of consideration. Only judgment.

Evelyn drew a deep breath before turning to face the elderly man standing inside the study.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to eavesdrop.”

Gorge studied her for a moment.

“Have you just come from seeing Andrew?”

“Y-yes,” Evelyn stammered.

She quickly lowered her gaze, hoping to conceal her unease.

“Actually, I should be heading home.”

“Why the hurry? Is your father looking for you? I can let him know you're here.”

“No!”

The word escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Evelyn immediately caught herself.

“I mean... there's no need, sir. I really should go home.”

Gorge narrowed his eyes.

He was an observant man, and Evelyn's nervousness hadn't escaped his notice. Something was clearly troubling the young woman, though he couldn't quite determine what it was.

Instead of pressing her for answers, however, he offered a faint smile.

“Why don't you join us, then? I'd like to have some tea with you to celebrate Ale's return.”

Evelyn hesitated.

Gorge was the patriarch of the Romano family. Refusing his invitation without a convincing reason would be disrespectful, and she was in no mood to attract more attention.

Reluctantly, she remained where she was.

Only then did she notice the other man standing in the study.

“Eve, allow me to introduce you. This is Alejandro, your future uncle. He's just returned from an overseas assignment.”

Evelyn raised her head.

And the moment her eyes landed on him, she forgot what she had been about to say.

Alejandro.

At thirty-five, he was only seven years older than her. Yet something about him made the age difference feel far greater.

There was a maturity about him that seemed to permeate every aspect of his being.

His jawline was sharply defined, his features impeccably groomed, and his eyes possessed a piercing depth that made it difficult to look away. Tall and broad-shouldered, he carried himself with an effortless authority that required neither arrogance nor theatrics.

He wasn't simply handsome. He looked like a man who was accustomed to getting whatever he wanted—or who had long ago learned not to want anything he couldn't control.

Evelyn realized she had been staring and quickly averted her eyes.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Alejandro.”

Alejandro gave a brief nod.

His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as though he had noticed something amiss. But he made no attempt to question her.

That evening, Evelyn found herself joining Gorge and Alejandro for tea.

What had begun as an unplanned encounter turned into a lengthy gathering that lasted until eleven o'clock at night.

When they finally prepared to leave, Gorge turned to Alejandro.

“Take Eve home.”

Evelyn immediately opened her mouth to protest, but Gorge spoke before she could get a word out.

“You're a beautiful, charming young woman, Eve. There are plenty of men out there who would be interested in you. I don't want anything unfortunate to happen to you tonight, especially when your wedding is tomorrow.”

Evelyn fell silent.

She couldn't exactly refuse without inviting questions she wasn't prepared to answer.

In the end, she gave a small nod.

“All right, sir. Thank you.”

A short while later, Evelyn was sitting in the passenger seat of Alejandro's car.

Silence settled over the cabin.

They sat side by side, their gazes fixed on the road ahead. The steady hum of the engine was the only sound between them.

For several minutes, neither spoke. Eventually, Alejandro broke the silence.

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

Evelyn slowly turned toward him.

“Isn't it a little early to congratulate me?”

Alejandro glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.

“Yes. I'm congratulating you in advance because I might not be attending tomorrow.”

A faint smile touched Evelyn's lips, but it never reached her eyes.

“Perhaps you won't be the only one absent. Your nephew might not show up, either.”

Alejandro's gaze shifted toward her.

“What do you mean?”

Evelyn hesitated.

She barely knew the man sitting beside her. He was practically a stranger, and yet, for reasons she couldn't explain, telling him the truth felt easier than she had expected.

“I caught Andrew with my stepsister in the bathtub,” she finally admitted. “They're planning to call off my wedding tomorrow.”

Alejandro didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he studied her for a moment before pulling the car over to the side of the road.

“Are you certain about what you saw?”

Evelyn let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Unfortunately, I wish I were wrong.”

She told him everything.

How she had walked into Andrew's room expecting to surprise her future husband, only to discover him with Caroline. How she had overheard them plotting to leave her standing alone at the altar, humiliating her in front of both families and every invited guest.

And how Andrew had believed every poisonous word Caroline had said about her past without giving her the slightest opportunity to defend herself.

Alejandro listened without interrupting.

He didn't offer empty words of comfort or tell her that everything would be all right. He simply let her speak, his expression unreadable as he absorbed every detail.

When Evelyn finally fell silent, he regarded her for a long moment.

“After everything you've just told me, do you still want to marry him?”

Evelyn turned toward the window, her gaze fixed on the road stretching into the distance.

“No.”

The answer came quietly, but there was no hesitation in it.

She had spent too long loving a man who had never trusted her enough to hear her side of the story. She had sacrificed too much for someone who could discard her so easily.

She was done.

After a brief pause, she lifted her chin.

“But I have no intention of letting him win, either.”