Chapter 1 — His Sister-in-Law

Evelyn's POV

"Adrian… I'm pregnant."

The words died on my tongue the second he brought another woman home.

Today was our second wedding anniversary, and what better way to commemorate our special day than to also deliver the news of the little life we were bringing into this world? Excitement buzzed underneath my skin at the thought of us becoming parents..

I wondered if he would be as excited as I was.

I had just finished making our favorite dishes when I heard the front door clicking as it opened. My heart began to race and suddenly, my palms were so sweaty. I held my breath as Adrian walked through the door.

Even after two years, seeing him still dazzled me.

His sharp features were soft as his smile curved into those dimples I loved so much. And his eyes… Oh, it was like swimming in a clear, crystalline lake.

It was like God took his time making him. He could've had any other woman, yet he chose me.

But then my ears picked up on something else…

Another voice. Feminine, soft; her laughter like musical notes.

Then I saw her slender arm wrapped around his.

Adrian's sister-in-law… Bianca.

Six months ago, Bianca's husband—who was also Adrian's older brother—died in a horrific plane crash on his way back from a business trip. It was a dark time for all of us.

In a way, my heart broke with hers, too. I couldn't imagine losing the love of your life so soon when you had plans to build a future together.

Since then, Adrian had been helping Bianca with funeral arrangements. Oftentimes, if he wasn't busy running his multi-billion dollar company, he was with her. At first, I thought nothing of it.

Until now.

I understood the pain of losing a loved one. But Bianca had been frequently calling Adrian late into the night because of nightmares she was having.

And what would Adrian do? Drop everything to be at her side. It happened five times this week alone. He even left work EARLY to be with her—something he never did.

She was already interfering so much in my personal life with him… Did she also have to interrupt our wedding anniversary, too?

"You're so thoughtful, Evelyn!" Bianca beamed. "You know, you remind me of my servant in some ways. Every time I came home from a long, hard day, she would have all of these dishes prepared for me."

Bianca skipped right past me towards the table as she took my fork and took a bite from my plate of food. "Mmm, but your cooking isn't as good as hers," she laughed.

I was too stunned to even speak.

Not only did she completely ignore my existence, but she also insulted my cooking. 

And she'd only been here for all of FIVE seconds!

I watched in disbelief as Bianca took the seat meant for me as she took another bite from my plate.

"I hope you don't mind, Eve." Bianca finally acknowledged me. "I've been so exhausted from running around to these funeral homes with Adrian all day that I hadn't gotten anything to eat."

"Well, I wasn't told that you were coming. In any case, this food was prepared for a special night, so—"

"Oh, Eve, don't be like that." Bianca clicked her tongue. "Adrian was being thoughtful and wanted to bring me here so I wouldn't be alone. Plus, he hadn't anything special going on between you two. You know, we—"

"Let's just eat," Adrian sighed and took his seat. "No need to make more of a fuss."

I shot a look at Adrian who could only look away. My heart sank. Had he forgotten about our wedding anniversary? He hadn't forgotten about it before!

I had to bite my tongue, though. After all, she was just a lonely widow.

I told myself to be patient. Not like I had a choice.

"Bianca's in a bad mood today from all the stress. Please cut her some slack." Adrian was calm, not realizing how rude Bianca's behavior was.

She followed Adrian's lead and sat down in my seat.

I sighed as I turned to sit in the seat further from them.

Tonight was going to be a long night…

"You know, I don't really like onions, Eve," Bianca stated when I came back to the dining room. "And did you forget Adrian doesn't either? He told me that a long time ago. Shouldn't you know that as his wife?"

I tried to explain. "His tastes have changed…"

"Are you calling me a liar?" She raised a brow. "I've been his sister-in-law longer than you've been his wife, so I think I know what I'm talking about."

This was beyond what I could tolerate. I took a deep breath. No matter who she was, casually accusing me in my own home was crossing a line, especially since she had done this kind of thing many times before.

"Actually, Eve's right." Adrian came over and put his arm around my shoulders. Then he kissed my forehead. "I like the way Evelyn cooks onions, so I don't mind them as much anymore."

Bianca's face quickly darkened. She hadn't expected Adrian's support to extend to me as well. She gripped her dinner knife until her knuckles turned white.

I looked up to meet Adrian’s gaze and found my heart melting. For a moment, I found myself being able to relax.

Adrian wasn't the type to express affection so openly and easily, but he loved me—that I was sure of. Back then, he was the one who pursued me relentlessly, as he brushed aside all outsider opinions to marry me.

I should've known better than to be so skeptical of Adrian's true feelings for me. I—

SCREECH!

I snapped my head back to see that Bianca had scraped her knife against the plate intentionally.

"Please mind your behavior." She said in a tone mixed with sadness and mild irritation. "I can't stand to see this kind of… affection."

"I understand your grief, Bianca," I tried to keep my voice calm. "But this is our home, and my husband and I—"

"We understand." Adrian interrupted me as he patted my back soothingly. "It won't happen again."

I turned around and stared at Adrian in surprise, but he remained calm.

"Bianca still needs time. She just needs to be taken care of because of her emotions. Indulge her a little, okay?"

Indulge her? And let Bianca act like she was the lady of the house?

Before I could argue back, Bianca's voice cut me off once more.

“Would you be so kind as to bring me some lemon water, Eve? There's a lot of salt in this dish you prepared." Bianca asked.

I swallowed my pride and did as she asked.

I guess I had to indulge her… To give in to whatever she wanted.

Too bad the demands didn't stop there.

Next came her vitamin pills in her purse that she left in the car…

Then she wanted to borrow my jacket because hers got dirty…

She even dared to tell me to throw out the lemon cake I'd prepared for Adrian because it reminded her too much of her husband!

"Oh, and one more thing before you sit down!" She barked out. "I need—"

"I'm not your servant." I interrupted her, but kept my voice calm. "If you need something, you're free to get up and grab it."

"Am I not a guest in your home? It only makes sense for you to serve me when I ask you."

"I've gotten you everything you've asked for so far. But I spent all day cooking, on top of 'serving' you." I forced myself to keep calm. "So, I would like to sit down."

Bianca let out a 'hmph'. "Well, you're lucky I didn't have to go far. At least the wine bottle is right here. Can you at least pour us a glass?"

"I'm not in the drinking mood." I huffed.

"I meant 'us' as in me and Adrian. Not you. He's been such a saint for helping me with all of the funeral arrangements, and he needs something to help wind down those nerves of his. You know how easily stressed he can get."

I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from exploding. I hated how she talked about MY husband as if she knew him better than me! "Actually, I don't feel good anyway. So, I'm going to lie down."

Adrian came to my side immediately and placed his hand over my forehead. "You are a little bit warm... Did you overexert yourself today? Go lie down on the couch. I can make you some tea."

Adrian showing concern for me melted away some of the anger I was feeling towards Bianca. "I would appreciate that."

"No worries. Besides, I don't need to drink anyway. I'll get Bianca back to her place and then come back with your favorite snacks along with your tea, okay?"

"Thank you." I breathed a sigh of relief. After sapping what was left of my energy, I felt a little comfort knowing she wouldn't be here for much longer anyway.

"Wait? Take me home?" Bianca cocked her head to the side. "Why do that when I can just stay here instead?"

But her words crushed my short relief and turned it into dust as my heart dropped into my stomach.

She wanted to… stay here?

On the inside, I was screaming my head off. Surely, Adrian wouldn't agree to this, would he?

Yet, when I looked at him, his expression was unreadable. A sickening dread settled at the bottom of my stomach when he didn't outright refuse her request.

Was he truly thinking about letting her stay with us?