Chapter 10

Evelyn’s P.O.V

I was alone that morning, or so I thought. The housekeepers were somewhere inside cleaning but the yard was mine. I sat by the pool, legs dipped in, sipping orange juice mixed with a little gin. I had nowhere to be, nothing to dress up for, and for once, no one was pretending to love me in front of cameras. The sun hit the edge of the glass table, catching the pale polish on my nails. I’d stopped wearing my wedding ring the night before. It sat somewhere on the dresser, a gold circle that meant nothing now.

I’d barely slept. The call to Madeline was still echoing in my head the start of something I couldn’t turn back from. My stomach twisted with the kind of excitement that felt dangerous, almost pleasurable.

The sound of a door closing made me turn. At first, I thought it was one of the staff, but then I saw him Theo stepping into view with a folder tucked under one arm and his phone in the other. He froze when he saw me.

“Mrs. Cole,” he said quickly, straightening, as if he’d just been caught breaking into a church.

I raised a brow. “Theo,” I said, pretending not to notice the way his gaze darted away. “Didn’t think anyone was here.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said immediately. “Mr. Cole asked me to pick up some documents from his office. I didn’t mean to…”

“Relax,” I cut in, reaching for my sunglasses. “You didn’t walk in on anything scandalous.” I glanced down at my swimsuit. “Well. Depends who’s asking.”

His throat worked. “Right. I just…didn’t expect…”

“You to see me half-naked in daylight?” I teased, slipping the glasses on. “That makes two of us.”

A faint flush crept up his neck. It was almost endearing. Theo always carried himself like someone who’d been taught to stay composed, but there was something unpolished about him too. Like a man still learning what lines he wasn’t supposed to cross.

“I’ll just grab what I came for,” he said, eyes fixed anywhere but on me.

“Come on, I’ll help you,” I said, standing up. Water dripped from my legs as I walked past him, and I caught the way his jaw tightened. And picked up the towel on the floor covered myself with it

The house smelled faintly of lemon cleaner. A few of the staff were dusting the staircase, pretending not to see us. I led Theo down the corridor and pushed open the door to Alfred’s home office.

He hesitated on the threshold. “You sure it’s okay?”

“I doubt my husband tells me what’s okay anymore,” I said, moving to the desk. “What are you looking for?”

“Campaign finance reports. From the last quarter.” He kept his voice careful, neutral.

I opened the drawers one by one, flipping through folders, until I found the one labeled in Alfred’s sharp handwriting. “Here,” I said, holding it out.

Theo stepped closer to take it. His fingers brushed mine, light, accidental, but I felt it.

“Thanks,” he murmured.

I nodded, trying not to think about the heat that bloomed from that small touch. “You’re welcome.”

He tucked the folder under his arm but didn’t leave right away. His eyes drifted to the framed photos on the wall Alfred at podiums, shaking hands, smiling like a man who never sinned. My picture wasn’t among them.

“How has the job being for you ,” I said.

“Intense but pleasurable,” Theo answered. “Being working mostly on communications strategy so it’s almost fun.”

I leaned against the desk. “And how’s that going? Learning a lot about the great Alfred Cole?”

He gave a small, uncertain smile. “He’s… disciplined.”

“Disciplined.” I repeated the word slowly. “That’s one way to describe him.”

Theo’s gaze met mine briefly, and there was a flicker understanding, maybe pity, maybe both.

“I don’t mean to pry,” he said quietly.

“You’re not prying. You’re being polite.” I tilted my head. “Most people in his circle don’t bother.”

He hesitated, like he wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should. Then he said, “For what it’s worth, he talks about you a lot.”

That almost made me laugh. “I’m sure he does.”

“Not in a bad way.”

“Of course not,” I said lightly. “Alfred doesn’t do bad ways. He does, polished, PR-approved ways.”

Theo looked at me, then at the desk, his hand tightening around the folder. “You sound angry.”

“I am,” I said simply. “But mostly I’m bored of pretending not to be.”

He nodded slowly, as if that made perfect sense. The silence stretched, not uncomfortable, just full.

“You really don’t have to stay,” I said. “Unless you like watching married women in existential crisis.”

That made him smile for real this time, the kind that softened his face. “You’re not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Someone colder. Or maybe just… quieter.”

I laughed softly. “Quiet’s overrated.”

He held my gaze a second longer than he should have. It wasn’t bold, just curious, the kind of look that feels like a question.And I didn’t look away either

His phone buzzed, breaking the moment. He glanced down, muttered, “I should get going.”

“Go ahead,” I said, pushing off the desk. “Don’t let me corrupt your schedule.”

He smiled again, small, almost apologetic. “See you around, Mrs. Cole.”

“Evelyn,” I corrected.

He paused at the doorway. “Right. Evelyn.”

He left, and the room felt strangely still after him. I stood there a moment, fingers brushing the edge of Alfred’s desk, thinking about the way Theo had said my name, like he didn’t want to break protocol

When I looked out the window, I saw his car pulling away, sunlight flashing across the windshield. I waited until it disappeared before exhaling. Then I walked back toward the pool, picked up my drink, and took a long sip.

For the first time in weeks, I wasn’t thinking about Alfred. Not about his cheating habits or the betrayal or the files I’d found. I was thinking about a man who had no reason to look at me the way he just did.

And that, somehow, scared me more than anything else.