Chapter 228 - 228: A chance with You

Evan grabs Robert's gun and slips the bronze bullet inside. He squeezes the trigger, and a loud bang echoed through the room. A thin coil of smoke rises from the gun, and the burnt smell of gunpowder fills the air. The old fisherman dives to the ground and puts his hands over his head, but Evan hasn't shot him. Instead, he's shot a hole in the white wall.

"Andrew Clifford is going to pay," Evan says.

Avery wakes from a nightmare and sits up in her bed. In her dream, a man with a terrible dark shadow shot a bullet straight through Andrew Clifford's heart. Andrew fell to the ground and screamed in pain, and then his face blurred and melted and became Charles' face.

She wipes the cold sweat from her forehead and breathes a sigh of relief. She lies back down and rolls over, surprised to find an empty space in the bed. She was hoping Evan would come to find her when he returned home. She closes her eyes and tries to think about their child. She's about to fall asleep when someone knocks loudly on the door. She tries to ignore it, but the knocking gets louder and faster.     

"Who's there?" she asks irritably, "What's going on? What's wrong?"

She sits up and reaches for the bedside lamp. She clicks it on and checks the clock—it's 2:00 AM. She groans and rubs her eyes.

"Mrs. Howel, it's me," Robert says.

Avery feels her blood run cold. If Robert is back at the mansion, Evan must be back too, she thinks. But if Evan is back, why hasn't he come to see me? Is something wrong? She leaps to her feet and grabs the silk robe at the foot of her bed. She ties it around her waist and walks barefoot to the door. Robert looks exhausted and unhappy.

"Where's Evan?" Avery asks, as her heart pounds anxiously in her chest. "Is there something wrong with him? What happened?"

"Mr. Howel is fine," Robert says. He pauses awkwardly and continues, "Well, he's mostly fine. He's had a few drinks." 

"He's been drinking?" Avery asks. "Why? Is he alone? What happened?"

"He heard that you returned to the mansion in Mr. Clifford's car," Robert says. "The bodyguards told him that you were sitting in the backseat with Mr. Clifford. He's a bit…upset."

Avery sighs heavily. She knows that Evan is possessive and jealous, but she thought he'd stopped caring about Andrew. She wonders if he's angry at her, but she doesn't feel comfortable asking Robert. If she's honest with herself, she's scared to hear the answer.

"Is he very drunk?" Avery asks. 

"Um, well, he's a bit unreasonable," Robert says. "I was hoping you could go talk to him. I think it might calm him."

Avery wraps her arms around herself and says, "Okay, I'll go, but I'm not so sure it's a good idea."

"Mrs. Howel, I don't mean to speak out of place, but well, we all know that Mr. Howel really cares about you," Robert says. "When you were with Mr. Clifford, Mr. Howel sank into a deep depression. He spent his days alone, drinking in the dark. Now that you're back, he still spends some nights alone in the study with a glass of whiskey.

"He worries about you and the baby, and honestly, I'm worried about him. I've tried to talk to him about it, but he doesn't want to hear my opinion. But he listens to you, Mrs. Howel. Please talk to him and tell him that everything is okay."

Avery chews her lip. She has trouble believing everything Robert has said. Surely he must be exaggerating the story about Evan's depression. She knows that Evan cares about her, but she can't believe that his feelings go so deep. Evan can be moody, but the thought of him drinking alone in the dark all day is crazy to her.

Avery opens the door to the study and slips inside. She's surprised to find the room empty. There's a small bar in the back corner, so Evan can offer drinks to business partners during meetings. One of the glass-paneled cabinets is hanging open, and several bottles seem to be missing from their place on the shelf.

The other corner of the study connects to a short hallway that leads to a guest bedroom. If a meeting goes late, the visiting businessman or woman can stay in the guest room. More often, Evan sleeps in the bedroom when he's working on an important project and doesn't want to be disturbed by anyone else in the house. The door to the hallway is open, and a light is on.

Avery walks into the guest bedroom. The sheets of the king-sized bed have been pulled back, but the bed is empty. She hears the sound of running water in the en suite bathroom and opens the door. A wave of hot steam rushes out, and the fans the air around her. Evan steps out of the shower, completely n.a.k.e.d.

Water drips down his chiseled chest and abs to his member. Evan coughs, and she realizes she's staring at it. She looks up at him and feels the blood rise to her face. Her ears get hot, and she stares pointedly at her own feet.

"Can you put a towel on?" she asks.

"You didn't seem to mind my n.a.k.e.dness a second ago," Evan says. Though his words are flirty, his voice is weirdly flat and cold. "Besides, it's not like you've never seen me n.a.k.e.d before."

"You sound weird—are you drunk?" Avery asks.

"Look at me if you want to talk to me," Evan says.

Avery quickly looks up, careful to avoid staring at his crotch. His lips were pressed into a thin, angry line, and his eyes are sharp and cold. Though he's wet and n.a.k.e.d, he radiates power and control. Avery squints at him—he doesn't seem drunk, just furious.

"Evan, I came to talk," Avery says. "But before you do, can you please put some clothes on? Or at least wrap a towel around yourself?"

Evan ignores her question and says, "Come dry my hair for me."

Avery sighs and grabs two large white towels. She carefully wraps one around his waist. Every time her fingers brush his damp skin, she feels a jolt of electricity in her stomach. He sits down on a stool, and she stands behind him and rubbed his hair with the second towel. He smells like shampoo and mint, and she inhales deeply.

She steps back, and her foot bumps something cold. It falls over with a loud, clattering sound. She looks down and sees an empty wine bottle, and there's another half-empty bottle next to it. Evan isn't drunk, but he has been drinking.

Avery wants to ask him why he's drinking. She wants to explain what happened with Andrew at the police station: the way he threatened her again, the deal he forced her to make, the kiss that wasn't really a kiss at all. But she doesn't know where to begin. When Evan is in his jealous mood, he doesn't believe anything she says.

Suddenly Evan turns around, grabs her waist, and pulls her onto his lap. She lands with a little gasp and drops the towel.

"What are you thinking about?" he asks her. "You seem distracted. Maybe you're wishing you were with another man, drying his hair instead of mine."

"Evan, I went to the police station to bail Gabrielle out," Avery says, feeling her anger rise. "I had no idea that he would be there."

"Who are you talking about?" Evan asks.

"Don't play games with me, Evan," she says. "You know I was with Andrew."

"Ah, yes, you haven't seen him in a while," Evan says bitterly. He loosens his hold on her waist and pushes her off his lap. "You must have really missed each other after such a long time apart."

Avery shakes her head and says, "Listen, Evan, Andrew bribed the police officers and—"

"Let me guess, he bribed the police and asked them to threaten Gabrielle," Evan said, rolling his eyes. "You went to save her, and he offered you a deal."

"Yes, that's what happened," Avery says angrily.

Evan rubs his temples and closes his eyes. Avery can't tell if he believes her or not. She wants to grab his shoulders and shake him as hard as she can. She wants to scream at the top of her lungs. Instead, she grits her teeth and takes a deep breath. 

"Does Andrew know that you're pregnant with my child?" Evan asks.

"Of course," Avery says.

"So, you're telling me he's still interested in you even though you're pregnant with another man's child?" Evan asks.

"Apparently, he is," Avery says.

"Maybe you've encouraged him," Evan says. "What have you done that makes him think he still has a chance with you?"