Chapter 129

Midway through dinner, Evelyn suddenly recalled the chaos she'd left in both the study and bedroom. Her heart skipped a beat as she rushed upstairs to tidy the mess. After restoring order, she descended to finish her meal.

Where had Liam and Ryan vanished to after going upstairs? Was Liam avoiding sharing a room with her because Victoria was present? Perhaps he'd chosen the guest room instead.

That seemed probable.

Returning to the dining table, Evelyn found it deserted. Everyone had finished eating and left. She sat down heavily, picking at her now-cold food without tasting it, her mood as heavy as lead.

In the living room, Victoria set down her phone with dramatic urgency. "Mrs. Blackwood!" she gasped. "Adrian just informed me Liam took a bullet to the shoulder last night!"

"They only removed it this morning, but Liam refused hospitalization and insisted on coming home."

Eleanor's hands flew to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes. "Last night? A gunshot wound?"

She dropped everything and rushed upstairs, sobbing hysterically. "My baby boy!"

Victoria followed close behind, her face a mask of concern.

In the dining room, Evelyn's hands froze around her silverware. A violent tremor ran through her body. Her heart ached with sudden, sharp worry. An unnamed fear coiled tight around her chest.

When she looked up, both Eleanor and Victoria had disappeared upstairs. Her chest constricted painfully. She desperately needed to see Liam, to assess his injury with her own eyes.

After dinner, Evelyn avoided returning to their bedroom immediately. Unable to bear witnessing any intimacy between Liam and Victoria, she wandered into the moonlit garden instead.

She lingered outside until exhaustion crept into her bones, the night air doing little to calm her racing thoughts.

Pushing open the bedroom door, she found the lights on but the room empty.

Evelyn dragged her feet across the threshold, collapsing onto the bed with a heavy sigh.

Where was Liam at this hour? The clock showed well past midnight.

Her stomach twisted at the thought of him in Victoria's room. What exactly was their relationship? Some modern polyamorous arrangement?

The idea made her physically ill, a cocktail of grief and anger churning inside her.

Suddenly, the balcony doors slid open with a whisper.

Evelyn's head snapped up in confusion.

Liam stepped through the glass doors, closing them firmly behind him before drawing the curtains. He wore simple silk pajamas that did nothing to diminish his commanding presence.

From behind, she admired the breadth of his shoulders, the precise cut of his military-short hair. Even injured, he exuded effortless magnetism.

Nervous tension strung her body tight. She swallowed dryly, words sticking in her throat.

Liam turned after securing the curtains. He adjusted the air conditioning with a remote before leaning against the dresser, his dark eyes pinning her in place.

When their gazes locked, Evelyn's breath hitched. Her eyes traced from his injured shoulder up to his striking features.

He'd been shot yesterday. Had surgery this morning. Should be in a hospital bed. Why had he insisted on coming home?

Worry propelled her words before she could stop them. "Does it hurt?"

Finally looking at him. Finally speaking. A ghost of a smile touched Liam's lips.

Danger was his constant companion. Blood and pain were familiar acquaintances. Never before had he admitted weakness or feared mortality.

Yet now, he craved her concern. So he let his voice go soft and vulnerable. "It hurts. Terribly."

Evelyn's fingers twisted in the bedsheets. Every fiber of her being urged her to inspect his wound. But hesitation rooted her to the spot.

Liam's intense gaze burned into her. At a loss for words, she looked away sharply, her pulse hammering in her throat.