Chapter 81

Evelyn glanced at her phone.

It was a text from Julian: "Evelyn, something urgent came up at the hospital. Go ahead and eat without me."

So he wouldn’t be joining them after all.

Julian was probably swamped with work. Saving lives always took priority over dinner plans.

Love.

She turned to Daniel. "Let’s eat."

Daniel had already seen Julian’s message in the group chat—some emergency case had come up. Honestly, he wasn’t disappointed. This meant he had Evelyn all to himself.

Soon, the food arrived.

Victoria smiled. "We should start too."

But Daniel was quicker.

He picked the largest shrimp from the platter and placed it on Evelyn’s plate.

"Try this, Evelyn. It’s fresh."

"Evelyn, the first bite is always the best."

"Are you thirsty? I’ll get you a drink."

Before long, Evelyn’s plate was piled high.

She tugged discreetly at his sleeve. "That’s enough. You should eat too."

Only then did Daniel finally stop.

"I’m not that hungry. You need it more. Look how thin you’ve gotten."

Evelyn blinked. Thin? She had definitely gained weight. Was he blind?

Nathaniel slammed his fork down, his appetite gone.

Victoria quickly intervened. "Nathaniel, try this!"

She piled food onto his plate, but Nathaniel barely glanced at it before standing abruptly.

"I have work. I’m leaving."

He couldn’t stomach another bite.

As he strode out, Victoria stared at his untouched plate, her heart sinking.

"Wait for me!" she called, rushing after him.

Once the door closed, only Evelyn and Daniel remained.

She exhaled, relieved. The tension had made it hard to swallow.

Daniel set down his utensils. "Evelyn, why were you sitting with them?"

When he’d walked in and seen Victoria and Nathaniel, he’d thought he’d entered the wrong room.

Flustered, Evelyn explained, "I used to care for Eleanor Whitmore. Nathaniel was grateful for that, so he invited me to dinner."

Daniel frowned. "Forget the Whitmores. You’re a Montgomery now, not their maid. The past is over."

"I know, Daniel."

As she nibbled her cake, her gaze lingered on Nathaniel’s empty seat before she finally looked away.

It wasn’t until late that night that Julian returned.

"Exhausted. And starving."

"Julian, we saved you some food. Just heat it up."

"You’re an angel, Evelyn."

He devoured the takeout, unfazed that it wasn’t fresh.

Daniel leaned against the counter. "Evelyn, the movers are coming tomorrow morning. Pack your valuables tonight."

"Got it."

Evelyn had already started. There wasn’t much to bring—the new house was fully furnished.

She and Margaret could move in right away.

The next morning, the movers arrived on schedule.

Evelyn sent Margaret ahead while she stayed behind to supervise.

Truthfully, Margaret hated throwing things away. Evelyn planned to clear out the clutter once she was gone.