Evelyn’s POV
The next few days passed peacefully, and I spent the weekend at home with the children.
I stood in my kitchen watching the children play in the living room, my attention caught by the way Alexis clutched the pink toy car Calvin had given her. She never let it out of her sight.
Rowan and Rhys sprawled on the floor beside their little sister, helping her arrange a makeshift race track with cushions. The sight of the three siblings playing together filled me with warmth, but it was Calvin’s expression that truly captured my attention. He watched them from the doorway with such tenderness in his eyes. A softness I’d rarely seen from him before.
"They get along well," I commented, testing the waters.
Calvin nodded, his eyes never leaving the children. "They do. Alexis has them wrapped around her little finger."
"That car was a good choice," I said. "She carries it everywhere."
A small smile formed on his lips. "I noticed."
Something in his tone made me pause. Over the past weeks, Calvin had been acting differently. Spending more time with the children, bringing thoughtful gifts, asking questions about Alexis’s health and development that went beyond casual interest.
"Can we talk?" Calvin asked suddenly, nodding toward my study.
I followed him, closing the door behind us.
He didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
"I’ve been thinking about my financial arrangements," he said, leaning against my desk. "I want to make some changes."
I crossed my arms. "What kind of changes?"
"I want to transfer the Norse Pack territories back to you, to be managed by Rowan and Rhys when they’re of age."
My eyebrows shot up. "That’s... unexpected."
"And I’m setting up a substantial trust for Alexis," he continued. "It will include majority shares in several of my most valuable holdings."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"Why?" I asked bluntly.
"Does there need to be a reason?"
"With you? Absolutely." I stepped closer. "You never give anything away without purpose, Calvin. Especially not property or shares."
His jaw tightened. "Maybe I’m changing."
"This dramatically? This suddenly?" I shook my head. "No. Something’s going on."
We stood facing each other, tension building between us.
"What are you really doing, Calvin?" I pressed. "Why this sudden generosity toward Alexis?"
He took a step toward me, his voice low. "How much longer are you planning to keep up the lie, Evelyn?"
My heart nearly stopped. "What lie?" I managed, though my voice sounded strangled even to my own ears.
Did he know about the mate bond? The thought sent panic racing through me. I wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not now. Not like this.
"About Alexis," Calvin said, his eyes boring into mine. "About her being my daughter."
The relief hit me so hard I almost laughed. "That’s what this is about?" I breathed out, my shoulders sagging.
"You’re not denying it," he observed.
"No," I admitted. "I’m not."
"How long have you known?" I asked.
"I had suspicions from the first time I saw her," Calvin said. "But I confirmed it with a DNA test my grandfather conducted."
"Alexis is mine. You can’t take her from me," I said angrily.
"Don’t act outraged when you’re the one who kept my daughter from me for years."
And just like that, all the old resentments burst to the surface.
"Kept her from you?" I hissed. "You threw me away, Calvin! You made it very clear that I was nothing more than a convenient Luna who had served her purpose once the twins were born."
"That’s not what happened."
"It’s exactly what happened! You pushed me aside for Clara, made me feel worthless in my own home, then had the audacity to act surprised when I left!"
Calvin’s fists clenched at his sides. "I never pushed you aside!"
"You barely looked at me!" The pain of those memories rushed back. Hot. Fresh. "Do you have any idea what it was like to be pregnant with Alexis, knowing you were sleeping with another woman?"
"I never slept with Clara," he growled. "Not once."
"Oh, please," I scoffed. "I’m not an idiot, Calvin."
"No, you’re stubborn," he shot back. "Too stubborn to ever ask me what really happened. Too proud to give me a chance to explain."
"Explain what? How you humiliated me? How you let that woman take my place while I was carrying your child?"
Calvin stepped closer, his eyes blazing. "I made mistakes, Evelyn. I admit that. But you ran away. You took my children and disappeared!"
"To protect them! To protect myself!"
"From what?" he demanded. "From me?"
"Yes, from you!" The admission burst out of me. "From your coldness, from your control, from the way you made me feel like I was nothing more than a vessel for your heirs!"
Hurt flashed across his face, quickly replaced by anger.
"You never gave me a chance," he said, his voice dangerously quiet. "You decided who I was and what I wanted without ever asking me."
"Because you never talked to me!" My voice broke. "Not once in our entire marriage did you ever tell me what you were thinking or feeling. How was I supposed to know anything?"
We stood there, breathing hard, years of pain and misunderstanding hanging between us. I could feel tears threatening, but I refused to let them fall.
"I had a right to know she was mine," Calvin said finally, his voice softer.
"Yes," I admitted. "You did."
A heavy silence fell between us. My anger was draining away, leaving only exhaustion in its wake. We’d fought countless times since our reunion.
"I would have stayed," Calvin said suddenly.
I looked up at him, confused. "What?"
"If you had told me about Alexis, I would have stayed. I would have fixed things between us."
Would he have? Could we have salvaged something from the wreckage of our marriage if I’d told him about the pregnancy?
"It’s too late for what-ifs," I said, turning away.
Calvin caught my arm, pulling me back to face him. "Is it?"
Before I could respond, he pulled me against him, one hand cupping the back of my head as his lips crashed down on mine. The kiss was fierce. Desperate. Filled with years of frustration and longing.