Chapter 3: You'll Always Be Second Choice
Evangeline's POV
I don't answer her. Don't even look at her.
My gaze cuts right past Seraphina and lands on Charles. He stands there in his perfect suit, looking like he stepped off some business magazine cover. But I can see it in his eyes. Guilt? Pain? Or just annoyance that his two worlds are colliding?
Seraphina's voice is still echoing through the lobby, but I act like she doesn't exist.
The silence stretches between us. Heavy. Suffocating.
Charles takes a breath and turns to Marcus, who's been hovering nearby like a well-trained guard dog.
"Marcus, would you mind taking Seraphina to the examination room?" His voice is steady. Controlled. "I'll catch up in a minute."
"Of course, sir." Marcus steps forward smoothly. "Ms. Blackwood, shall we?"
"Charles, you're not coming with me?" There's something in her voice now. Uncertainty. Like she's finally realizing she doesn't have as much control as she thought.
"I'll be right there. Go ahead."
Charles gestures, and Marcus immediately moves to escort her away.
"Miss, the doctor's waiting. We really shouldn't keep him."
Seraphina lets Marcus guide her down the hall, but she keeps turning back to glare at me. Her perfect mask is cracking, and we both know it.
Then it's just us.
Charles walks toward me slowly, like I'm some wounded animal that might run.
"Evie..." He sits down next to me. His voice goes soft. "What are you doing here? You feeling sick again?"
He reaches out, but his hand stops halfway. Just hanging there in the air between us.
I clutch my bag tighter. The medical reports feel like they're burning a hole through the leather.
"It's nothing." I force my voice to sound normal. "Just some sleeping issues. Came to get pills."
But Charles has known me for ten years. He reads every expression, every little movement.
"Don't lie to me, Evie." His forehead creases with worry. "You look like hell, and you're shaking."
Before I can stop him, he reaches for my bag.
"Let me see what the doctor said."
"No!" I yank the bag away. "I told you it's just insomnia!"
"Evangeline, I'm serious. Give me those papers."
His voice shifts. That CEO tone that doesn't take no for an answer. He's about to grab my bag when...
"Mr. Cross?"
Marcus hurries back, looking stressed.
"Ms. Blackwood says she's not feeling well. The doctor needs you to sign some forms."
Charles freezes. I watch him look between me and Marcus.
I can see the war in his eyes. The choice he has to make.
Finally, he sighs and lets go of my bag.
"Go home, Evie. We'll talk later."
I sit there watching Charles walk away. His shoulders are still straight, his walk still confident. Like nothing happened at all.
'He chose her. Again. Baby, I think we both know what I have to do.'
I touch my stomach gently, thinking about the tiny life growing inside.
I stand up slowly and walk outside. The sunlight hits me hard, making me squint as I dig out my phone.
I scroll through my contacts and stop at one name: Audrey Parker.
The phone rings twice.
"Hello? Evie? Why are you calling out of the blue?"
That familiar voice, full of energy with a slight accent.
"Miss me? Actually, I'm on a plane to San Francisco right now! We haven't seen each other in forever. Let's meet up!"
Hearing her voice actually makes me smile for the first time today.
"That works. I need to talk to you about something."
"Sounds serious. Don't worry, whatever it is, I've got you covered!"
The Glass is one of those fancy bars in downtown Palo Alto where all the tech people go to pretend they're normal. Dim lighting, jazz music, everything designed to look expensive and understated.
I've barely sat down when I see a blonde woman push through the door. Black dress, huge smile.
Audrey Parker. My best female friend from Stanford.
"Evie!" She opens her arms wide. "God, you've gotten so skinny!"
She hugs me tight, and I breathe in her jasmine perfume.
"Let me look at you." She sits across from me, studying my face. "You haven't been sleeping, have you?"
Audrey Parker. Stanford computer science, same class as me. She comes from some European medical device family. After graduation, she went back to Switzerland to run part of the family business. North American expansion or something.
Besides Charles, she knows me better than anyone.
"So tell me, how's your Charles? When are you two getting married? You better invite me!"
She signals the bartender while her eyes light up with excitement.
I shake my head.
"There won't be a wedding. We're not getting married."
Her smile dies instantly. She puts down her menu and stares at me.
"What? What happened?"
I take a deep breath and tell her everything.
"Remember Seraphina Blackwood? That girl who stalked Charles all through college?"
"The tech princess? Yeah, I remember. She might as well have branded 'Property of Seraphina' on his forehead. What about her?"
"She came back. With threats from daddy."
I tell her about the Blackwood ultimatum, Charles's "strategic plan," this past year of hell, and the pregnancy. But I don't mention the kidney failure. Not yet.
She goes quiet while I talk. When the bartender comes back, she orders. "Bottle of red wine and orange juice, thanks."
She pushes the juice toward me and fills her wine glass to the brim.
"Does Charles know about the baby?"
"No. I tried to tell him last night, but he ran off to her again."
Then I tell her about this morning at the hospital.
As I talk, her expression gets darker and darker.
By the time I'm done, she's halfway through the bottle. She slams her hand on the table hard enough to make people stare.
"That bastard!" Her voice carries across the bar. "How could he treat you like this?!"
