When Noah woke up that morning, the first thing he saw—as always—was that exquisitely beautiful face on the pillow beside him. Her large beautiful eyes gazed at him tenderly, seductive and enchanting.
The woman was already fully dressed, face fresh and clean, hair neatly combed. Only he was still completely naked.
"It's just the two of us at home. I just bought breakfast. Want to get up now, or sleep a little longer?" Evelyn blinked, her gaze resting on Noah's face before drifting slowly downward. "Or… do it one more time?"
"It's been all night, Eve. Isn't that enough?"
"If Nate wants to, your sister has no problem with it."
"Then no. I don't want to." Noah tugged the covers higher, curling up so only half his face showed. "Hurry and go out. I need to get dressed and get up."
"Go ahead and dress. We've done everything already—what's there to be shy about your sister seeing?"
Evelyn stepped out anyway. Noah pulled on his clothes, stretched with a big yawn, and rolled out of bed.
He drew the curtains open. Soft, warm morning light poured in. The sun hung high, voices and laughter filled the air. The whole world felt bright and alive.
He turned around and accidentally kicked the trash can with his foot. Luckily it didn't tip over. He glanced down. Inside were several crumpled paper balls, already dry, but the vivid scenes of last night's passion were still crystal clear in his mind, turning the boy's ears red.
When two people in love shared the most intimate physical contact, it was perfectly natural. But everything should be done in moderation. He thought he really shouldn't keep giving in to his sister every single time.
He left the room, brushed his teeth, washed his face. His head still felt foggy. Noah quickly finished breakfast, yawned, and was about to head back to his room to sleep when the familiar little white pill bottle on the counter caught his eye. He picked it up, looked at it, then turned and called toward the balcony.
"Eve!"
"What's up?" Evelyn, who was hanging laundry, poked her head out, looking at him puzzled.
He shook the bottle in his hand. "You have to hide this kind of thing properly. What if someone finds it?"
"Oh, that. Your sister wasn't paying attention. Put it in your room. That way after we finish next time you can just take it right away."
Noah studied the ingredients on the label—those complicated chemical names… and the side effects listed after words like "increase," "excess," "tenderness." He suggested, "Maybe we shouldn't use this one anymore. Switch to something else. It's not good for your body…"
"Okay, okay. Your sister will buy something different this afternoon."
Evelyn didn't seem to care much. She went back to hanging the clothes. Noah sighed, set the bottle down, leaned on the dining table, and stared blankly at the woman's slender, graceful figure. In that moment he really had the illusion of a perfect wife and mother. He couldn't help picturing their future. If it was Evelyn… life would truly be so much easier.
The only flaw was her obsessive, twisted possessiveness, which often left him feeling suffocated.
Evelyn soon finished hanging the laundry, put the plastic basin away in the bathroom, washed her hands, and when she returned to the living room she saw Noah still watching her. A gentle smile curved her lips. She walked behind the boy and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Your sister looks that good, huh? Can't stop staring."
"Eve, can we talk about something?"
"Mmm, go ahead."
"Can we maybe do it only every three or four days from now on?"
Noah could feel the full, soft weight against his back press down even harder. Those slender arms tightened around him. "A young, vigorous guy like Nate shouldn't have such a big appetite?"
"You taught me that nothing should be done to excess."
"Then who was it last night, face all red, hugging your sister and saying he wanted it? Nate isn't going to deny it, is he?"
"That was…"
Noah knew very well: if Evelyn wanted, she didn't even have to force him. All it took was a slightly ambiguous atmosphere and one deep, wet kiss, and he would start begging her—just like last night.
"What was it?" She smiled seductively, her voice brushing his ear with her breath. "Nate still loves breasts so much, like a little baby. But your sister…"
Knock knock knock. A sudden series of knocks interrupted Evelyn's teasing. They both looked up. Noah immediately stood, tense. "I'll get the door. Eve, don't let anything show."
"Your sister won't."
Standing in front of the security door, Noah took a deep breath and adjusted his expression so nothing would seem off. He opened the door. The girl stood outside, her bright doe eyes shimmering, a sweet smile on her face, full of the beautiful vitality of youth—like a vibrant, lovely plum blossom blooming in the white snow of winter.
She held out two elegantly wrapped cash envelopes, her voice clear and soft. "Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year. What's this?"
"My mom and dad gave you New Year's cash envelopes. There's probably quite a bit in them."
Noah immediately waved his hands in refusal. "No, no, I can't accept these."
His first thought was that Mr. and Mrs. Vale saw him as a future son-in-law, so these envelopes carried that kind of weight. He couldn't take them.
"Take them. Aunt Laura gave me one last night too." Lila pulled another from her pocket. "This one's for Evelyn. You can give it to her."
Noah looked at the three festive red envelopes in her hand, hesitated, then took only the two meant for him. "This one's fine. My sister won't accept it."
"Then whatever. Oh, a couple days ago I saw her buying something at the pharmacy. Is someone sick?"
"Pharmacy?"
He could only think of the white pill bottle at home. Luckily it had been his sister buying it. If the girl had seen him, she would have come straight over to ask and everything would have been exposed.
Noah thought for a second and casually made up an excuse. "Yeah, my sister has bad menstrual cramps. She's taking something to regulate it."
"I see. Here are the envelopes. I'll head back."
"Don't you want to come in and sit for a bit?"
"Evelyn's home, right? She'll probably get mad at me again. Better not."
After Lila said that she turned and went back to the apartment across the hall. Noah closed the door, sat back down at the dining table. Evelyn propped her chin on her hand, looking at him with clear interest. "How come I didn't know I had bad menstrual cramps?"
"I couldn't exactly tell the truth, could I."
"You could have. Let her know exactly who Nate belongs to."
"What if it makes Lila angry and she stops helping us hide things?"
"It's fine. Your sister isn't afraid anyway."
Suddenly a pleasant phone ringtone drew their attention. Evelyn glanced at the lit screen. The contact name made her pause in surprise. She stood up. "Your sister will take this call."
With that she carried the phone to the balcony, leaving Noah a little curious. His sister usually answered calls right in front of him. This time she was acting completely out of character.
On the balcony, Evelyn pressed the answer button and brought the phone to her ear. "Hello, Aunt Claire."
"Is this Eve? It's been so long since I heard your voice. Your aunt almost didn't recognize it."
The woman's voice also felt strangely unfamiliar. Thinking back, the last time she had received a call from her must have been more than ten years ago.