Oliver squealed, tugging at Axel’s leg.
"Daddy, let’s play bubble..."
Axel lowers himself, effortlessly lifting his son into his arms.
"You’ve got bubbles all over your face, Buddy," he teased, brushing a bit of foam from Oliver’s cheek.
Oliver laughed again, the sound pure and bright.
Evelyn’s eyes softened as she watched them. For a few seconds, everything felt right. Peaceful.
But his phone buzzed again, breaking the calm.
She glanced at it, curiosity flickering across her face. "You’re popular today," she joked lightly.
Axel tucked the phone deeper into his pocket. "Nothing important."
"Are you sure?" she asked, tilting her head. "You look like you’re about to throw it into the lake..."
He laughs, "Tempting idea."
Evelyn smiled knowingly but didn’t press. She had learned not to push him when he looked that way; calm on the surface but storming underneath.
He watched her for a moment, her eyes sparkling as she took Oliver from his arms.
"Oliver, go play with Cloud and Browny..." she said gently.
"Hmmm." Oliver agrees immediately. Then he turned to Axel, "Bye, Daddy..." He hugged him before running to the barn.
Axel smiled, looking at his son. He wanted to stay, to let this morning last forever, untouched by the chaos outside their walls. But his father’s text message still echoed in his mind.
"This is related to your mother."
Something about that line refused to leave him. He didn’t believe it easily, especially when it came from Alexander. Yet, the mention of his mother made him uneasy.
’Could it be true? Could there really be something linking his mother to Evelyn’s family?’
He shook the thought away.
It sounded absurd. The Walters and the Knights might have history, but Evelyn had nothing to do with whatever happened back then. She was his wife. His family.
Still, the weight of the unknown pressed against him.
Evelyn turned back to him, her smile soft. "Axel, don’t forget to have lunch before your meeting, okay?"
He nodded automatically. "I will."
She studied him for a moment longer. "You seem distracted. Is everything alright?"
"Everything’s fine," Axel answered while forced to wear a reassuring smile.
Evelyn didn’t quite believe him, but once again, she decided to let it go. "Alright. Don’t overwork yourself."
"Hmm... I will listen to my wife," he said while wrapping his arm around Evelyn’s waist and kissing the top of her head.
...
Axel walked toward the front yard. He slipped his phone out once more, his thumb hovering over his father’s message.
He typed a short reply. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"I’ll come by later."
Then he stared at the screen for a few seconds before deleting it instead.
No.
Not yet.
Whatever Alexander wanted to say could wait.
"You mean my old position. Back to being your driver instead of Madam’s."

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