9 He Found Me ? Evelyn's mind was a storm of one name , Axel Knight . 1 What if he already knew ? What if he had tracked her down to this quiet little hideout ? For a long moment , she stayed rooted to the spot , staring at the door like it might explode . ' Did he find me through Aunt Martha ? ' The thought flashed through her mind like a bad headline . But no ... Aunt Martha wasn't connected to her work life . They'd met years ago under bizarre , sudden circumstances , and Aunt Martha wasn't exactly the " accidentally sell you out to a billionaire enemy " type . She was just about to ignore the doorbell when a faint , familiar voice carried through . ' Oh , brilliant , Eve ! Nearly had a heart attack over your own aunt . Very dignified . Relief loosened her shoulders as she hurried to the door . There stood Aunt Martha , smiling warmly . Of course , she could access the fifth floor ; she still had her keycard . She'd been the one to find this place for her in the first place . " Aunty , sorry to keep you waiting ," Evelyn said , stepping aside . " It's fine , dear ... " Evelyn led her toward the living room , guilt nibbling at her . " Aunty Martha , you don't need to exhaust yourself to come here . I promised I'd visit later this afternoon ." Not that she's complaining , but Evelyn feels terrible about letting this old lady come here again after she did so many things for her in the last few days . Instead of answering , Martha simply took Evelyn's hands . She guided her to the sofa , as if she were about to break some terrible news . One look at Martha's worried eyes was enough for Evelyn to read her mind . Still , she stayed quiet , letting Martha speak first . " Eve , please ... don't go outside right now , " Martha said gently , her hands warm and steady over Evelyn's , like she could physically keep her from doing something reckless . " It's not safe . Too many people might recognize you . Just ... stay here for a little while , okay ? " Evelyn couldn't help but smile at that . She guessed it right , Clearly , Aunty Martha had already seen the morning news ; the Walters family drama was still plastered all over TV and gossip sites like the world had nothing better to talk about . OB 47 9 He Found Me ? " You saw it , didn't you , Aunty ? " Evelyn asked , her voice soft as a faint smile emerged on her lips . " Yes , " Martha admitted as she gave Evelyn's hand a gentle pat . " Eve , I'm so sorry for what happened to you ." " Thank you , Aunty ... " A faint smile tugged at Evelyn's lips , more to ease Martha's worry than anything else . " But you don't have to feel sorry for me . I'm fine . Seriously ... I'm fine now , Aunty . " Martha gave a slight nod , as if she wanted to believe it . " Eve , I don't know why your father would do such terrible things to you ... " Aunty , you don't have to say all that , " Evelyn whispers . " I've already thought of you as my real aunt . That's why you were the first person I called when I needed help . So ... thank you ." Without warning , Evelyn found herself wrapped in Martha's warm embrace . " Thank you , Eve ... I'm always grateful to have you ... and grateful you chose to settle in this small town . " When she felt the quiet tremor of Martha's silent crying , Evelyn's own eyes began to sting . They stayed like that for a long moment before finally easing apart , their conversation flowing again . This time , no tears fell . They both knew this was a blessing ; a chapter worth cherishing, not mourning . And then , casually , almost like mentioning the weather , Evelyn said , " Oh... and I'm pregnant , and want to keep the baby . " Silence hung in the air . 2 Martha didn't blink or breathe . Her hands froze in midair , eyes fixed on Evelyn as if the words had just exploded in the room . The seconds dragged on . Finally , Martha's lips parted , her voice a soft , trembling whisper . " Eve ... oh , dear ... I won't ask anything about it . But I want you to know how happy I am to hear this . Congratulations , Eve ... " Relief spread through Evelyn . She'd been bracing herself for questions , maybe even judgment , but Martha's calm acceptance was precisely what she needed , " What are you going to do now , dear ? " Martha asked . OR : A7 214 < 9 He Found Me ? " Not much . All I want to do is simply enjoy staying in this beautiful place , Auntie ... and raise my baby in peace here . " " Yes , yes , this is the right place for you , Eve . No worries , dear , I'll help you , " Martha said warmly , patting her hand with affection . " Thank you , Auntie . " A small smile touched Martha's lips , but it quickly faltered . The reminder that Evelyn had been kicked out of her family with nothing still weighed heavily on her . " Oh , right ... What about work ? Do you have a plan for that ? " " I haven't thought about it yet , " Evelyn admitted with a faint , wry smile . " But later , when they stop talking about me , I will find something to make me busy ... " She wasn't in a rush . For now , she had enough money to live comfortably for a few years . The rest could wait until the storm settled . Martha's gaze lingered on her , concern deepening in the fine lines around her eyes . Then , as if deciding something , she leaned forward . " Eve , when there's no more news about you ... Come to my café . You can help me there . " Evelyn blinked . " Oh , Auntie ... you're running a café now ? Your very own café ? " She had always thought Martha only owned her flower shop . " Yes . I opened it myself . It's a small café , just me and another staff member . I opened it about a year ago , right beside the flower shop . Anyway , a week ago , my staff quit unexpectedly , so now I'm juggling both . So you know where I'm going with this , right ? " The exhaustion was plain on Martha's face . But before Evelyn could respond , she quickly added , " But Eve , don't feel pressured , dear ... You don't have to help . Just come if you feel lonely . And if you do help , I won't pay you like an ordinary staff member . That would be an insult to you . " Evelyn smiled . She didn't mind working there . Martha added , " Or ... Eve ... would you be my shareholder ? You can invest ... " Evelyn thought it over . She needed something to pull her away from the shadows of her past . And a café ? That was something she'd never imagined for herself , But strangely , it sounded perfect . A smile tugged at her lips as she reached her hand to Marta , offering a handshake . " Auntie ... I'm happy to become your new partner . " 1 0047 374 < 9 He Found Me ? Comment