Chapter 125

The moment Evelyn finished her meal, she rose gracefully and approached Nathan’s desk, her piercing gaze fixed on him.

"Nathan," she began, her voice slicing through the quiet of the room, "are you avoiding me?"

Nathan’s fingers stilled over the keyboard for a fraction of a second before he resumed typing, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Why would I avoid you?" His tone was flat, deliberately detached.

Unfazed, Evelyn tilted her head slightly, a knowing smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "Who knows? Maybe you're feeling shy."

A derisive scoff escaped him. "Shy? Don’t be absurd. It was just a kiss." His fingers paused again as he finally met her gaze, his voice laced with icy indifference. "Besides, being kissed by someone I have no feelings for doesn’t make me shy—it disgusts me."

The word disgusts hung in the air like a slap, but Evelyn’s expression remained unreadable. Instead, she offered a serene smile, her composure unshaken.

"My apologies if it disgusted you," she replied smoothly. "It won’t happen again. I’ll leave you to your work now."

Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and exited the room, the soft click of the door sealing her departure behind her.

Nathan leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on the door long after she had gone. His jaw tightened, betraying a flicker of something far more complicated than the cold indifference he had shown.

He didn’t want to admit it, but Evelyn had been right. He had been avoiding her.

Reaching for the thermos she had left behind, he unscrewed the lid and took a slow sip of the soup. The moment the flavor hit his tongue, he let out a quiet, humorless laugh.

He knew Evelyn’s cooking—or rather, the lack of it. This soup wasn’t hers.

"Claims she made it herself," he muttered under his breath. "Liar."

Evelyn’s phone rang just as she stepped through the front door of her apartment.

Sebastian’s name flashed on the screen.

"Hello?" she answered.

"You’ve heard the rumors circulating around the hospital, haven’t you?" Sebastian cut straight to the point, his voice laced with dry amusement.

Evelyn arched a brow. "You’re keeping tabs on them too, then?"

"Of course," he replied, his tone shifting to something more serious. "What do you make of all this?"