On the way home, Evelyne remained silent, thinking about what had happened at the banquet that night. Seeing how attentive Tristan was to Victoria, even to the point of scolding her like that.
She knew she shouldn't feel jealous. She had no right to feel that way because Tristan was no longer hers, but was it easy to do so?
Daniel, who was driving the car, noticed that his friend was still silent and staring out the window. He knew what had happened because he had also been at the event.
However, he didn't have the courage to speak up and just watched silently until Evelyne finally ran off to the bathroom.
He felt guilty, he should have helped her from the start and defended her in front of Tristan. But he knew that would only make things worse.
'I'm sorry, Evelyne. I should have protected you. I just didn't want to make things worse for you and make you hate me,' he thought.
"Hey," Daniel called out, making her turn around. "It seems like Liliana is doing a good job at your house. She told me you're very kind to her and Luke is very obedient. That really makes her job easier."
"Really? I'm glad she doesn't mind working at my house. She's taken such good care of Luke, and Luke really likes her."
They discussed Liliana, Daniel's niece, who was currently babysitting Luke. Evelyne had been very busy lately, especially since she had to come home late at night. So she needed a babysitter to look after her son when she had to work overtime.
And coincidentally, Daniel's niece had just graduated from high school and needed money for college. So she offered to babysit Luke.
"She is very capable and attentive. Thank you for suggesting your niece to be Luke's babysitter," she smiled, feeling very grateful to Daniel again and again.
Although sometimes she felt bad to him, because of course Evelyne was aware of his feelings for her.
And she felt so bad because Daniel also knew that she still couldn't forget Tristan.
After almost 30 minutes, they finally arrived at Evelyne's house, where Liliana was watching TV after making sure Luke was fast asleep.
"Ms. Evelyne, you're home!" she said with a cheerful smile, even though she looked very sleepy.
The clock showed 11:13 PM. Evelyne felt sorry for her because she had to work until very late to take care of Luke while she was busy with her own work.
"Uncle Daniel is here too? Can I go home with you?" Liliana asked.
"Of course. I couldn't possibly let you go home alone this late. Your mother would kill me," he said, laughing as he ruffled his niece's hair.
Liliana and Evelyne giggled when they heard this, then they both said goodbye because it was already too late.
"Well then, this naughty girl and I have to go home. You get some rest, don't think too much about what happened at the banquet tonight," he said softly as he gently stroked her head.
Evelyne was a little surprised when Daniel touched her head like that. Realizing her surprise, he immediately pulled his hand away.
His niece, who was still there, immediately looked at them both alternately with a suspicious and teasing gaze.
"I knew there was something between you two! Could it be that you two are secretly da-"
Before she could finish her sentence, he immediately covered her mouth with his hand and pulled her out of the house.
"Bye, Evelyne! We'll meet again later!" he said as he pushed Liliana into the car.
The car left the road in front of Evelyne's house. He sighed and glanced at Liliana.
"Watch what you say next time! I don't want to make Evelyne uncomfortable because she knows how I feel about her," said Daniel as he drove.
"I think she already knows about your feelings! Ms. Evelyne isn't insensitive or stupid, you know? Plus, you've put in so much effort for her. I'm sure she realized it from the start," said Liliana.
What she said was true, he was sure that Evelyne had realized it from the start. But she chose to remain silent because of Tristan.
From the way the woman behaved and talked about her ex-husband, he knew she hadn't been able to forget him.
Especially in a situation where Evelyne worked so closely with Tristan, which made the chances of Daniel could be with her fading away.
"But that man named Tristan already has a fiancée, right? Even if she still likes him, the chances of them getting back together are very slim. Ms. Evelyn surely knows her place. She doesn't seem like the type of woman who would steal someone's fiancé to get back together with him," Liliana commented on her uncle's story.
"I know that. It's just that she's also someone who always hides what she really feels. She even endured six years without dating anyone because she still couldn't forget him," he replied.
And that's what makes Daniel worry that Evelyne will choose to be alone for the rest of her life.
Seeing her uncle love that woman so much, Liliana felt so sorry for him and tried to give him some advice.
"Luke really likes you, right? You just need to get closer to him, and then I'm sure Ms. Evelyne will pay attention to you!"
They both knew that Evelyne loved Luke very much and definitely wanted a father figure for her son. Liliana advised Daniel to continue getting closer to Luke and become the father figure he needed, and maybe Evelyne would gradually warm up to him.
"I think that's good idea."
*****
After She and Luke were alone in the house, Evelyne went to her son's room and saw him fast asleep in his bed.
She walked into the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently stroked his head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to separate you from him. But things are different now, and there's no place for us in his life."
Slowly, she lay down beside the boy and pulled him into her embrace. She knew she had been neglecting her son lately due to her busy work schedule.
And that truly hurt her own feelings, imagining Luke having to spend his days without her.
"Goodnight, honey. Mommy will always love you. No matter what happens, mommy will do everything for your future."