Unmasking the Heiress (Evangeline and Walte)
Bitten Once Shy Forever 371

Chapter 371

*Grandpa Cole must be worried sick by now..."

Evangeline had been away from home for so long that she could not help but think that Cole must be beside himself with worry.

Holden gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Relax, Evie. Yale and I had Informed him you were safe as soon as we found you. He's at home right now, waiting for you to come back." The thought of going home made Evangeline's recently calmed heart race again.

She could not possibly tell Cole the truth about today's chaos, and even though she had braced herself for Walter's betrayal with Minnie, it still stung when it happened.

Facing Cole with all those tangled feelings would only make him worry, would it not?

"Um... Uncle Yale, could you drop me off at Emerald of the Highlands instead? I... I'm not ready to face Grandpa Cole just yet."

It was not that she did not want to see him. She just did not know how to explain everything without Cole seeing right through her.

Holden was immediately against the idea. "Evie, after searching for you all this time, how can you even think of not coming back with us?"

"..." Evangeline's mouth opened and closed without a sound, and as she looked back, she saw Yale's disappointed expression. She could not bring herself to voice her inner turmoil.

After how Walter had treated her, she was still letting it affect her mood to the point of avoiding Cole... Confessing that to her uncles, who were so protective of her, would only break their hearts.

"Uncle Yale, what do you think?" Feeling trapped, she turned to Yale, hoping he would have the answer. Yale, the oldest and by far the most level-headed of his siblings, always had a knack for giving the best

advice.

Evangeline was sure that Yale could grasp the turmoil swirling in her heart and offer the guidance she desperately needed.

Behind the wheel, Yale caught a glimpse of his younger brother in the rearview mirror-annoyed, downcast, yet looking at him with eyes full of hope. "Look, Evie," Yale said, his voice as steady as if he were discussing the weather instead of her personal drama, "you should go see your grandpa." "Why?" Evangeline blurted, her surprise unmasked.

Yale was smart enough to read her mind. Why would he suggest something like that?

Yale's sigh was trapped in his throat, his eyes never leaving the road ahead, but a shadow of doubt flickered in his dark gaze.

"One teleads to another, and before you know it, you buried under a mountain of the

of

His words were a whisper, trailing off, ike a stone causing ripples across the surface of Evangeline's

heart

She did not need him to say more. She got the message

"But I'm scared

She was scared of losing control, scared of Cole's piercing eyes, scared that all her efforts would end up being for nothing. There was one thing she was certain. If anything happened to Cole because of her issues with Walter, would never forgive herself "Don't be scared, Evie. This is the burden you have to face," said Yale with conviction.

"We all have to face the consequences of our choices Just do your best to make things right, and after that whatever happens, happens." Yale knew his dad, Cole, better than anyone. He had been by his side the longest

Chapter 372