"Evy, you won't believe what just happened," Jonathan said, laughing as he sat in the hall, still riding the rush of it. "Those idiots were foolish enough to kidnap me and ask you lot for ransom!"
He laughed harder, clearly enjoying the absurdity of it.
The reaction he got was… not what he expected.
The other three people in the room weren't laughing at all.
Daniel sat on the couch between Evelyn and Elizabeth, perfectly calm, hands resting on his knees as if nothing unusual had occurred. On either side of him, however, was a very different atmosphere.
Evelyn's smile was thin and dangerous.
Elizabeth's expression was equally sharp, eyes fixed on Daniel with clear intent.
They weren't listening to Jonathan's rant at all.
They were staring at Daniel.
The kind of stare that promised consequences.
The kind that made Jonathan slowly stop laughing.
"…Uh," Jonathan muttered, glancing between the three of them. "Did I miss something?"
His eyes drifted to Elizabeth. Her dress was clearly not from anywhere near London, and she was very much not someone he recognized. That realization made his smile falter.
"Yes," Evelyn said pleasantly, her smile sharp enough to cut glass. "I believe you did miss something."
Daniel felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees.
He cleared his throat and stood up. "Ahem. You see—"
Evelyn's eyes never left his face. "Daniel," she said calmly, "you were gone for a week."
Daniel nodded. "Yes."
"And you came back," she continued, "with another woman."
Daniel nodded again. "Also yes."
"To truly understand the present," Daniel said, adopting the tone of a philosopher who had absolutely no escape route, "one must understand the past. But the past has already happened, so dwelling on it serves no purpose. Therefore, we should ignore the present complications and focus on the future."
The room went very quiet.
Jonathan blinked. "…That was impressive. Completely useless, but impressive."
Evelyn tilted her head. "So," she said slowly, "you're suggesting I ignore your stupid actions and simply go with the flow?"
Daniel forced a confident smile. "I prefer the term 'embrace destiny.'"
Her glare sharpened. "Daniel."
"Yes, dear?"
"Try again."
Daniel swallowed. "…Evy, let's not get stuck in the past. We should look to the future. Together."
"Future?" Evelyn repeated softly. Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "The only future you're seeing—if you don't explain this properly—is outside the bedroom. Permanently."
Daniel took a breath. Then, instead of panicking like a normal person, he said, "Okay… what if I tell you I did this for you?"
Silence.
Jonathan blinked.
Elizabeth frowned.
Evelyn stared at him like she was trying to decide whether to throw something or hear him out.
"…For me?" Evelyn repeated slowly.
Jonathan leaned forward. "I'm sorry—what?"
The three of them were baffled. What the hell was he doing—messing around with other women when he already had a wife? And now he was claiming he did it for her? What kind of twisted logic was that?
Daniel pressed on anyway, because once you start digging a hole, the only option is to dig faster.
"You know our situation," he said, expression serious. "We're effectively immortal. We don't know how long we'll live. Decades? Centuries? Longer?"
That gave Evelyn pause—just a fraction.
"So," Daniel continued, voice steady, "I thought about you. About loneliness. About what happens when I'm not always beside you. About how eternity can get… quiet."
Jonathan slowly sat back. "I feel like I should not be here for this conversation."
Daniel looked straight at Evelyn. "So I thought—maybe expanding the family line wouldn't be such a bad idea. So you'd never be alone. So you'd always have someone."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "That's—"
Jonathan choked. "That's your defense?!"
Evelyn didn't speak immediately.
Her expression had shifted—not softened, but no longer purely murderous. More… dangerous in a different way.
"…Daniel," she said carefully, "are you telling me you brought another woman home because you were thinking about my emotional well-being?"
"Yes," Daniel replied sincerely. "In hindsight, I may have skipped several important steps. Like asking."
Jonathan rubbed his face. "Several? You skipped all of them."
"Jonathan," Daniel said flatly, turning his head just enough to look at him, "keep quiet, or I'll bury you under London Bridge."
From the very beginning, Jonathan had been fanning the flames instead of helping, so it was better for everyone if he simply shut up.
"You bastard—how dare you?" Evelyn shouted, fury finally breaking loose. "You fool around with another woman and then say it's for my sake? Do you think I'm blind?"
She grabbed the nearest vase and raised it with clear intent.
"Whoa—Evy, wait," Daniel said quickly, catching her wrist before it could come down. "Calm down. Let's think rationally." He flicked a glance at Jonathan. "Think outside the box."
Evelyn laughed, sharp and dangerous. "This is outside the box. And since you seem to be suffering from a serious brain problem, I suppose I'll have to beat some sense into you."
"And while I'm at it. I'll be doing my job as your wife."
*****
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