At one in the morning, Evelyn Parker finally made it home after working late at the firm, only to receive a call from a client as soon as she walked in.
"Evelyn, do you believe in love?" asked Mrs. Morgan on the other end of the line.
Evelyn replied calmly, "Mrs. Morgan, the court's divorce ruling has already been finalized. If you still have feelings for your ex-husband, you can discuss and consider registering your marriage again.”
The woman began sobbing as she recounted how her ex-husband had once trekked through pouring rain across the city just to buy her steamed buns.
Balancing the phone on her shoulder, Evelyn slipped off her heels, hung up her bag, and headed upstairs to the bedroom. She stayed focused on the call, hardly noticing that the bedroom light was still on.
She leaned against the wall near the window, listening to Mrs. Morgan pour her heart out for a solid half-hour.
Eventually, a new call interrupted the conversation, and Mrs. Morgan hurriedly wrapped up. “Evelyn, I regret it. Can’t you help me revoke the divorce ruling so we can still be married? Otherwise, registering again would make us a second-marriage couple.”
Evelyn paused for a second before replying with a hint of dry humor, "Maybe when I become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, it could happen."Mrs. Morgan asked anxiously, "Then, Evelyn, when will you become the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?!"
Evelyn Parker: "..."
Ending the call, Evelyn looked utterly drained.
She slumped by the window, head down, completely still, as if all the energy had been sucked out of her.
"Busy lately?"
A deep, calm voice broke through, carrying a tone as cold as the night itself.
Evelyn lifted her head and saw Liam Bennett, her new husband.
The man had broad shoulders, long legs, and sharp, chiseled features. His presence was both striking and overwhelming.
Putting her phone away, she replied, "Manageable."
Liam was still in a bathrobe, with droplets glistening in his hair, evidence of a recent shower.
Her gaze shifted briefly to his robe. "Is the guest bathroom broken?"
What she really wanted to ask was why he was in the master bedroom.
But phrased like that, it just sounded like she didn’t want him there.
Though theirs was an arranged marriage, they had agreed to make it work.
"No, it's fine," Liam said evenly. "Actually, I thought we should discuss the separate rooms situation."
He settled into the couch, exuding the calm authority of someone about to lead a serious meeting.
Evelyn simply said, "Go ahead."Liam Bennett asked bluntly, "You don’t want to share a bed with me?"
Evelyn Parker replied, "No, that’s not it."
"Then why did you have my things moved to the guest room?"
Evelyn explained, "You slept in the guest room last night. I thought you wanted to live separately, so I was just being considerate."
They had just gotten their marriage certificate yesterday and spent the afternoon attending a family dinner at the Bennetts'.
When they returned, Evelyn was so tired she went straight to bed.
In the morning, she woke up to find the sheets next to her were completely smooth, and only then did she realize Liam had stayed in the guest room.
Sleeping in separate rooms on their wedding night without saying a word—Evelyn naturally assumed Liam didn’t want to share a room with her.
Wanting to be thoughtful, she had the housekeeper move Liam’s belongings to the guest room for him.
Liam said, "When I came back last night...well, your sleeping posture wasn’t great. I didn’t want to disturb you, so I went to the guest room."
His comment about her "posture not being great" was putting it mildly.
Evelyn had sprawled out in the middle of the bed like a starfish. Liam couldn’t exactly curl up in a corner of the bed—and being who he was, there was no way he’d sleep on the couch.
Realizing this massive misunderstanding, Evelyn felt a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness. Her usual sleeping posture was just fine, but after having a bit too much to drink, things got...out of control.
On the day they got their certificate, during the family dinner, she'd had a couple of extra drinks and was indeed a little tipsy. If Liam hadn’t brought it up, the two of them might have just stumbled into living apart without even knowing how it happened, probably each silently blaming the other for it.
"Sorry, my bad," Evelyn admitted right away, quick to own up. "I’ll go move your stuff back."
"No need. I’ll have someone handle it tomorrow."
As soon as Liam said that, the room fell into an awkward silence.
He was well aware that his years working at the company had made him come across as overly stern and commanding, like he was always giving orders.
Evelyn was his wife—it wasn’t right to speak to her like that. So, after a pause, he added, "It’s late. You should get some rest."
Evelyn glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow slightly in surprise.
Was he… explaining himself?
His tone hadn’t exactly softened—it still carried that authoritative vibe—but the fact that he’d even explained was unexpected.
Before the wedding, Evelyn had heard all sorts of stories about Liam.
A Wall Street power player, heir to one of the top families in Beijing, ruthless and calculating behind that calm exterior.
Of course, her parents had a different take. They said Liam was steady, dependable, and someone you could share a life with.
She and Liam had only been married for two days and were still getting to know each other.
The coldness? That was expected. His attempt at explaining? That caught her off guard. Liam asked again, "Is work keeping you busy these days?"
Evelyn wasn’t the type to open up about her job, but realizing this was the second time Liam brought it up, she decided against staying too distant. Their marriage was one based on convenience, and being overly aloof wouldn't help build their relationship.
She replied, "Yeah. A client just asked me whether I believe in love."
Liam's expression softened, his gaze steady and patient.
"And do you?"
Evelyn paused for a moment. Agreeing to marry Liam pretty much answered that question in itself.
She said carefully, "This client... her ex-husband abused her, to the point she had to be hospitalized several times. He cheated, gambled, racked up debts—she finally broke and filed for divorce."
"The case dragged on for a year and a half, and the verdict came out today."
"Tonight, she called me, saying she still loves him and regrets everything. She asked if it was possible to undo the ruling."
Evelyn thought to herself—love like that, who would even want it?
Liam went quiet, clearly baffled. This kind of situation probably felt worlds apart from what he'd ever dealt with.
After a moment, he spoke, "I thought you didn’t handle civil cases?"Didn’t expect Liam Bennett to know about her work.
“It was a legal aid case.”
Evelyn Parker had always excelled academically. After graduating in Germany, she joined Zhongda Law Firm.
She interned for a year, followed her mentor into the non-litigation field, but due to her health this year, she started transitioning into intellectual property and litigation.
But honestly, if it weren’t for legal aid, she wouldn’t have touched a divorce case.
Liam said, “That must’ve been tough.”
Evelyn paused for a moment and then nodded. “Not too bad.”
That polite "tough" almost felt like her boss patting her on the shoulder as encouragement.
Guess being married to someone used to being a boss meant getting used to this tone too.
Chatting this much with Liam today felt like a breakthrough in their post-wedding interaction.
“I’ll go shower first,” Evelyn said.
When she came out of the bathroom, Liam was already lying in bed.
Hearing her movements, he glanced up. “There’s water on the table.”
Following his gaze, she noticed the glass of water on her nightstand. He must’ve poured it for her.
“Thanks,” she said.
She picked it up and took a sip—the water was warm.
After finishing most of the glass, her exhaustion finally eased up a little.Lying on the bed, Evelyn Parker asked, "Are you going to sleep now?"
Liam Bennett replied, "Go ahead and turn off the light."
Evelyn was about to do so when something crossed her mind.
They were newlyweds. What they missed on their wedding night—technically, it should be made up for the next day, right?
She tilted her head and asked, "Do you want to?"
Liam paused. "...Do you feel like it?"
"Not really."
"Me neither."
Two people who were still more like strangers, though married, couldn't just jump into something so... intimate.
Even if they forced it, it wouldn't feel right.
Evelyn wasn't the type to force herself, and she figured Liam wouldn't be either.
"How about we discuss it tomorrow?" Evelyn suggested.
"Sure."
She reached out, turned off the light, and neatly tucked herself under the blanket, leaving plenty of space for Liam.
Neither of them found anything odd about the exchange they had just had.
