Between Secrets and Second Chances

Chapter 1

To win a woman, you need strategy—first charm her, then deceive her, and if that doesn't work, just take her home. To marry a man, you need finesse—no need to get engaged first, just pull him into bed and figure things out afterward.
Evelyn Yates, a renowned golden bachelor in the medical field, was handsome, wealthy, and had plenty of admirers. Yet, throughout his life, he remained singularly devoted to Gwendolyn Fairchild, a woman known for her honesty but lacking in social finesse.
Gwendolyn was not only his idol and childhood friend; she was also the only woman with whom he had ever slept. As a teen, he didn't grasp the concept of love, nor did he fully understand what it meant to settle down. All he knew was that he wanted to be Gwendolyn Fairchild's husband.
Fast forward seven years, they unexpectedly meet again. Neither of them is married, but the reality is complicated by the fact that they share a nearly seven-year-old son. Evelyn assumed that having a child together would push them toward marriage. Little did he know, Gwendolyn had never played by the rules he expected.
In his mind, after they were finally wed and the door closed behind them, he could make her see that she had no other options. They’d already had a child—surely she would have to marry him!
That fateful night seven years ago led to a pregnancy, but Evelyn had vanished, leaving Gwendolyn to navigate motherhood alone. All this time, she had believed that Evelyn never truly loved her, thinking that any proposal would merely be a matter of obligation. Yet, as she stood there gazing at him, she was beginning to realize that, perhaps, she had been wrong. Evelyn's heart had always revolved around her—she was the one he had loved all along, even amidst their painful past.

Chapter 2

Evelyn Yates awoke with a throbbing headache, still bleary-eyed and disheveled as he rubbed at his tangled hair and pushed himself up from the bed.
Damn it, it hurt so badly he thought he might keel over. He closed his eyes for a moment, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, and when he finally opened them again, his vision was a bit clearer. He scrambled out of bed and snatched his wrinkled boxers from the floor before heading barefoot toward the bathroom.
At the sink, Evelyn splashed cold water on his face, the chill jolting him awake. As he dried off with a towel, he suddenly froze mid-motion… wait, hadn’t he forgotten something?
He set the towel down and began to think hard, his face flushing with confusion as it cycled through white, red, blue, and even purple—like a rainbow bursting to life across his cheeks.
Evelyn strode back into his room, and as soon as he saw the messy bed and the dizzying bloodstains, the memories came flooding back...
The day after graduation exams, the class had thrown a farewell party.
They had partied hard, everyone reveling in their newfound freedom, with the guys guzzling drinks like they were going out of style. When the party ended but people still craved more, someone suggested heading to a karaoke joint. This met with resistance from several, particularly the sober girls who couldn’t handle their liquor.
However, Evelyn and Gwendolyn Fairchild were exceptions among their peers. While he wasn’t built like most guys in school—tall but a bit on the skinny side, and not in the best health—he also didn’t drink much. On the other hand, Gwendolyn was everything he admired: smart and beautiful, the class valedictorian who consistently ranked in the top three. With her vibrant personality, she was the life of every gathering, and of course, she wouldn’t miss being in the spotlight at karaoke.
Watching as she was surrounded by classmates heading to the karaoke place, Evelyn clenched his fists in determination, biting his lip and stomping his foot before following her.
She was the celebrated star of the class, and he was just a quiet wallflower. At the karaoke session, Gwendolyn inevitably ended up consuming too much alcohol while Evelyn managed to dodge most of it, seemingly invisible among the crowd.
As the night wore on, Gwendolyn got tipsy and decided it was time to go home, and naturally, Evelyn couldn’t bring himself to linger. As soon as she left, he quietly slipped out after her.
The moment he stepped outside the karaoke bar, he saw Gwendolyn turning down multiple offers from boys who wanted to drive her home. She was about to leave the street and head to the corner to catch a cab. He waited for the other guys to head back inside before hastily dashing out, falling back a few paces behind her.
Once they reached the corner, Gwendolyn paused, squinting a little, before flashing him a bright smile.
“Evelyn, I knew you’d follow me.”
“I…” Caught in her gaze, he decided to drop the pretense and walked up beside her. “I’ll take you home.”
Yes, Evelyn definitely wasn’t just a hopeless romantic pining from afar. Though he secretly adored her, they were friends—close ones, in fact. They’d known each other since childhood, attending the same classes all the way through middle and high school. Yet, as they grew older, their paths diverged, leading to the vastly different dynamic they had now.
Of course, Gwendolyn remained blissfully unaware of this shift. For all her brilliance, her emotional intelligence wasn’t as sharp. She didn’t notice how others treated her differently compared to how they regarded Evelyn. To her, they were childhood friends, and that would always be the case.
Gwendolyn, slightly tipsy, casually draped her arm over Evelyn’s shoulder, grinning mischievously. “Evelyn, I really don’t want to go home.”

Chapter 3

Evelyn Yates paused, glancing at the time on his phone. “It’s already three in the morning. Don’t you think your mom…?”
Gwendolyn Fairchild let out a laugh, brushing off his concern. “I told my mom I’d be out partying with friends all night. If I went home now, I’d definitely wake them up. Besides, I finally got permission! It would be a shame not to party a little longer.” She struggled momentarily with her height disadvantage before letting her hand drop, choosing instead to grab hold of his arm. Even though Evelyn was lanky, he still stood a bit taller than her.
Evelyn tilted his head, a hint of confusion in his eyes. “Then why not just stay out and make the most of it?” He blinked, raising an eyebrow. “You don’t seem that drunk.”
Gwendolyn raised her eyebrows. “I’m not drunk; I just don’t want to be stuck with their awful singing any longer.”
Evelyn looked down at her and asked, “So where do you want to go?”
Gwendolyn pouted slightly, her glassy eyes reflecting a bit of tipsiness. “Hmm, somewhere we can keep drinking.”
Evelyn frowned, his brows knitting together. “You shouldn’t…”
Gwendolyn shot him a playful glare. “Come on, Evelyn, you just need to focus on keeping me company while I drink.”
Seeing him quiet down, she smiled and lightly tapped her finger against her cheek, pondering for a moment before her eyes lit up. She turned to him and asked, “Evelyn, can I come to your dorm?”
Evelyn hesitated, “But it’s summer break; the dorms are closed.”
Gwendolyn waved a hand dismissively. “We can sneak in!”
Evelyn found himself unable to refuse Gwendolyn's request.
So, at three in the morning, two high school seniors made their way to a convenience store to grab some beer before slipping back onto the campus to the boys’ dormitory.
Evelyn had lived in the dorm for three years. Although he’d never snuck in after hours, he was aware of various secret paths. He took Gwendolyn to a window that had broken locks and become a favorite shortcut for late-night escapes. He helped her climb inside and followed suit. Once in, it was easy. He pulled out his still-valid dorm key and unlocked his room on the third floor.
With summer break in full swing, the dorm felt refreshingly clean. The school staff had tidied up, and it looked just like it had on the day they first moved in—bright, airy, and with fresh sheets on the beds.
Gwendolyn plopped herself onto a bed and let out a contented sigh. “Wow, lying on a bed really makes you feel just how exhausted you are!”
Evelyn set the plastic bag filled with beer on the table, pulling out a chair and sitting down with his legs crossed, appearing a bit uncomfortably reserved.
After waiting a while with no sign of Gwendolyn wanting to get up, he thought she had dozed off, but then she suddenly sat up, letting out a sigh. “Evelyn, are we really graduating like this?”
Evelyn blinked, still somewhat dazed. “Uh, yeah, I guess so.”
Gwendolyn frowned as she let her gaze drop. “Is this really what growing up looks like?”
Evelyn replied, “But haven’t we been grown-ups for a while now?”
Gwendolyn shook her head. “I don’t want to grow up.” Growing up meant taking on responsibilities she wasn’t ready for.
Evelyn asked, “Why not?” Gwendolyn seemed to genuinely enjoy life; why would she hesitate to move forward?
Gwendolyn lowered her gaze. “I just feel… tired.”
Graduating high school didn’t mean she was finished with the struggles of being a student. As the eldest daughter, she had to set an example for her younger brothers, make her parents proud. She had been a good student for so long, yet even after surviving finals, it hardly felt like a break. The thought of attending college and striving for scholarships, and then searching for a decent job afterward—it all felt so exhausting. Gwendolyn wished she could just go back to kindergarten.
She kept those thoughts to herself, feeling like silly, naïve Evelyn would never understand.
With a deep breath, she lifted her head and smiled. “Evelyn, let's drink! Let’s celebrate our lost youth.”
She grabbed two cans of beer from the bag, handing one to Evelyn while cracking open her own. She tilted her head back, chugging it down with enthusiasm.
Worried she might overshoot her limit, Evelyn leaned in and snatched the beer from her hands, taking a swig for himself. However, the next moment Gwendolyn reached for a second can and began drinking again, prompting him to grab it from her hand, switching back and forth in a dance of competing drinks. One could only imagine how silly they looked, both of them going back and forth, steadily getting drunker.
That was where Evelyn’s clear memories faded.
The hazy timeline that followed revealed only scribbles of laughter and dancing, both of them leaping onto the bed, falling into a rhythm of tipsy conversation—snippets of nonsense exchanged. Then, things escalated; their clothes began to peel away until all that remained were fragments of tactile sensations and heat—one moment painful, another soft and pleasurable, with the sensation of something yielding between them.
Evelyn couldn’t remember much beyond that. He wasn’t naive; he quickly understood what had transpired. But then, a fresh wave of reality crashed over him, leaving him reeling with shock: he had slept with the girl of his dreams, his childhood friend and classmate. And after having seen her vulnerability, he had… fainted.

Chapter 4

In Windermere, the clock struck five in the morning.
With a soft click, the curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows slowly opened, allowing the first golden rays of sunlight to stream into the room. The light perfectly illuminated the carefully arranged bed, casting a warm glow over the person resting there.
Awakened by the gentle melody playing from his alarm clock, Evelyn Yates stretched luxuriously and rolled over, sitting up slowly. He reached for his water heater on the nightstand, taking a moment to enjoy a full glass of warm water before standing up and wrapping himself in a plush bathrobe. He strode confidently into the bathroom.
After refreshing himself, he left the bedroom and grabbed the remote control, pressing a button without glancing at the screen.
The soft music shifted to an upbeat country-rock tune. He hummed along lightly, shedding his robe and hopping onto the treadmill. With nothing to hinder his movements, sweat began to freely drip down his toned body. It evaporated off him as he ran, a cycle of exertion and relief repeating for an hour. Once done, he stepped off the treadmill, showered, and slipped into a fresh pair of clean boxers, striding boldly back into the living area.
Thus began a new day, filled with health and vigor.
Evelyn pressed the button to play his voicemail, moving to the double-door refrigerator to retrieve a nutritious breakfast labeled for Wednesday.
Most of the messages were trivial, but he paused when the fourth one played, a serious look crossing his face as he turned to the answering machine.
"Hey, Evelyn, how's it going? Okay, let's skip the pleasantries; you take care of yourself so well, it's almost suspicious. Anyway, I finally got that house sorted! You can move in by next week at the latest. It's been a long process, but I made it happen. So about that limited edition watch..."
As the message ended, the answering machine fell silent.
Evelyn stared blankly at the perfectly arranged breakfast, making no move to touch it.
Five minutes later, he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, then opened them.
Rising from the table, he walked back to his bedroom and pulled open the wardrobe doors, examining the man in the mirror.
His well-distributed muscles showcased a height of six feet one inch, accompanied by strikingly chiseled features. Evelyn smiled, satisfied with the reflection of the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, long-legged man before him. He knew his hard work over the years had paid off; the lanky boy he used to be was a distant memory.
Now, Evelyn was undeniably an attention-grabbing man, a dream man for many women—except for... He quickly plucked a red thread off a shirt hanging in the closet, a twinge of disgust and fear flickering through him before he tossed it down the toilet and flushed.
Shaking his head, he decided to accept this little quirk of his. After getting dressed, he sat down at his computer and finally sent off his long-overdue resignation letter. Next, he booked a flight to Elderwood for the following week and called the St. Margaret's Infirmary to confirm his acceptance of the job there.
He would have a week to tie up loose ends before he flew back to Elderwood and set his long-awaited plan to win back his ex into motion.
A new resident was moving into Harmony Vale.
This quaint community, annually recognized for its excellence, boasted just over a hundred homes and three buildings, but despite its size, Harmony Vale had it all. With a community hospital, supermarket, and even a kindergarten, almost any daily need could be met without stepping outside the neighborhood.

Chapter 5

Harmony Vale was the crown jewel of The Gilded Circle, an impeccably designed community that boasted modern amenities, stellar services, and an enviable location—all at surprisingly reasonable prices. However, gaining residency here was a highly selective process; it felt like the only place in the country where prospective homeowners underwent rigorous evaluations. Still, many were willing to go to great lengths just to call it home.
Among those striving for a place in this sought-after neighborhood was Gwendolyn Fairchild. She faced numerous hurdles—leveraging connections, navigating bureaucracy, and working tirelessly—before finally securing an apartment in Harmony Vale.
Once she moved in, Gwendolyn realized her efforts were well worth it. The community was everything it was rumored to be. The exquisite décor and innovative layout of her apartment were just the beginning. The residents here were exceptional; it was clear that wealth alone wasn’t the ticket for entry. She was genuinely intrigued by the developer’s criteria for selecting residents, wondering how they could attract so many kind, intelligent, and warm-hearted individuals.
This curiosity extended to her new neighbor across the hall, who had just moved in. However, her younger brothers were far less enthused, especially after they observed Gwendolyn preparing beverages and snacks for someone they’d never even met.
As the eldest daughter, Gwendolyn was accustomed to looking after her three brothers. The eldest was in his final year of college, while the youngest was still in middle school. Their parents had developed a travel obsession in recent years, recently taking a ten-day trip to Singapore. With nowhere else to go, Gwendolyn’s brothers often crashed at her place, and they didn’t hesitate to critique everything she did.
Isaac Fairchild, her oldest brother, was indifferent to the new neighbor. He lazily reclined on the couch, absorbed in texting.
The middle brother, Anastasia Fairchild, was puzzled. “If this new neighbor turns out to be a dud, all your preparation would be for nothing.”
Gwendolyn waved a hand dismissively. “If he’s not great, I won’t serve him. I can just let you guys eat instead.”
Anastasia shook his head. “But that’s still wasteful. It’s extremely impractical and not wise at all.”
The youngest brother, Roland Fairchild, was more enthusiastic. “A new neighbor! How new are they?” He had an insatiable fascination with anything fresh and exciting.
Anastasia persisted, “New things eventually become old. The new neighbor will soon feel like a long-time resident, and before long, there will be another new neighbor. Every time someone moves in, are you planning to go through this whole setup again? Think of how many resources you’re wasting!”
Roland’s eyes lit up. “But there will be new neighbors!”
Anastasia responded, exasperated, “No new neighbors; he’s been here for a day. He’s old news now.”
Roland's excitement didn't wane. “At least he was new on his first day.”
Anastasia adjusted his thick glasses. “Essentially, from the moment he stepped into the apartment…”
Gwendolyn felt overwhelmed. As the warm aroma of freshly baked cookies wafted through the air, she placed a tray of them on the table and slipped off her apron. “Enough already! Have you two finished your papers? Roland, I hope you’ve shut down your computer. You shouldn’t have time to discuss new versus old when you haven’t even tackled your responsibilities.”
She tossed her apron onto the table and pointed at the two big boys. “Get your papers done, print them out, and show me. Either go back to your rooms to play video games or turn off the computers and help me out. No wasting electricity!”
After laying down the law, Gwendolyn turned her gaze to Isaac. “You.”
Isaac glanced up from his phone, brow raised. “What?”
Gwendolyn thought for a moment before shaking her hand. “Your phone needs charging.” She pointed at the outlet. “Go.”
The moment Gwendolyn spoke, her three brothers sprang into action, each attending to their own business.

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