Chapter 323

Evelyn's stomach growled loudly, betraying her hunger.

Nathaniel's anger dissipated the moment he heard it. His intense gaze softened as he reached out to ruffle her hair. "Alright, let's start with dinner. What do you feel like eating?"

Start with dinner? Evelyn's pulse quickened. What exactly does he mean by that? Should I ask? No—I don’t want him thinking I’m reading too much into this.

She rubbed her empty stomach and averted her eyes. "Anything's fine. But I'm too exhausted to walk anymore."

Before she could finish, Nathaniel swept her off her feet, cradling her effortlessly against his chest.

Evelyn stiffened, her face burning. "Nathaniel—what are you doing?"

He strode forward without hesitation, glancing down at her. "You said you didn’t want to walk."

She sputtered. "I meant call a car! Not—not this!"

"Same result," he said smoothly. "You’re not walking either way."

Evelyn groaned. His logic was annoyingly sound.

"This is embarrassing," she hissed. "We’re on the Yonder Bridge. Every passing car is going to stare!"

"We’re married," he countered. "Nothing to be ashamed of."

"That’s not the point! People will think we’re insane!"

"Relax. No photos of me circulate without my permission."

Evelyn gritted her teeth. That’s not the issue!

Trapped, she buried her face against his chest like a coward. If she couldn’t see the stares, they didn’t exist.

Eventually, the wind died down. She peeked—they were off the bridge.

"Thank you," she said quickly. "You must be tired. Put me down—I can walk now."

Nathaniel set her on her feet, eyes gleaming. "For the record, I wasn’t tired. You weigh nothing."

Evelyn scoffed. "Right. If ‘nothing’ means thirty-six kilos."

He chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "What am I going to do with you?"

Her breath hitched. Damn him and his charm.

She cleared her throat and scanned the area. "Taxis will be scarce here. There’s a subway station ahead—let’s take that."

Nathaniel nodded, following her lead.

At the station, Evelyn moved to buy tickets—but Nathaniel’s fingers flew over the machine, producing two Line 7 passes in seconds.

She blinked. The last time they’d taken the subway, he’d needed Lucas’s help.

"Impressive," she teased. "You’ve mastered the subway now?"