Chapter 167: The Resonance of Time
The afternoon light filtered through the tall windows of Evelyn's bedroom, casting golden ribbons across the pale oak floors and the edge of her linen sheets. She lounged in the center of the bed like a queen displaced by whim, a silk robe the color of vanilla cream barely tied at the waist, with a camisole loose enough to suggest she'd only worn it because someone might call. Her hair was swept up in a careless chignon, strands escaping like she was mid - ballet or mid - sin — whichever suited her mood.
A tablet rested against her knees, and a cup of jasmine tea sat untouched on the nightstand. The scent drifted upward, ignored. She watched the screen glow as the call connected, the quiet hum of distance folding into anticipation.
Vivienne's face appeared, backlit by afternoon sun in a flat somewhere across the channel. She was sitting cross - legged in a faux fur armchair, wearing her usual loose black blouse and minimal makeup — understated, poised, trying very hard to appear unaffected.
"Bonjour, mon amour," (Good morning, my love) Vivienne purred, lips curving.
Evelyn tilted her head with a slow, feline smile. "Hello, darling wife." Her voice dripped elegance and implication in equal measure.
Vivienne's breath caught. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?" Evelyn asked innocently, though she stretched her arms above her head — a movement so languid it practically wrote poetry — and the silk slipped off one shoulder to reveal the delicate strap of lace beneath.
Vivienne made a strangled noise. "That. You are very much doing that."
Evelyn blinked, wide - eyed. "I'm lounging."
"You're orchestrating."
Evelyn hummed as she reached for her tea, sipping it delicately without breaking eye contact. "Well, if you'd flown back like you said you would last week, I wouldn't have to resort to visual warfare."
Vivienne blinked. "Visual what now?"
"Seduction," Evelyn said simply. "You've left me no choice."
Vivienne rubbed her temples. "It's two in the afternoon."
"In F••••, yes. But my seduction schedule is immune to time zones." She set her tea down, her voice turning teasing. "Eva gave me permission. She said you need frequent reminders."
Vivienne gave her a look. "Eva also tried to marry me off this morning."
Evelyn grinned. "To Briony, I assume."
"Who else?" Vivienne sighed. "She has it all planned. If I marry Briony, we become a 'real family,' she says. Then you can visit all the time, and she can live with us forever and ever in a house with at least five pianos and two libraries and maybe a rooftop garden."
Evelyn burst out laughing, warm and delighted. "She's so terrifyingly specific. Did she sketch architectural plans?"
Vivienne raised a brow. "Yes. In crayon. With a secret passage from your bedroom to hers."
"Of course she did," Evelyn said with a dramatic sigh, fingers grazing her lips. "She's seven, blissfully unaware of our secret marriage, and already playing high society matchmaker."
"She's your daughter."
"She's your daughter too," Evelyn shot back. "I merely offered exquisite bone structure and a low tolerance for mediocrity. The terrifying strategic brilliance? Purely maternal."
Vivienne tried to look unimpressed, but the corners of her mouth betrayed her. "Well. If she brings it up again, I may just pretend to date Briony so I can fly back once a month and not be questioned."
Evelyn leaned forward suddenly, voice dipping into something darker, more dangerous. "You don't need an excuse to see me, Vivie."
Vivienne inhaled slowly. "I know that."
"But you want one." Evelyn's tone softened, but the heat in her eyes sharpened. "An excuse to stay. To walk into my place like you belong. To sleep in my bed and use my conditioner and leave your heels under my desk like you used to."
Vivienne swallowed. "I miss you."
Evelyn smiled, but it was the slow, cruel kind — the kind that enjoyed watching a storm gather. "Then come back. Or pretend to date Briony. She won't mind. In fact, I'm sure she'd enjoy the performance."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes. "You're being awful."
"I'm being generous," Evelyn said lightly, standing and adjusting the camera as she walked across the room. "Look — I even tidied for you." She swept the tablet in a slow arc to reveal the room: a cascade of pillows, a silk robe tossed over a faux suede bench, and a pair of heels that looked suspiciously like the ones Vivienne left behind months ago.
Vivienne recognized them instantly. "You kept those?"
Evelyn returned to the bed, settling with feline grace. "Of course I did. They look better on my floor than in your closet."
Vivienne groaned and covered her face. "You're the worst."
Evelyn laughed, the sound molten. "And yet here you are, calling me from your sunroom, hair up, earrings on, pretending this is a casual check - in."
"I was checking in!"
"Oh?" Evelyn raised a brow. "You weren't hoping I'd be indecent?"
Vivienne faltered.
"I knew it," Evelyn whispered triumphantly. "You wanted this. You miss me flustering you. You like being the one unraveling for once."
Vivienne tried to sit straighter. "I don't unravel."
"You squeaked earlier."
Vivienne blushed so hard it hit her collarbone. "It was a momentary lapse."
"It was adorable." Evelyn leaned in, her voice a velvet murmur. "Your pupils dilated. Your hand moving. I bet you're warm right now. Just there —" Her fingers brushed her own neck, lingering at the hollow of her throat. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Vivienne stared, utterly undone.
"Still the one chasing me, hm?" Evelyn whispered, eyes alight. "Still the bold one. The seductress. Except here you are, unable to form a sentence."
"You're —" Vivienne stammered, then covered her mouth. "This is emotional terrorism."
"Only because you're soft for me." Evelyn smiled, tilting her head. "I know every weakness you've ever had, Vivie. And you never guarded yourself from me."
"I didn't have to," Vivienne said softly.
Evelyn paused, something gentle threading into her expression. "I know. That's why I love you." She breathed in. "You never made me work for it. Not when it mattered. Even when you were scared."
Vivienne nodded, eyes glistening. "And you never let me fall alone."
A moment of silence passed — deep, intimate, the kind that held the weight of decades and secrets and vows never spoken aloud.
Then Evelyn broke it with a smile. "And that's why I get to tease you relentlessly. It's compensation."
Vivienne wiped her eyes with a laugh. "You're unbearable."
"But you love me," Evelyn cooed.
"Against all reason."
"I should write that on our anniversary cake." Evelyn reached for something on the side table, then held up a small velvet box. "By the way — this arrived yesterday. I was going to save it for our next rendezvous, but…"
Vivienne blinked. "You got me something?"
"Open your tablet," Evelyn said, sending a link.
Vivienne tapped. A high - resolution image popped up: a delicate gold chain with a single charm in the shape of a crescent moon, engraved with their wedding date in Farsi numerals.
Vivienne pressed her fingers to her lips.
Evelyn watched her reaction closely. "Do you like it?"
"I love it," Vivienne whispered. "I — why did you —?"
"Because you never wear our rings in public. I figured you needed something sneakier. Besides," Evelyn added, "Eva's watching everything now. It felt right."
Vivienne smiled through her tears. "You're terrible and perfect."
"I know." Evelyn stretched again, arms overhead. "Now. Are you coming back next week? Or do I have to send Briony a proposal letter written in crayon?"
"I'll come back," Vivienne said, voice steady.
Evelyn smirked. "Because you miss me?"
"Because I need to remind you who does the chasing."
"Oh?" Evelyn's brow arched. "Darling, you can chase me all you want. But you'll never catch me unless I want to be caught."
Vivienne narrowed her eyes. "Challenge accepted."
Evelyn's voice dipped. "Wear the black dress when you arrive. You know the one."
"The one you took off with your teeth last time?"
"That's the one."
Vivienne groaned. "You're going to kill me."
"Only with pleasure."
Vivienne reached out instinctively toward the screen, then froze. "I hate how far away you are."
"I know," Evelyn said, her smile softening. "But we're worth the wait."
They stayed in silence, their eyes locked — everything else melting around them.
Finally, Evelyn spoke. "Now. If I end this call, will you go back to pretending you're the responsible one?"
Vivienne wiped her eyes again, laughing softly. "Maybe."
"Liar," Evelyn whispered.
She blew a kiss at the screen, and then — without warning — ended the call.
Vivienne sat there in the sunlight, hand still reaching forward, heart thudding like she'd just come back from war and worship in the same breath.
She stayed like that for a long while, tea cold beside her, Evelyn's voice echoing in her ears.
She would come back. Of course she would.
For that voice.
That smile.
That impossible, relentless love.
And maybe — just maybe — for the teasing.
Because when Evelyn was the one chasing, Vivienne never stood a chance.