Accidentally Yours, My Super Rich Second Husband-Chapter 116: When? Why?

The dinner table was set when Cedric walked into the house. He’d only come over to catch up with Evander, but when he’d mentioned he hadn’t eaten yet, Delphinia had insisted that he join them. It wasn’t unusual for Cedric to be around for a meal, but there was something different about tonight. He didn’t know if it was just because of the awkwardness in the air with all the changes, or if it was because of Delphinia—Evander’s wife, he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around that.

Ashton was sitting at the table, his face lighting up when he saw Cedric. The kid had always been quick to latch onto Cedric when he was around, and this time was no different. Ashton jumped out of his seat and rushed over to give Cedric a hug.

"Uncle Ced!" Ashton grinned, his voice excited. "I haven’t seen you in forever!"

Cedric chuckled, lifting the kid off the ground for a brief moment. "Yeah, man, it’s been way too long. How’ve you been?"

"I’ve been good!" Ashton said, bouncing up and down in place.

"That’s awesome," Cedric said with a smile.

Cedric chuckled, ruffling the kid’s hair. It felt good to see him so happy, to see some normalcy in the chaos of everything going on with his parents. He sat down at the table, glancing over at Delphinia, who was standing by the counter, setting the last dish on the table.

Delphinia caught his gaze and gave him a small, polite smile. Cedric’s instinct was to smile back, but there was something about her that made him pause. Maybe it was the fact that he still couldn’t believe Evander had married her so suddenly, or maybe it was just how she made him feel a little out of place.

As Delphinia made her way over to the table, she took a deep breath, trying to shake off her nervousness. She’d heard so much about Cedric from Evander, how he was his best friend, his constant companion growing up, how he was like a second uncle to Ashton, and how they had shared a lot of memories. She was excited to finally meet him, but also anxious.

"Cedric," she said, her voice steady but warm, "I’m really glad you could join us for dinner. I’ve heard so much about you."

Cedric smiled politely but couldn’t help but notice how guarded she seemed. Maybe she was just nervous, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was aware of the tension he was feeling.

"Thanks for having me," Cedric said, setting the bottle of wine on the table. "I’m happy to be here."

After a few bites of food, Cedric couldn’t hold it in anymore. His curiosity about the situation—and about Delphinia—was too strong.

"So, uh," Cedric started casually, his eyes flicking to Evander, "when did this whole thing happen? The marriage, I mean."

Evander, who had been poking at his food, didn’t seem surprised by the question. He looked up briefly, his eyes cool but not unfriendly. "A few weeks ago? A month?" he said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Cedric’s eyebrows shot up. "Okay..." He glanced at Delphinia. "That’s... kind of sudden, don’t you think? I mean, how did this all happen? I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend."

Evander took a deep breath, clearly trying to stay calm. "It just... happened, Cedric. Things changed. We made it happen."

Cedric was trying to wrap his head around it, but it just didn’t add up. "Okay, but why? You two just... woke up one day, and suddenly you were married? No warning, nothing?"

Evander’s gaze hardened, his voice losing a little bit of the calm. "What are you trying to say, Cedric?" he asked, his tone sharp. "Are you implying Delphinia’s not good enough for me?"

Cedric blinked, startled by the sudden intensity in Evander’s voice. "What? No, man! That’s not what I meant. I’m just... surprised, that’s all."

The table fell silent for a moment, and Cedric immediately regretted pushing it so hard. He hadn’t meant to make Evander defensive, but it was hard to ignore how strange everything felt. He’d known Evander for years, and this... this was a huge change.

Evander let out a long breath, and his shoulders relaxed slightly. "It’s just... we didn’t want to wait anymore. Things were complicated enough as it was." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Cedric stayed quiet for a moment, trying to figure out how to navigate the conversation. "Okay, well... I guess I just wasn’t prepared for it, you know?" He took a swig of his drink to hide the awkwardness he felt. "It’s a lot to take in."

"I know," Evander said softly, his tone softer now, "but it’s what we wanted. And now we’re just figuring out how to make it work."

Cedric nodded, feeling the tension in his chest ease slightly. He looked at Delphinia again, who had been quietly observing the conversation, though she seemed to sense that the air had shifted. She gave him a small smile, but he wasn’t sure how to read it.

The conversation moved on, but Cedric kept coming back to the same question: Why this woman? And without notice?

After dinner, Cedric followed Evander into the living room while Delphinia cleared the dishes. Cedric sank into one of the couches, stretching his legs out in front of him. Evander plopped down beside him, but the silence between them felt heavier than before.

Cedric scratched the back of his neck. "So... what about Lydia?" he asked quietly, trying to keep his tone casual but failing. "How does she feel about all this?"

Evander’s eyes narrowed, and for a split second, Cedric could see a flicker of something dark in his gaze. "What about her?" Evander asked, his voice colder than it had been before.

Delphinia, who had just finished with the dishes, stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the question. She felt an uncomfortable knot tighten in her stomach as she stood near the big vase, unsure if she should stay or leave.

She finally decided that it was best to leave the men to their conversation, and she walked out of the kitchen, making a decision not to be part of the tension that was brewing.