The Heart System Nov Chapter 353

Chapter 353: Chapter 353

The door down the hallway creaked open, followed by the slow, dragging sound of footsteps. A few seconds later, Es wandered into the living room, rubbing one eye as she stretched, still half-lost in sleep.

She wore a black tank top, one strap slipped down to her elbow, leaving the side of her breast just barely visible. She didn’t notice the giant teddy bear on the floor and kicked into it with a dull thump.

Es looked down at it, blinking. Then her eyes widened slightly.

Her gaze lifted—first to , then to Cora.

"...Wow," she said. "I thought you just bought pizza."

"That’s the gift," I said. "The pizza’s on the counter."

She didn’t even respond. She opened one of the boxes, grabbed a slice, and took a huge bite, humming happily as she chewed. Cora sighed and covered her face with one hand.

"I’m sorry," Cora said. "She has no sha."

"It’s fine," I said, laughing. "I’m just glad she’s eating."

Es glanced at the bear again, then at . "Okay," she said around another bite. "This thing’s kind of aweso."

"The pizza?" I asked with a small smile. "Yeah. It slls amazing, doesn’t it?"

"It does," Es said, her mouth already full. "So good. I love Renson’s."

I watched her for a mont, leaning against the counter, then cleared my throat. "Hey. I know I already said this on the phone, but I wanted to say it again in person. I’m really sorry about that day. About everything."

Es waved her hand dismissively while chewing. "Please stop. Let’s just enjoy the pizza."

She reached into the box, grabbed another slice, and handed it to . Tomato sauce dripped dangerously close to the edge, but she didn’t seem to care. She looked at

with half-lidded eyes and a lazy, warm smile, clearly more focused on food than heavy conversations.

I nodded and accepted the slice, taking a bite as I leaned my hip against the kitchen counter. Es dragged the whole pizza box over to the dining table and plopped herself into a chair, already going for another piece like it might disappear if she waited too long.

"Don’t forget the diet cokes," I said, reaching for the bag. "Here."

"Oh. Thanks," she said, taking it without looking up.

"They gave

two one-liter bottles," I added. "Hope that’s fine."

"That’s more than fine."

I moved into the kitchen and opened the first cabinet I saw, then another when I realized the glasses weren’t there. Cora stepped in beside

without a word and opened the cabinet to the right, pulling out three glasses and setting them on the counter.

I poured the drinks, and she picked up Es’s glass and carried it to the table. When she ca back, she opened the second pizza box. I finished the slice Es had given

in a couple of bites, grabbed another, and took a long sip of coke.

Cora leaned against the counter with both elbows, eating slowly while watching Es demolish her pizza with impressive dedication.

"I like seeing her happy," she said quietly.

I mirrored her posture, resting my elbows on the counter as well. "I like seeing both of you happy."

She turned toward , surprised, then looked down again. "Thank you, Evan. I... I don’t really know what to say."

"You don’t have to say anything," I replied. "Just knowing you’re okay is enough. But if you really want to do sothing for ..."

She glanced up, clearly misreading my tone, and shifted awkwardly closer. "W-want to... fuck?"

"Uuh..."

Her face heated up instantly. "I—sorry. I thought you ant sothing else."

I laughed softly and shook my head. "Not that. I was thinking sothing way simpler. How about you two co with

to an ani convention soti?"

Her shoulders sagged a little. "I’m bad with people. I don’t think I can do that."

"Cosplay?" Es suddenly said, lifting her head. "I want my sister to wear that magical outfit from that one show. What was it called... Drear’s Land?"

"Nala, a friend of mine, cosplays," I said. "You should join us soti."

"I... maybe Es can," Cora said hesitantly.

"No," I said gently but firmly. "You, Cora. Es too, sure, but I’m asking because of you. You keep saying you’re bad with people. Are you doing anything to change that?"

She hesitated. "I just..."

"It’ll be fun," I said. "And maybe you’ll make new friends."

"I don’t need friends."

I tilted my head and looked at her. "So you don’t need

either?"

Her eyes widened. "No, that’s not what I ant."

"Then it’s settled," I said lightly. "I’ll ask Nala when the next convention is."

She groaned softly. "I can’t wear weird clothes."

"You’ll look great," I said. "Right, Es?"

"Yeees!" Es said imdiately.

"You’re coming too," I added.

"Nooo," she complained, slumping back in her chair. "That sounds exhausting."

"I think you owe

that," I said. "I drove across the city to get you out of a police station."

She sighed dramatically, grabbed another slice, and shrugged. "Fine."

I clapped my hands together lightly. "Good. I’ll let you know when I find out the date."

Cora’s expression shifted, nervousness creeping back in. She stared at the pizza box, then took a slow breath. I stepped closer and bumped her shoulder gently. She swayed slightly, steadied herself, then exhaled.

"I’m just going to embarrass everyone," she said.

"You won’t," Es said before I could. "Stop thinking like that, Sis."

"Exactly," I added. "Just relax. It’ll be fun."

She nodded slowly. "Okay. But don’t get mad if I ss sothing up."

"I ss things up all the ti," I said with a grin. "You’ll fit right in."

She let out a quiet hum, sowhere between nervous and relieved, and finally smiled.

A brief silence settled over the room, the kind that usually ant the mont had finally found its footing again. Then Es, completely unbothered by timing or social awareness, opened her mouth and just ruined it.

"My sister shaved her pussy because she thought you—"

"ES!" Cora shouted, spinning around so fast she nearly knocked into the counter. "You idiot! What is wrong with you? Embelice!"

"Sorry," Es said around another bite of pizza, the corner of her mouth lifting into a smug little grin. "Slip of the tongue."

I stood there with my slice halfway to my mouth, blinking. "Oh," I muttered. "Wow. That’s... information."

Cora covered her face with both hands and turned her back to , shoulders tense. Es, clearly proud of herself, finished her slice and chuckled softly like she had just dropped the punchline of the century.

This was not where I wanted to be. My brain scrambled for sothing, anything, that wouldn’t make the situation worse. Every possible sentence sounded terrible in my head, so I coughed, took a bite of my pizza, and washed it down with diet coke while pretending I was very invested in the ceiling.

"I’m... glad?" I said finally, imdiately regretting it. "I an, uh. I don’t know. Thanks?"

"You are making it worse," Cora said, muffled from behind her hands. "Please stop talking."

I raised both palms in surrender. "Right. Yep. My bad."

The awkwardness lingered for another second, then I clapped my hands lightly, forcing so montum back into the room.

"Alright. I should probably head out. I hope you like the teddy bear, Es. I thought you might want sothing to hug while sleeping."

Es’s expression softened instantly. "I do. He looks very snuggleable."

"That’s what I thought," I said with a small smile. "I’ll let you know if Nala finds an ani convention for us."

"O-okay," Cora said, still facing away from . "I’ll... walk you to the door."

"No need," I replied. "Enjoy your pizza. I’ll see you."

She turned just enough to give

a small wave. I returned it, zipped my jacket up fully, and stepped outside. The cold hit

imdiately, but at least the air felt clearer than whatever had just happened inside.

As I started down the stairs, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Ivy’s na on the screen. Hoping it wasn’t about her mother again, I answered.

"Hey, Ivy. What’s up?"

"I’m good," she said. "My mom ca back this morning."

"That’s good," I said honestly. "Did you two talk things through?"

"No. Not yet," she replied. "I’m just going to focus on myself for a while. Rember the guy I told you about?"

"Chase Bellings?"

There was a pause. "You know his last na?"

"Yeah," I said, exhaling. "He’s kind of well-known. I watched one of his interviews."

"Huh," she said. "Anyway, we’re eting for coffee today. Just the two of us."

"Nice," I said as I stepped outside, the cold air brushing my face. "Go get him."

She laughed softly. "We’re just talking. I think he still sees

as a patient."

"Why?"

"She knows how I... worry about my mother."

"What’s he saying about your situation?"

"Mixed signals," she said. "By the way, did my mom call you yesterday?"

"No," I replied quickly. "Why?"

"I thought she might ask you to pick her up before the storm," Ivy said.

"The storm hit fast," I said. "She probably didn’t realize how bad it got."

"Yeah," Ivy sighed. "I’ll just focus on myself for now. She can date whoever she wants as long as she’s happy."

"You sound angry," I said as I unlocked my car. "And your tone doesn’t match with what you’re saying."

"Why does saying that make

feel like a cuck?" she muttered.

I groaned. "Ivy, being supportive doesn’t make you a cuck. It makes you a decent daughter."

"Oh please," she shot back. "That’s rich coming from the guy who left Julia."

I smiled faintly as I started the engine. "That was a long ti ago. She deserved better than ."

"You live in a penthouse now," Ivy said. "Don’t you think you caught up?"

"It’s ancient history," I replied. "High school stuff."

"Her mom liked you," Ivy said quietly. "She thought you were solid."

"I wasn’t," I said as I backed out of the parking spot. "I just tried."

She laughed. "Man. I wish you were my boyfriend back then."

"Don’t start," I said, shaking my head.

"I won’t," she said. "I just wanted to tell soone I’m excited."

"And you did," I replied. "Good luck."

"Thanks," she said. "I’ll need it."

The call ended, and I leaned back in my seat as the traffic light ahead turned red. My appointnt with Chase was later tonight, and with traffic like this, the day already felt longer than it needed to be.

"Man," I muttered, rubbing my face. "I’m tired."

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