Once Upon a Broken Heart, #2
The Ballad of Never After
by Stephanie Garber
Contents
Chapter 35
Overview
Evangeline realizes Jacks doesn’t want to open the Valory Arch—he only wants the stones’ combined power. She confronts him, but despite mistrust he cares for her and urges rest. In a vivid dream, a handsome stranger warns she resembles someone from Jacks’s past—his “first fox”—hinting at peril in repeating history.
Summary
Reeling from Jacks’s admission, Evangeline reexamines past conversations and concludes he never intended to open the Valory Arch; he only wants the four stones’ power. The tavern’s shifting goblet, the truth of Tiberius’s claims, and Petra’s hints reinforce her deduction and her fear that Jacks won’t let her use them to cure Apollo.
Seeking answers and clothes, Evangeline explores the Hollow’s upstairs rooms, finding only whimsical, empty chambers. Jacks returns and confronts her. When she accuses him of lying and caring only for the stones, he deflects and refuses to promise she can open the Arch, deepening her mistrust.
Exhaustion overcomes Evangeline. As she tries to leave, Jacks blocks the doorway, then lifts and carries her outside and into the tree loft. Despite anger, she feels drawn to him and resents his tenderness. When she asks if he still sees her as a tool, he replies, “I try not to think of you at all.”
While sleeping, Evangeline dreams of a lake dock. A handsome, agile stranger appears instead of Jacks. He flirts, notes her resemblance to someone from Jacks’s past, and warns that if she isn’t careful she’ll end up like Jacks’s “first fox,” implying danger in mirroring that unknown history.
Who Appears
- Evangeline FoxProtagonist; deduces Jacks wants the stones’ power, confronts him, struggles with exhaustion and conflicted desire, and dreams of a warning about his “first fox.”
- JacksElusive Fate; admits he doesn’t want the Arch, likely seeks the stones’ power, blocks Evangeline from leaving, and carries her to rest despite mutual mistrust.
- Handsome StrangerMysterious figure in Evangeline’s dream; charming and predatory, hints at Jacks’s past and warns she could become like his “first fox.”