My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 60 The Pain Of Silence

Evelyn

"Do not even fucking think about raising your hand at me, Chloe," I warned her through gritted teeth, my eyes locked onto her trembling hand inching toward her cheek. It was as though she couldn't fathom the slap that had just landed on her face. Well, she'd better believe it because I had no qualms about delivering another if she didn't mind her tongue. "I've dealt with enough bullies in my life to handle a lowlife, cheap filthy, woman like you. And believe me, if you dare to step over that line again, I'll rip that hand right off your body."

"What... what did you just say?" Chloe's jaw tightened, her fury evident in the fire that burned in her eyes.

"Are you deaf or just plain stupid? huh? I snapped back. "You can't hear me, right? Let me show you I can actually make you deaf, today if that's what you want. It'll be fun, I promise."

Before I could advance toward her, a hand shot up, gripping my wrist. It was a touch I knew all too well, one that sent regret surging through my veins. My body still fucking craved Jacob's touch, despite everything. I hated it. I absolutely hated how every fiber of my being still yearned for him...

"Evelyn, just don't do thi-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I yanked my hand free from his grasp and shoved him hard in the chest, causing him to collide with the wall. Pain, anger, and sorrow swirled within me- I was going insane. I wanted to hurt him, just as he had hurt me with his words. But no matter what I did, it could never compare to the devastation I felt when I walked in on Jacob and Chloe in that room.

This man had shattered me completely. He got me looking so fucking crazy.

"Do not lay a finger on me, Jacob!" I shouted, pressing him further against the wall, though there was no room left. My eyes blazed with fury, my breath quivered with rage, "Do you hear me? You have absolutely no fucking right to touch me!" I fought back my tears, refusing to show any vulnerability. "You have no right to command me, tell me what to do, or even come near me after what you've done. You've lost that privilege, understand? You've destroyed everything. So stay the hell away from me. Got it?!”

"You can't just raise your hands at someone that's not the kind of person you are, Evelyn," he sighed, gazing at me as if I should instantly see reason, fuck him! "You are not that person," his soft, manipulative eyes almost swayed me, but I couldn't let myself be fooled. He was right; I didn't even recognize myself anymore. But I refused to weaken, not after everything he'd put me through.

"And what kind of person am I then, huh? The one who let you use her like a fool? Do you actually expect me to keep being that woman, blindly in love and obedient to your every word?" I spat out the words with venom. "Don't delude yourself, Jacob. You have no idea what I'm capable of, and trust me, if I decide to get violent with your little sidepiece here, I'll tear her to shreds. I know all you want is to protect her from me, so instead of giving me advice, why don't you focus on keeping your 'bitch' in her own lane?"

He remained silent, and that infuriated me even more. After everything he'd done, his silence was the last thing I was going to tolerate. He had to speak. He had to damn well speak!

"What, cat got your tongue?" I clenched his shirt, pulling him closer. "Or are you too busy getting off on this situation, waiting for me to leave so you can fuck your little whore to your fill? Because that's all you care about, right? Sex? Temporary attraction that keeps someone around until you're bored of them? Or maybe you get off on the pain-maybe it's something you need to survive, or maybe, just maybe, it's something you actually deserve!"

"If you're so aware that you're not wanted, why don't you just leave, for Christ's sake?" Chloe decided to chime in with her unsolicited opinion.

I clenched my fists, closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath. One murder, just one, and I was pretty certain my dad could clean up the mess and bail me out.

Right as I was about to respond, Jacob's voice cut through the tension, his gaze fixed on Chloe over my shoulder. "Chloe, love... why don't you go to your room for a moment and let me handle this situation?"

Love...

He called her love. God, it stung!

I didn't need to look at Chloe to know the confusion etched across her face. She must have anticipated Jacob taking her side and confronting me for slapping her. But I knew he wouldn't dare. He was acutely aware that doing so would jeopardize everything.

If even a whisper of our affair got out, he'd lose it all his friendship with my dad, his reputation, everything. And Jacob Adriano was nothing if not a coward.

"O-Okay..." Chloe left without another word, and the door closed softly. The silence returned to the room, but in my mind, the storm raged on, destructive and agonizing-unbearably painful.

"What did you just call her?" I managed to ask, my voice trembling, tears flowing down my cheeks unbidden.

"Evelyn, you have to face reality. You can't keep acting like this-Chloe and I are trying to rebuild our relationship, and if you keep getting in the way " he began, his voice strained.

"You heartless bastard," I interrupted, my words laced with anger and anguish. "Just a day ago, you were telling me you loved me, and now you treat me like a stranger? Do you even have a goddamn heart?" I shouted, choking back my sobs. "Have you even bothered to consider what I'm going through? The hell you've put me through? I am fucking dying, Jacob! You are killing me!"

"I can't help it, Evelyn. I love her. It's her I love, not you. What am I supposed to do?" he admitted, his voice filled with reluctance. This man was hesitant to admit his own shame but not when he'd already committed it.

"Then why did you make me feel like that, you fucking cold-hearted monster?!" A sob wrenched itself from my throat as I slammed my fists against his chest. I stared into his eyes, eyes that had once spoken of love but now seemed like nothing but lies. "Do you even have a heart? Why did you give me all those beautiful moments when they meant nothing to you? Why, Jacob? Why?!"

He remained silent, perhaps because there were no words to justify his actions.

"You told me you wanted to forget her, and not for a moment did I doubt your words, Jacob. That's how much trusted you, because I loved you confessed, my voice é quivering with pain. "And I still dot hate toadmit it, but I do, and maybe I always will. But you... how could you break my heart like this? What did I do wrong? All I did was love you with complete honesty and all my heart," I choked out, tears streaming down my face. "Is that my mistake? Is that what I did wrong?" I couldn't hold back my sobs any longer.

Even the sight of his face was excruciating. Every time I looked at him, my heart shattered into even smaller fragments than he'd broken it into.

He took a deep breath, then finally spoke, avoiding my gaze. "There's no point in discussing this right now. Just consider it all a mistake and move on, okay?"

"But they were not a mistake for me,

Jacob! They weren't!" I exclaimed, my voice breaking, "I love you, do you not even understand that? Doesn't it bother you even the tiniest bit to know that you are destroying me? I'm falling apart. I'm not just hurting; it's like I'm slowly withering away, piece by piece, and you're the cause of it all. Jacob!" My tears flowed freely, my voice trembling with desperation, "I feel like I'm

dying! If I never mattered to you then at least, why didn't you just stop me from believing in a love that was never real?"

"You can't hear the truth, Evelyn. That's the only reason I'm trying to walk away in silence," Jacob muttered.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

"Silence?" I stared at him

incredulously, unable to understand

how could be so fucking cruel, "You rip my heart apart with your cruel words, betray me by fucking your damn ex behind my back while deceiving me, you shatter the rebuild,

dreams I worked so hard to

and you break me in the process of taking away everything you once

gave, and then you have the audacity to call it 'silence'? How can it ever be called silence? Tell me, how can you call it silence?!" My voice quivered with the anguish of betrayal and heartbreak.