Susan’s POV
I clenched my fists as I thought about her. She ca out of nowhere, taking up space that was never hers to begin with. She didn’t belong in Evander’s life, in his heart. That space should have remained untouched, reserved only for , or no one at all.
How dare she try to replace ?
To be honest, I never liked Colten in the first place, and he was aware of that. He knew that I had my eyes on his brother, but he let off the hook since he knew he wouldn’t live long, so he didn’t wish to hold back.
Angel interrupted my thoughts, her voice cautious yet firm. "Susan, don’t let your past with Colton blind you to reality. Evander isn’t the sa person he was back then. You can’t keep expecting him to do whatever you want just because of his brother."
I glared at her, my jaw tightening. "Don’t lecture , Angel. I know Evander better than anyone. He will never go against . And if I say never, then never!"
"But what if he does?" Angel insisted. "What if this ti is different?"
Her words left unsettled, an uneasy tension bubbling beneath my composed exterior. I hated that tiny flicker of doubt trying to surface in my mind. No— Evander wouldn’t turn against . He couldn’t. Because as much as he might try to deny it, Colton’s shadow still lood large over his life— and I was part of that shadow.
Claire might think she had won, but she would never be what I was to him.
"You don’t need to care about that!" I responded, clenching my fists tightly. "I know how to handle Evander. If Claire weren’t in his life, he would have been mine a long ti ago."
"That’s exactly what I am saying!" Angel’s voice rang out as she stepped closer, gripping my shoulders to make sit on the couch. She settled across from , her gaze calm yet firm.
"Can’t you see? It was fine when Claire wasn’t around. You could do whatever you wanted. But now that she is here, there is no way Evander will let you off if you go against her," Angel said, her tone asured as though trying to make see reason.
"So, you are saying he would ruin too?" I asked sarcastically, my lips curving into a mocking smile. "That he would go against his deceased brother’s words, make lose everything, and throw in jail?"
Angel remained quiet, her expression a mix of anger and frustration.
No matter how ruthless Evander appeared, I knew him better than anyone. He’s an emotional person, and he would never go against his brother’s words. He loved his brothers so much that he took in and even beca a father.
The man who was supposedly incapable of love had adopted his brother’s son and loved him as if he were his own.
And now they were trying to tell that he would abandon just because I played a little ga with so woman? That he would destroy over Claire? The thought alone was laughable.
Wasn’t he just infatuated with her because she didn’t chase after him or try to seduce him? Did they really think he loved her?
Give a break.
Evander might be an emotional man, and he might have tried to love Eliam as his son. But in reality, he was incapable of truly loving anyone. No matter how much he tried to project this image of a loving, devoted man, I knew the truth.
He could never truly love.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Claire’s POV
I looked at Evander, sleeping soundly beside , his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. How long had it been since I lay beside him like this? It felt like an eternity. Even the last ti, when he was drugged, all I could do was sit beside him, silently taking care of him, too afraid to get this close.
Now, as I watched him in the dim light of the room, I couldn’t help but admire him. His face, so perfectly sculpted, looked peaceful and calm— which he was barely when I saw him awake. His strong jawline, frad by a light stubble, added a rugged charm, while the soft curve of his lips seed almost inviting.
The way his dark hair fell slightly over his forehead made him look younger. His long, dark lashes cast faint shadows against his skin. It was unfair how soone could look so effortlessly captivating, even in his sleep.
I felt a flutter in my chest, a warm feeling spreading through . He was breathtaking, a man who could command attention without even trying. How could I not feel drawn to him?
I reached out instinctively, my fingers brushing against the back of his hand before I pulled them back, hesitant. My heart raced as I realized how infatuated I had beco. It wasn’t just his looks—it was the rare monts like this, where he seed vulnerable, that made feel so drawn to him.
I bit my lip, trying to keep my emotions in check. Evander Kensington was a man who could make the world stop with just a glance. And lying here beside him, I realized I was completely captivated by him.
"Did you like staring at that much?" Evander’s deep, teasing voice broke the silence, making jolt. My cheeks flushed, and I instinctively turned to the other side to escape the embarrassnt.
But before I could move further, his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, pulling effortlessly against his chest. I felt the heat of his body seeping into mine, and my heart began to race uncontrollably.
"Where are you going?" he murmured, his voice low and warm as his breath brushed against my ear. "This is unfair. You get to look at , but I can’t do the sa?"
"N...No!" I stamred, unable to think straight at the mont, as his hand lingered on my waist, holding close. His scent, a mix of fresh citrus and sothing else or could it be his shampoo from last night? The scent surrounded , making it impossible to think clearly.
I felt his chest rumble with a soft laugh as he tightened his embrace. "Liar," he whispered, his tone laced with amusent. "You were staring at like I am the only man in the world."
Just his touch, his closeness, was enough to make lose myself. My body seed to betray , every nerve igniting at his casual teasing. "Evander, stop teasing ," I managed to whisper, though my voice lacked conviction.
"Teasing you?" he repeated, his lips curving into a small smile as his fingers gently brushed a strand of hair from my face. "Claire, you are making it too easy for ." His dark eyes locked onto mine, their intensity making my breath hitch.
I couldn’t deny it— he was devastatingly handso. The sharp lines of his jaw, the faint stubble that added to his rugged charm, and those piercing eyes that seed to see right through . His ssy hair from sleeping only made him more irresistible, like a man who had no idea how breathtaking he truly was.
My cheeks burned, and I tried to look away, but he gently cupped my chin, tilting my face back toward him. "Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" he asked softly, his thumb brushing against my cheek.
"I am not shy," I protested weakly, my voice betraying as it wavered.
He chuckled, leaning closer until our foreheads touched. "You are adorable when you lie, Claire."
His words made my heart skip a beat, and I couldn’t help but smile faintly, even as my pulse raced. "Evan..." I whispered, unsure of what I wanted to say.
"Just stay here," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. "Right here, with ."
The sweetness in his voice lted every last bit of resistance I had. I closed my eyes, letting myself get lost in the mont, knowing I couldn’t fight this overwhelming pull I felt toward him, and for now, I didn’t want to.
"Thank you," he whispered softly, his voice laced with an emotion I couldn’t quite place.
"Huh?" I looked up at him, confused. His words caught off guard, and I wasn’t sure what he ant.
Before I could say anything else, I noticed how close we were. We were lying face to face now, his strong arms still wrapped around , keeping impossibly close. Our chests brushed against each other with every breath, but for once, I didn’t feel shy or flustered. His words held my attention far more than our closeness.
"What are you talking about?" I asked softly as I tried to look for answers in his eyes.
Evander’s gaze held mine as it felt deep and unwavering. "Thank you," he repeated, his voice steady yet gentle. "For not giving up on . For coming back to and embracing , even when I didn’t deserve it."
My chest tightened at his words. This was a side of Evander he rarely showed—a side I hadn’t been sure existed until now.
Just last night, he apologized to , and now he was thanking ?
"I..." I started, but the lump in my throat stopped as I didn’t know what to say. I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak. "Evander, I never gave up on you because I knew... deep down... I have always loved you!"
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Please comnt if there are any repetition and mispells as I wrote very fast since my Chapter got deleted and I couldn’t recover it!
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