My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 137 Win Her Back

Jacob

I watched, frozen, as Bianca handed me the small camera supposedly belonging to Evelyn during her visit with Tyler. My breath caught in my throat, my hands trembling because of the exhaustion from a night spent searching for her and the weight of my own mistakes settling heavily upon me. Disbelief washed over me as I stared at the camera.

She did this for me... Sacrificed for me.

God! What the fuck have I done?

"Why didn't you fucking tell me she was with you?" I blurted out, my voice thick with frustration. I barely had any control over myself. "I could have gone there and brought her back home! How could you just let her leave like that?!"

"The same home you made clear wasn't hers anymore?" Bianca shot back, her anger searing. "You fucking forced her to go away! She didn't even want to lay eyes on you just because you're my brother doesn't give you a free pass to make her suffer, to force her to stay when she wants to leave. Any woman in her right mind would do the same after everything you put her through! You screwed up, uttered terrible things to her, and hurt her beyond you can ever fucking imagine. She did the right thing by leaving you after everything you did!"

Bianca's fury washed over me, but it was the crushing realization that Evelyn was now on a plane, poised to leave, that truly stung. I hurt her... irreparably. With my fucking words, my actions, and the mess I've made of everything I've destroyed her, all while knowing the pain it would cause. How could I be so blind?ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I stared at the hidden camera, my vision blurring with unshed tears.

She went to Tyler's house to help me, and I repaid her love for me with all those words full of cruelty...

God! I fucking despised myself.

My anger, my hurtful words, my own fears and insecurities, my desperation, weakness-all of it combined to drive her away. I pushed her so far that now, I had nothing. Nothing left at all.

"How could you say those things to someone as innocent as her? For fuck's sake! She's barely twenty, Jacob! You can't expect her to be as mature as a woman in her thirties! Yet she tried, she tried so hard to be everything you needed even as she needed care herself, and you treated her with such recklessness-you shattered her, you bastard!" Bianca's voice cracked with frustration and anger. "She refuses to even look at you. She said she'd end up hating you if she did-you pushed her to that point! If only you'd seen her eyes when she said that you'd have never been able to look at yourself the same way again!"

I won't be able to look at myself the same way anyways...

I hurt Evelyn. My Evelyn-the one person I wanted to protect with all my life...I broke her beyond repair.

I collapsed onto the couch, shoulders sagging, hands trembling along with my breath.

She did it all for me, and in a fit of rage and insecurity, I accused her of the worst...

How could I have fucking done that to her?!

"I fucked up, Bee," I confessed, a solitary tear sliding down my cheek before I buried my face in my hands, elbows resting on my knees. "What do I do now? Have I truly lost her?" I lifted my gaze to hers, desperation evident in my eyes. "I can't... bcan't live without her. I can't even breathe when she's not near. You don't understand how much she means to me-she's my everything."

"Then you should've damn well thought before spewing those poisonous words at her," Bianca hissed, her frustration and concern palpable. "You let your anger consume you, and in the process, you destroyed what you two had have warned you from the very start to choose your words carefully, Jacob-I have been telling you the same thing forever but you and your goddamn anger ruins everything. What exactly do you think you can do now? Now that you realize everything she did was for you-she went through all that trouble just to keep you out of jail, and yet here you are, with nothing! And in case you still have any doubts about her-I gave her that plan. It was my fault, not hers!"

I remained silent, words failing me. It felt like my entire world had crumbled. Evelyn's absence weighed heavily on my heart, leaving me feeling hollow -utterly alone. She was the one beacon of light in my life amidst the chaos, and I had pushed her away, destroyed that light until it turned to ashes- leaving her wary of trusting anyone else, fearing the same betrayal.

How would I even mend what I have broken?

Taking a deep breath, I steeled my resolve. "I can't live without her, Bianca. I have to win her back," I whispered, my voice trembling. "I can't go on like this. I need her back—” Without another thought, I rose from the couch and headed for the door.

But Bianca grabbed my wrist, halting me in my tracks. "The flight's already departed. There's no point in going to the airport."

Her words hit me like a freight train, my chest constricting with despair.

I couldn't lose her...

But even as the urge to go after her surged within me, I couldn't deny the crippling fear that gripped me. How could I face her? How could I ask for forgiveness when my words were unforgivable?

"What do I do, Bianca?" I pleaded, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I can't lose her... I just can't."

Bianca's expression softened, her own voice wavering as she guided me to the sofa. "You're thirty-four," she chided lightly, wiping away my tears. "Don't cry like a baby. We'll figure something out.”

"I've hurt her, Bee," I admitted in a hoarse whisper. "I don't know how to make it right-she shouldn't forgive me, and yet... I can't imagine living without her. I can't even breathe when she's not here. What am I supposed to do?"

"First, you need to address what she wanted to fix, Jacob," Bianca said gently, her words carrying weight. "Evelyn went through all that trouble to gather evidence against Tyler, and you can't let her efforts go to waste. I've already distributed copies to some media channels; Tyler will be arrested soon. So, focus on

reclaiming your company. Then,

when things have settled a bit and

you've gathered enough strength to face her, go to America and find her."

"She loves you," Bianca assured, squeezing my hand comfortingly. "Sooner or later, she'll forgive you. She knows how much you love her. But for now, she needs time, just like you do."

She was right...

I didn't have the courage to confront her now, and she likely wouldn't want to see me either. She needed time to heal, and if I were the source of her pain, it would only set her back. I couldn't bear to hurt her any further—not anymore.

"Okay," I finally breathed out, after a few moments of heavy silence.

Just a few days, and then I would be there... with my Evelyn.