Hatred With Benefits novel Chapter 78

EVA.

"You're awake. " She smiles at me as she stands with her back to the door and I move up on the bed, pressing my palms into the soft mattress with a groan leaving my mouth. The instant headache and coldness kick in; reminding me of the struggles from the previous night and I shut my eyes for a brief second to pull back together.

"Are you feeling better?" I open my eyes to her voice and raise my head to her. I don't give her a response as my eyes move across the room before I open my mouth, "Where's Aliya?"

"She had to go home. " Mom informs me and I hum, looking away from her. Silence takes its residence around us before she speaks again, her voice drawing closer and I know she's coming near me. "Baby. " True to my instincts, she's right above me and I still as she settles at the edge of the bed, her hand moving across the sheets to cover mine. "Please talk to me. "

I angle my head to the other side and gently remove my hand from under hers.

"Eva please, " her soft voice floats in the air and I shake my head, "I want to be alone. "

"No, baby. You can't do that to me. I'm your mother, and I need to make sure you're alright. I need to look after you. "

"But why do you care?" My head snaps to meet her eyes and she jerks her head back in what? Surprise? Scare?

"Why'd you say that, Eva? Of course, I care. You're my baby. " She says and a scoff slips through my lips. "Didn't seem so last time I was here. "

"Eva, please. I understand you're angry about the decisions we took, and you have every right to be, but you can't exactly blame us for this, baby. This was all we were watching out for; this was all we warned you of. "

"No, " I tell her with a shake of my head. "This was all you wanted. This is exactly what you were hoping to happen. "

"Of course not. We'd never wish for your pain and your tears, Eva. We're your parents. " She says, lifting her hand to grab mime again but I pull back before her touch meets my skin. "You did the minute you opposed my relationship with him. Dad wanted me to stay away from him. He wanted me to leave him and come here, and I can remember you being in full support of that. "

"Eva I—" she starts to say but I interrupt her. "No, you don't get it, mom. You don't. You don't understand how it feels to be at the highest point of your life, and all it takes is one second and one realization for it to come crumbling down. You don't understand how it feels to be the happiest you could ever be, only for it to get ruined. You don't understand. None of you does. None of you can understand how I feel, because you're not me. You're not the one who got left, you're not the one who's feeling all these... All this darkness, the emotions, everything. So you don't get to tell me that you do. You don't. "

"I'm so sorry, Eva. I'm— I may have not been there for you once, baby but I do understand how you feel. Because you're my baby, and I'm your mother. " She smiles, a single tear rolling down her cheek and I look away from her.

"Forgive me, baby. Eva, please. Don't let me leave. Let me be here for you; come to me, Eva. You don't have to be in this alone. " She pleads, her voice breaking through each word and I drop my head, my hands gripping the sheets tightly. "Please. I do not want to lose you too. We cannot, Eva. "

"It hurts, Mom. It hurts so fucking badly. It's like my heart is being ripped into pieces. "

"Oh, baby. I know. I know, baby. I'm so sorry. " She shifts closer to the bed, and brings me into her arms. My head falls against her chest as she wraps her body around mine and her sobs mixed with her silent pleas fill the space around as I stare ahead of me with tears rolling down my cheeks.

~

I walk into the living room since the first time I've been here, and both their heads snap in my direction at the sound of my footsteps.

"Eva. " Mom smiles, holding her hand out to me and I merely walk forward to stand a few steps away from her, averting my eyes to the man who stands next to her with a small smile on his face.

"Why are you here? You should be at the office. " I tell him and he smiles as he trudges forward and takes my hands in his. "How do you expect me to be when you're here?"

"I'm fine. " I repeat the words that I've been uttering all day to the lot of them.

He sighs and pushes forward. "I know you're mad at me because—"

"I'm not. " I'm quick to say, silencing the rest of his words. "I'm not mad at you, dad so you shouldn't think that. "

"Your screams, Princess. I heard them at night, and they got me so scared. They reminded me of what once—"

"I know. " I whisper, dropping my gaze from his and I flinch at the feel of his touch against my skin as he moves his hand to my chin to lift my gaze to meet his. His eyes roam around mine for a while before he opens his mouth, "I want to help you. Let me help you, Princess. "

"You can't. " I let out a laugh at the words coming from him. "Not anymore. You threw away your chance to do that. "

He stares at me as if he weren't expecting those words, and then he speaks again. "But I still can. It doesn't have to end this way, Princess. I can still help you. I'll go to Mason and ask him to—"

"Ask him to do what?" I cut in and his chest falls as he mumbles his next words. "I can talk to him about this. I can bring him back to you, Princess. Let me do that for you. "

At the end of his words, I jerk my hands away from his and take a step back, letting his hand fall from my chin. "You want to do that now? After what? My tears? My pain? Is seeing me like this what it took for you to have a change of mind, father?"

"Princess, no. " He attempts to make a move closer, but I shake my head and hold out my hand, halting the movement. "That's the sad truth, isn't it? It always has to take me getting hurt. "

"Eva, please understand me. I just want you to be happy—"

"And you had a fucking chance to do that!" I scream, no longer able to hold back. "I fucking begged you, dad but you didn't care. You didn't care about my happiness, so why start now?"

"I made a stupid move. I'll admit that, but I was protecting you, Princess. I knew what will come to—"

"Stop! Just fucking stop! Stop with the preaches about protectiveness. I don't need your fucking protection, dad. I'm old enough to know what will harm me and what will do me good, so you don't get to tell me that you were protecting me from Emerson. You did what you did because you wanted to, not because you were thinking about me, and I get that. Your Ego and your gratification came first, and you shouldn't let anything change that. "

"Eva!" It's mom's voice now. A frown covers her face as she marches forward and stands next to dad. "All your father has ever done is for your sake and you should never for once doubt that. "

"Oh, right. " I snort out a laugh, turning my back to them. Mom's voice echoes behind me as I begin to stroll forward. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Away from here. " I respond without turning around and her alarmed voice comes again, "Eva, you can't go out there alone. You're not—"