My Dad's Bestfriend novel Chapter 176

Evelyn

I couldn’t hold back any longer as the silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. Jacob wrestled with the words hovering on the edge of his lips, but my patience had worn thin. The storm of emotions swelling in my chest was unbearable—I needed him to speak. I needed answers. At least to end this storm in my heart, the pain that threatened to break me, and hurt me more with each second passing.

"Because?" The word slipped out, barely louder than a whisper.

Jacob turned toward me, closing the space between us with agonizing slowness. His face hovered just an inch from mine, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull away. I didn’t know why. Maybe I didn’t want to.

“Because I don’t want to force my feelings on you,” he murmured, his voice gentle as his hand reached for mine, our fingers intertwining. His other hand rose to my cheek, the warmth of his touch sending shivers through me. “I’ve overstepped every boundary you’ve tried to set. I didn’t give you space to breathe. I was everywhere, even when your wounds were still raw. I thought I was helping, but instead, I made everything worse.”

His eyes, deep and full of regret, locked onto mine. “I know the weight of my mistakes. I know I pushed you away. I ruined the best thing that ever happened to me. And all I want, more than anything, is to have you back. But I won’t force it. I won’t use our attraction, our sexual desires, or your weaknesses, to manipulate you. If I get you back, it has to be through love, not desperation. I’m willing to wait, no matter how long it takes, for you to find yourself again and maybe… find it in your heart to give me another chance.”

He lifted our entwined hands, pressing a soft kiss to the back of mine.

“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “For everything. But you know I love you. I love you more than my own life.”

Tears glistened in his eyes, and the sight of them twisted the knife in my chest. Guilt surged through me, overwhelming and relentless. I wanted to say the words he needed to hear, but something held me back—a boundary I couldn’t cross.

Cameron. I couldn’t hurt him. Even though I didn’t love him the way I loved Jacob, he still held a place in my heart, a very special place that I could say I loved him in my own way. He was kind, and wonderful. The thought of breaking his heart, of robbing him of the chance to love again, crushed me.

Jacob’s voice cut through the turmoil in my mind. “I’m not giving up on you. I never will. But I need to let you be—to give you the time and space to figure out what you really want, who you want in your life.” His grip on my hand tightened, as though grounding himself. “And if it’s not me, I’ll still wait. I’ll wait my whole life if that’s what it takes, because knowing that I once had your heart is enough. Even if there’s just a sliver of hope that you might come back to me... that’s worth it. You are my home. Whether you are with me or not. Whether you love me or not, or….you have found your home in someone else. I will still keep waiting.”

My throat ached, clogged with sobs fighting to escape, and my emotions were a tangled mess.

I fucking loved this man—loved him so deeply that with every word he spoke, it felt like everything I held dear was slipping away. I didn’t want to feel this way, but it was the only truth I knew. I was nothing without him….

He looked at me like it was the last time, his gaze full of unbearable sadness. Every word, every glance, cut me deeper, and I wished I could speak, wished I had the words to express how much it hurt. But I didn’t. Not a single one.

I felt like the worst person on earth.