My Dad's Bestfriend novel Chapter 57

Evelyn

"You...know?" I was flabbergasted, too stunned to utter anything other than this one simple question. My mind felt like it had been thrown off the top floor of a hundred-story building—shocking and terrible.

Clara knew...

Damn it! I hadn't wanted a single soul to find out before the wedding, and here the bride already knew about my affair with Jacob. What might she think of me? Having an affair with Jacob behind my dad's back. Shit! Shit! Shit!

"Yes, Evelyn. I know," she nodded, her voice surprisingly calm, devoid of anger or irritation unlike what I’d expected, “I've seen the way you two look at each other, and how genuinely happy you are around him. I had my suspicions from day one, but it was that day at the hall when you abruptly walked away from your conversation with your mom and he followed you—that confirmed everything for me—I saw both of you at the poolside. I've known for a while, Evie. You don't have to hide anything from me, okay?"

"Clara...I-I..." I didn't even know what to say. First, I had done something terrible by getting involved with a man who didn't even love me, and then I had kept it a secret, even from Clara. "I'm sorry." I couldn't bring myself to meet her gaze, my eyes fixed on the ground.

Her gaze softened, and a sigh escaped her lips. "Hey, Evie, don't be sorry," she said, her touch gentle as she brushed my hair back and caressed my cheek. Her other hand still held onto mine. "You did nothing wrong, alright? I understand. Things like this happen at a young age. Besides, Jacob's a good guy. Yes, I won't deny that there will be complications when your dad finds out, especially given the fact that Jacob's his best friend and much older than you. But aside from that, I don't think there's anything anyone should object to— not everything that seems wrong at first glance is actually wrong,” she flashed me a small smile. "I understand you, Evelyn. I know you won't make the wrong choice. I believe in you, and I think you are capable of making your own choices far better than others can for you."

But I had made the wrong choice. I already had.

Hell, why did I let myself fall in love with him? What was wrong with me? I was so foolishly in love with him, ready to give up on everything just to have his hand in mine— I’d made him my whole world and he couldn’t even make me a part of his.

That was it. I couldn't hold back my sobs anymore. "Clara..." I broke down and hugged her. "I made the wrong choice, Clara. I made the worst choice of my life."

"Evie, why are you crying? What happened?" She held me, her hand moving to rest at the back of my head.

I could tell she was taken aback by my sudden reaction; surely she hadn't expected me to break down like this. What I could tell even more was that she hadn't expected what I was about to say next.

"He dumped me, Clara... after everything we've shared. All of a sudden, after just one conversation with Chloe at today’s party, he decided to go back to her and pursue a relationship with her..." I sobbed, and this time I felt Clara stiffen in her spot, almost as if she couldn't believe my words, “He doesn't love me. He just…doesn't. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Everything was fine this morning, and now he's shattered everything. The worst part is, it's not even affecting him. I-I’m…shaking— I still can’t believe he did this to me.”

"What?" She pulled away to look at me, her eyes wide with shock. "He did what?"

"You heard me, Clara. He doesn't want me anymore. Now, it's Chloe he wants, so he broke things off with me," I wiped my tears, my breathing coming out as pants as I tried to control my emotions. I felt miserable because I was the one at fault—if I hadn't approached him in the first place, perhaps none of this would have happened, and I could have been spared from this heartbreak. "What am I going to do, Clara? I love him, and I thought he loved me too. He even said he loved me, but now suddenly, he seems like a totally different person, one that I don't even know. He used me to forget his ex, and now that he realized he can’t, he is set to go back to her. It's driving me insane."

"Evelyn, are you sure there's not any misunderstanding?" She asked, her eyes soft and understanding. "Jacob's not the kind of guy who would do something like this, especially considering you're Samuel's daughter. He'd never want something that could destroy his relationship with Samuel. Yes, I know he took a risk by getting involved with you, but... he wouldn't do it. He just wouldn't, especially given that he ignored Chloe ever since she came here. You've seen how he wanted to leave the functions because of her arrival. It's just so unlikely that he'd do something like this."

"Are you sure?" She asked, concern lacing her words. "It's not a big deal for me to go and talk to him; what he did is wrong, and he should be held responsible for his actions, moreover—"

"No, Clara. Don't talk to him. At some point, I am responsible too. In fact, I am more responsible. It was foolish of me to approach him in the first place, and I...I thought it would be nothing serious, but I ended up developing feelings for him. When he said he shared the same feelings, I just got my hopes up for no reason," I admitted, hesitating. "So, let's just pretend it never happened. That way, at least things, even if only from the outside, would be the same."

"Okay," she relented, kissing my temple and soothingly rubbing my back. "Just know that, no matter what, I am always here for you, alright? And promise me you'll tell me when it becomes too much to handle.”

"I Promise," I managed to utter before hesitatingly asking the next question, “Does…Does dad know?”

“Of course not,” She said, and I felt my body relax instantly, in the midst of this turmoil, the worst thing that could occur was Dad learning about me and Jacob and I couldn't afford that, “You don’t have to worry, Evelyn. I won’t breathe a word to Samuel unless you want me to.”

I just managed to nod in response, too tired to even speak anymore and the thoughts only seemed to suck away the last few drops of strength I had even more.

I knew everything that had happened today was real, so why did all of it still feel like a nightmare?

Maybe I had taken things too lightly before. I had thought a forbidden relationship wouldn't cost me anything, but it ended up ruining me. Jacob had ruined me for other men and left without a trace.