The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek) novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4
Evelyn woke up before the sun had fully risen, the faint light of dawn seeping through the hotel room's heavy curtains.
She blinked a few times, disoriented, before the events of the previous night came rushing back to her.
Derrick lay beside her, his arm draped across her waist, breathing deeply in his sleep. She gently lifted his arm, careful not to wake him, and slipped out of bed
Her clothes lay neatly folded on the dresser. She didn't remember picking them up from the floor but she was glad he did.
She quickly picked them up, dressing in silence. Her heart pounded in her chest as she moved towards the door. She paused, seeing her car key on the table by the door, and hesitated, glancing back at Derrick. He remained asleep, his face peaceful in the dim light.
She contemplated leaving him a thank you note but decided against it as she grabbed the key, took a deep breath, and quietly slipped out of the room.
She hurried down the deserted hallway to the elevator, and out of the building. The cool morning air hit her like a slap as she stepped out of the building. Relief washed over her as she spotted her car in the valet lot, looking slightly worse for wear but intact.
As she got into the car, she froze. Her phone lay on the passenger seat, its screen glowing with missed notifications.
She picked it up and saw countless missed calls from her parents, Michael, and Sandra. Evelyn's heart sank as she stared at the screen, but she didn't return any of the calls.
Each number represented a conversation she wasn't ready to have, a judgment she wasn't ready to face.
With a clenched jaw, she tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, started the car, and drove off, the events of the past day playing on a loop in her mind.
The drive home was a blur. When she finally pulled up to her house, it was early enough that the neighborhood was still shrouded in a quiet morning calm, but her house was bustling with activity.
The sight of it all — the decorations, the flowers, the frantic energy - felt like a punch to the gut. This wasn't her reality anymore. This was a fantasy built on
lies.
She parked and took a moment to steel herself before stepping out of the car. As she approached the front door, it swung open, and her father stood there, his face a mask of worry and fury.
"Evelyn!" he roared, his voice heavy with anger and disbelief. "Where the hell have you been?"
The accusation hung in the air, a physical blow. Evelyn stared at her father, his face contorted in fury, and a cold emptiness settled in her stomach.
Before she could respond, Michael and Sandra appeared behind him, looking equally relieved and worried. Michael reached out to her, his face etched with concern. "Evelyn, thank goodness you're alright.
Where were you? We were so worried."
Evelyn stepped back, avoiding his touch, her expression cold and distant. She walked past them and into the house, her stepmother waiting in the hallway.
"You could have taken your calls. You got us all really worried. You should go shower," her stepmother said, her tone gentle but firm. "We need to get ready for the wedding."
"There will be no wedding," Evelyn announced, her voice steady and loud enough for everyone to hear.
A stunned silence fell over the room. Michael's face paled, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
"What do you mean?" he finally managed to ask. "I mean exactly what I said," Evelyn replied, her voice unwavering. "I am not marrying you, Michael."
Her father's face turned a shade of red Evelyn had never seen before. "What do you mean you re not getting married? How can you spend the night before your wedding God-knows-where, come back reeking of male cologne, and then say you're not getting married?"
Sandra stepped forward, her expression one of concern. "Evelyn, what's wrong? Are you having cold feet?"
Evelyn turned to her stepsister, a stranger hidden behind a mask of feigned sympathy. The betrayal echoed in her memory, clear as day. How could she have been so blind? She mused as she looked at Sandra with a blank expression, feeling a surge of anger and betrayal.
'How did I never realize what a calculating bitch you are?' she thought, but she said nothing.
Her father's voice broke through her thoughts, loud and angry. "You will go upstairs, get ready, and marry Michael, or you will cease to be a part of this family."
Evelyn's heart ached at her father's words. It hurt that he cared more about the wedding than her well-being.
She took a deep breath, standing tall. "I am not getting married. It was my choice to get married, and now I no longer want to get married. You can do whatever you want, Dad."
Her father's face twisted with rage. "If you don't get married to Michael today, then you leave this house and never come back. I don't want to see your face ever again."
Evelyn felt a pang of sadness but stood her ground.
"Fine. I will leave," she declared, since she also needed time and space.
She needed space away from both Michael and Sandra. She couldn't bear to look them in the face and she never wanted to let them see or know how they had hurt her.
The shock in the room was palpable as she turned and walked up the stairs and immediately her stepmother and Sandra hurried after her.
Before either of them could walk into her bedroom, she slammed the door in their face and locked it, to keep them out.
She grabbed a suitcase and began to pack, her hands trembling slightly but her resolve firm. She picked up passport and her essentials, her movements mechanical as she tried to ignore the emotions roiling inside her.
Evelyn took one last look around her room, then headed back downstairs, her suitcase in tow.
Downstairs, her father's voice continued to echo angrily, her stepmother trying to calm him down, while Michael and Sandra whispered urgently to each other.
As she reached the bottom step, her father glared at her. "You really mean to leave?"
Evelyn nodded, her eyes meeting his. "Yes."
Without another word, she walked past them all, out the front door, and into the new, uncertain future that awaited her.