Chapter 44 Standing for myself
Evelyn's Pov
“I thought of you day and night. I really didn't think you'd be married when I came back to you,’ Nate continued.
I moved my face to the side and wiped my tears away.
It's in the past now. I moved on. Turns out I dumped him, he didn't dump me.
I turned my face back to him. “And I kept visiting your parents for months!” I snapped.
“Do you know what they kept telling me? They kept telling me not to ask where you were because they didn't know!”
“I would have waited for you if I knew you were in jail.”
“And…..” I paused and sniffled back my tears. “You got out of jail last year. I wasn't married then, I wasn't waiting for you to come back but I wasn't married!”
It's his fault. The current misery we are both going through at the moment was his fault because he didn't come for me last year when I hadn't met Adrian Kane.
“Right,” Nate smiled. Fucking asshole! He wasn't denying that.
“My father told me to go abroad until he calls for me,” He continued. “He took every means of communication away from me.”
“I didn't fight back and it cost me you.”
I ran a hand through my hair, cleaning the tears that threatened to fall off my eyes with the back of my hand.
“That's why I left,” he said. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you”
“It's in the past now and you are married. But, your husband—” Nate scoffed.
I squinted my gaze. Since the party days ago, I've observed Adrian and Nathaniel and I think there's something about those two.
“Do you know Adrian personally?” I asked, my head tilted.
Just before he could give a response, the door to the restaurant opened.
“We are closed for today, please read the signs and—” one of the attendants said quickly but the intruder was not ready to listen.
Nate's face was the first to snap to the person who had entered. His expression changed into that of a frown and that made me turn.
I stood up quickly, seeing Adrian behind me. A part of me felt like he would come here, but I forced myself not to believe he'd show up.
“Are you both done with the lovers reunion?” He asked, a smirk on his lips.
“Why are you here?” I found myself blurting out.
Adrian was staring at Nate but the moment I said those words, he turned his face back to me.
“You said you were meeting with a friend but you were meeting with a man,” he scoffed.
He walked closer and I couldn't even step backwards because there was nowhere to go. My back leaned against the table already.
“We just got out of a scandal and you came here to make another one?” Adrian's face darkened, his intimidating frame towering over me.
I blinked and breathed hard but couldn't bring myself to say a word.
Adrian stared deep into my eyes as his breath tingled my skin.
Nate appeared between us, his body pushing Adrian off me. His hands were gentle but the look on his face wasn't.
“You don't talk to her like that,” Nate complained, staring at Adrian with eyes filled with hatred.
“You don't tell me how I speak with my wife,” Adrian spat back immediately.
The situation looked like it was getting into something I wouldn't be able to handle. My eyes only darted between the both of them but I couldn't intervene.
“You two must have had an interesting past,” Adrian paused, eyes boring into Nate. “But don't forget who she belongs to at the moment.”
Fuck. There he goes again, talking about me like I was some random object he found.
Adrian leaned in closer to Nate. “Stay away from her if you don't want the empire you have just acquired to crumble,” Adrian said, more like a warning than a threat. “Your father is looking up to you at the moment.”
He turned to me, grabbing my hand roughly. Once again, he glanced at Nate, glaring at him so hard before he dragged me out of the restaurant.
My head was tilted to the back, my eyes on Nate. He was staring back at me with his fists clenched.
Adrian took me to his car, taking a different route away from where the reporters swarmed.
Beside the car, he let go of my hand, making my back slam into the car door. It wasn't harsh, I was just terrified.
“The friend you talked about was him?” He scoffed. “From now on, you are not allowed to meet with Nathaniel Quinn privately!”
He walked angrily to the other side of the car. “Get into the car!” he commanded.
I faced his car and scoffed, running my hands through my hair but didn't move a foot from where I stood.
Who exactly does he think he is? I won't be getting into his fucking car and I don't care what he does!
I watched Adrian step down from the car again, his face dark and plastered with a frown.
“I said, get into the car,” he repeated.
I stood my ground, staring back at him the same way he did to me.
“I won't be getting into your car,” I spat. “Don't think you can control or order me around!”
Adrian sighed, throwing his head back and letting out a groan.
Before he could speak, my voice rose again. “I will be riding with David instead.”
I didn't wait for him to speak, I only moved towards the car that had driven me here and slid in effortlessly.
I ordered David. “Take me home.” He bowed slightly, igniting the car without delay.
From the rear mirror, I watched Adrian standing and watching as the car slowly vanished from his sight.
A few minutes into the ride, my phone beeped and it was a message from Nathaniel.
I clicked immediately. “Get home safely,” he typed. “Now you know all you need to know about my disappearance so I hope we are good.”
“See you at the mask party.” The last message read.
I turned the screen off, letting out a sigh. I really should ask Mira the date for the mask party everyone is talking about.
Soon, the car stopped in the mansion. Mira was just entering the sitting room when I walked in, her face laced with a smile.
“Welcome back, ma’am,” she greeted.
I nodded, my lips too tired to give a response.
“Brief me on my schedule for the rest of the week when you have time. I'll be in my room.” I walked up the stairs, not turning to see if she understood what I had just said or not.
Inside my room, I stared out the window, watching high buildings across the city while my mind was filled with thoughts about Nathaniel. He suffered, but I knew nothing.
If he hadn't gotten into trouble, I wouldn't be with Adrian Kane and would be married to Nate at the moment.
The sound of my phone ringing disrupted my thoughts.
Eva was calling.
I hadn't apologized for yelling at her and I knew my sister wouldn't call me until I did. The last time we spoke, it was obvious she was angry at me.
My brows creased in confusion as I picked my phone up. “Hello?”
Eva’s voice came right after, panicked and rushed. “Father collapsed. He's in the hospital.”