Chapter 120

Chapter 120

He was already tall to begin with.

At this moment, Evelyn was completely engulfed by his shadow, his presence overwhelming her from every angle.

"Mr. White, isn't this a bit much? I can understand your issue with Samuel, but Kimball? Why him? There's no competition between you two. What's wrong with me being friends with him?"

Benjamin suddenly gripped her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze. He leaned down slightly, closing the distance between them.

"Evelyn, he's off-limits too."

His bluntness made Evelyn frown.

"What gives you the right to control me?"

"The fact that without my approval, you can't divorce me."

There was an unmistakable arrogance in his tone.

Evelyn was caught off guard by his words, glaring at him angrily.

"You're the one who wanted to be with Amelia. You wanted the divorce. Now you're using it as leverage against me? That's rich. Don't forget—if I refuse to cooperate, Amelia can't marry into the White family either."

It was the truth.

Evelyn had been holding onto that card all along.

If he wanted to make her life difficult, fine. She had a thousand ways to hit back.

And right now, a rather wicked idea formed in her mind.

She suddenly reversed their positions, pinning Benjamin against the wall.

Honestly, Evelyn wasn't short herself.

Mimicking what he'd just done, she gripped his chin and made him lower his head to look at her.

"Mr. White, have you forgotten? I used to have designs on you. Three years of unrequited love doesn't just disappear in a few weeks. If you're not careful, I might do something… inappropriate."

In the past, Benjamin would have shoved her away in disgust.

But now, a hint of a smile tugged at his lips.

Then, under Evelyn's watchful gaze, he bent down—so close their lips nearly touched.

In that instant, instinct kicked in. She pulled back.

But Evelyn had forgotten they were standing by the staircase. She stumbled, losing her balance, her body tilting sideways.

After a dizzying spin, the expected pain never came.

She heard a muffled grunt beneath her. Opening her eyes, she found Benjamin had cushioned her fall.

He, however, had hit his head on the stairs. A thin line of blood trickled down his forehead.

Evelyn's heart lurched. She scrambled off him and immediately pulled him upright, checking his wound.

In that moment, she didn't notice anything unusual about her own reaction.

He'd gotten hurt because of her. Of course she'd be concerned.

Only after confirming the injury wasn't serious did Evelyn finally exhale in relief.

When she looked down, she met his gaze—intense and unwavering.

"You're clearly worried about me."

Before Evelyn could process what he meant, he added with absolute certainty:

"Evelyn, now I'm sure of it. You still have feelings for me."

His shamelessness once again shattered Evelyn's expectations.

"Are you out of your mind?"

She cursed and shoved him away, starting to stand—but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.

Caught off guard, Evelyn tumbled into his arms, instinctively clutching his collar.

"Evelyn, just admit it. You like me. You've liked me down to your bones. How could that change so easily?"

It sounded like he was talking to Evelyn.

But only Benjamin knew—wasn't he really asking himself?

For all those years, she'd been by his side. From when he was in a coma to when he finally stood again.

"Evelyn, even if you fall for someone else in this lifetime, you'll never feel as intensely as you did for me."

As much as she hated to admit it, Evelyn knew it was true.

No matter how hard she tried to hide her feelings, she could still sense them in the smallest details—that affection had never truly disappeared.

Right now, she didn't even care how intimate their position was. She grabbed his collar, her voice breaking.

"So what? I'm supposed to suffer because of you? Benjamin, is this fair to me? You don't have feelings for me, yet you keep me tied to your side. You know how much Grandpa means to me—he's been the most important person in my life these past years—and you use him to trap me here. Is that it?"

Days of pent-up emotion seemed to explode in that instant.

Evelyn admitted it—she couldn't go on like this.

She'd stayed out of gratitude, to repay a debt. But somewhere along the way, she'd completely lost herself.

"Admit it. Aren't you just morally blackmailing me?"

"I admit it."

His direct confession stunned her.

"What?"

"I said, I know. But if I don't do this, the next second you'll run straight to Samuel."

As he spoke, Benjamin suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

The physical contact finally made Evelyn realize just how compromising their position was.

Thank God no one was downstairs to see them.

"Samuel's off-limits. Kimball too. No one else. Got it?"

His firmness, his refusal to compromise, seemed to trap them both in an awkward stalemate.

After a moment, Evelyn let out a bitter laugh.

"Why should I?"

Before he could answer, she continued.

"Everyone in Silverlight City knows about you and Amelia. To outsiders—to your friends even—I'm just a joke of a wife. Unlikable. Unwanted. Everyone agrees you and Amelia are perfect together, completely ignoring what I want. Don't you think that's absurd? Benjamin, don't tell me you're only realizing you have feelings for me now that you're about to lose me. I'm not paying for your mistakes. Understand?"

Benjamin studied her for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. "If that's what you think, you're giving yourself too much credit."