My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 63 The Cost Of Sacrifice

Flashback Continues:

Jacob

Her words resonated strangely within the confines of those bygone walls, walls that Evelyn had painstakingly mended. Regrets, it seemed, were remarkably easy to cling to, weren't they? Especially when you begin to lose those things most dear to you.

"It might appear that she has it all with you now, Jacob," Danica began, her voice tinged with a note of caution, "but mark my words, regrets will come knocking. She's young, caught in the whirlwind of her emotions. In time, when reason takes hold, when she begins to depend on her mind rather than her impulses, she'll realize what she's missing. And, Jacob, I'm sorry to say this, but why would you want her to bear the burdens that haunt your life? Your crazy ex is a constant headache, always after you, showing up everywhere you go, your uncles still hound you for money, you still haven't recovered from those incidents in your youth, and your scars...they still run deep, perhaps too deep to ever heal. Why, then, would you wish Evelyn to grapple with it all if you truly love her? Nobody wants to put the one they love through shit!"

Damn, I'd always known Danica had a way with words, but I never expected it to be this intense. If not for today, I'd never known that Samuel was right when he said it.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Danica?" I cleared my throat, a disquieting unease seeping into the room, much like venomous spiders crawling up the walls.

"You're not naive, Jacob. I'm certain of that, especially since you managed to keep your relationship with Evelyn hidden right under our noses all this time," she continued. "Here's the deal: I don't want my daughter fixing someone else's mess. I want her to be with someone stable, someone who's not broken - that's the plain truth. She deserves someone who can look after her, someone who won't overreact or underreact, someone who won't misspeak, and most importantly, someone who won't burden her with the weight of his own traumas."

She had a point...

My life had been a tangled mess before Evelyn came into it, everything was in its way but not the way I wished, and her presence had brought order to the chaos. But was it fair to rely on her for that emotional security? There was no guarantee that I wouldn't end up failing to provide what she truly needed.

"I... I've never once allowed the past events of my life to affect my relationship with Evelyn," I spoke, my voice strained. "Not everyone has the privilege of growing up in a wealthy, loving family like yours, Danica. It wasn't my fault that I was born into a fucked-up family that wasn't even a family to be fair. My mother was worn out before she eventually passed away, and my father's alcoholism shattered my entire childhood. I had no control over any of it- if I had, I would have stopped it. But that doesn't mean I lack control over what I want in life now or that I can't take care of the people I love. I didn't choose to go through those things, believe me, no one wishes for that."

She let out a sigh, her expression unyielding, though I could sense traces of hesitation.

perfect for her. This relationship

doing the right thing?" I retorted. "I don't care about myself, Danica, but damn it, she'll be fucking devastated. You haven't seen it, but I have.

refuse

fine without you- I will make sure of it. Her heart is young; she'll eventually

escaped my lips as I

mean they didn't deserve love or the chance to be with the one they loved? What was wrong with

path, she'll come to regret it. She loves her father, she loves her family, and that's all

you're

it might cause. But at least this way, she'll have a chance at a better future. She'll eventually move on. And in this way, at least, everything will seem alright, even if it's not. I won't say anything to Samuel, so you shouldn't either. Let things remain as they are, and let this

I spoke up, as if she already didn't know what she was asking for. She

me, awakening emotions I couldn't easily dismiss- she had hit some spots that'd rendered me

pasts not deserve the right to pursue a healthy

seemed like everyone

someone had wronged me in the past, did that mean I'd end up screwing up every good thing in my life? I had always tried my best not to let it, and up until now, I believed I had succeeded. But today, as Danica uttered those words, it felt like nothing had changed since those dark days, those moments spent in the

had moved past it all, but it appeared

astonishing how she believed that damage could somehow prevent damage, but at the

Danica? You never lose an argument," I managed a bitter chuckle, "Fine! I'll do it. I'll break Evelyn's heart, I will fucking break it and toss it away as it means nothing to me but.... I hope you know how to mend

walked away, making a decision I had never even contemplated, not even in my darkest

Flashback Ends...