My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 67 Heartbeats And Bruises

Evelyn

For a moment, my entire world ground to a halt. There was an odd sense of relief that coursed through my nerves as the guy's hand finally released its grip on me. Yet, the shock of seeing Jacob Adriano, right there before my eyes, was overwhelming. I just couldn't get over it.

Is he really here?

My eyes stretched wide with surprise, my mind struggling to process the sight. And then, for a fleeting second, my vision went blank, only to be filled with the crimson stain on Jacob's knuckles and the fresh trickle of blood streaming down the assailant's nose. Even in my inebriated state, it wasn't hard to piece together that Jacob had just thrown a punch, a moment I'd missed while I had zoned out. He is here....

Everything was just happening too fast or it was just me and the intoxication of the alcohol. But I doubted, it was just the alcohol.

With a single glance in my direction, his piercing green eyes carrying a storm of anger beneath them, Jacob seized the man by his collar and delivered another resounding blow to his face. Why was he here?

"She said no, you fucking bastard!" The final punch sent the man sprawling to the ground, his body skidding a few metres away.

I watched the scene unfold in hysteria, my body still trembling from the realization of how close I had come to a possible horrific occasion just seconds ago—I almost got raped today. Almost.

Jacob didn't halt at just two punches, leaving the guy barely conscious on the ground. As the assaulter struggled to regain his senses, perhaps contemplating a desperate escape just as I had moments ago when he chased me down like a hunter, Jacob seized him again and, with ruthless outrage, slammed him against a nearby pillar. Blow after brutal blow rained down upon the man-his face, his gut, his neck- no part of his body went untouched.

My heart sank, a deep sense of dread settling in. At this rate, Jacob would end up killing the guy.

Summoning the last reserves of strength I had, I rushed forward, desperation in my voice. "Jacob, please, stop..."

There was no response, only the image of a man unhinged, a frenzied beast driven by blind rage. He continued to pummel the assailant as if his sole purpose was to snuff out his life, and nothing in the world could deter him.

No! I

Evelyn," he finally muttered, still not making eye contact. His breathing was laboured, his chest rising and falling with the force of his fury. Beneath the curtain of chestnut hair that framed his face, I could glimpse the simmering anger in his eyes- it was

this way.

I pleaded, gripping his arm in a futile attempt to pull him

he barked, pausing briefly to speak, his grip still vice-like on the battered man's collar. The victim now appeared barely conscious, his face a grotesque

the man's face again, blood splattering across the pillar, the nearby wall, and

it began spiralling out of control, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. If Jacob ended up killing this man, he could land in jail. Panic coursed through my mind like a speeding train, and I teetered on the precipice of uncertainty,

to stop him. I just had to no

behind with all the strength I could muster, wrapping my arms tightly around him, grasping onto the t-shirt beneath his leather jacket and burying my face against his back, "Please, just

rigid, as did his

sobbed, each word quivering and laden with vulnerability that I didn't really want to show yet couldn't help it, "I

agonising seconds passed.

his

I also

even a single heartbeat. My apprehension peaked, my fear of whether he would heed my plea and abandon this violence shook me to my core. I didn't want him

the assailant crumpled to the ground, nearly motionless. He blinked and gasped for breath, sprawled on the floor like an injured animal. His once-aggressive demeanour reduced

focus on anything else, Jacob slowly turned

me feel even more vulnerable than before. It wasn't surprising that I reacted this way-I had always known that Jacob could make my body and soul do the most

asked, sighing as he cupped my face and

up in the arms of the very person who had caused it. But not a single cell, hair strand, or heartbeat resisted his touch. None of them sought to distance myself from

to tear my gaze away from him.

didn't finish what he had to say, the thought seemed to bother him equally