My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 169 Will It Last?

Evelyn

As the words left his mouth, I froze on the spot. My eyes widened, my throat dried up, and I stared at him, unblinking.

How did he know? The question echoed in my mind, rattling me to my core. Had he just figured it out now, or had he known all along and chosen not to say anything? A flood of questions bombarded my thoughts, leaving me speechless, unable to react, caught in a web of silence and confusion. I had no words. No reaction. No way ahead of me to get myself out of this state where silence had gripped me like a vice. Strong and painfully.

Cameron stepped inside, his expression unreadable as he stood in front of me.

"How... how did you know?" I finally managed to ask, the words bitter on my tongue. Guilt gnawed at me. I'd hidden this from Cameron all along, and there was no excuse for it-what I'd done was wrong, and there was no way to justify it. Neither did I want to justify it. Cameron remained silent for a moment, then let out a small sigh. He gently grabbed my hands, his unreadable expression softening into something that eased the ache in my chest. "I've known from the start, Evelyn."

His words took me aback.

Of course, Jacob had been protective of me he'd shown signs, intentionally dropped hints, made things obvious-but Cameron wasn't supposed to know anything about our past because it was actually fucking unusual. I'd assumed he might guess that Jacob was just a close family friend, someone overly concerned with my well-being. But never, not for a moment, had I thought Cameron would suspect the truth about the relationship Jacob and I had shared.

I mean, for God's sake, who would guess that I'd dated my dad's best friend? It wasn't normal-it was far from normal.

So then... how did he figure it out?

Cameron's words hit me like a ton of bricks. The guilt that had been gnawing at me now felt unbearable, and it was even harder to meet his eyes.

"How...?" My voice was barely a whisper as I looked at him, my guilt weighing heavily on me. I knew I'd done wrong, hiding something so crucial from him when he was doing everything possible to make things work between us. He deserved better-he deserved the truth from the very beginning. God, I felt like a terrible human being.

on my hand soft and soothing. "Jacob's eyes spoke volumes, but it wasn't his actions that made me realize

Evelyn," he interrupted, flashing me the softest smile as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. His calm, understanding, and

be able to forgive

doing everything possible to make it work. I lied to you,

didn't,"

voice gentle and

with you. Whether you were trying to make Jacob jealous or distract yourself, I found a way to be with you. Your hesitancy and the secrecy you held about your past made it evident to me. So don't think that by doing all of this, you've hurt me in any way. You didn't. I want to be with you, Evelyn, and I plan to stick around until the day you

used. It's on

Cameron..." The words slipped past my lips before

me, Evelyn. Everything

me," he said, his grip on my arms gentle. knew what you were doing was an attempt to forget him, to make him jealous, maybe even get back at him. And there's nothing wrong with that. We all make foolish decisions at this age, and that's okay. It's just part of who we are. Making mistakes

one gets

in the dark. I hid the fact that I'm still madly in love with my ex, and deep down, I know it's impossible to love anyone else the way I loved him. Jacob is my past, Cameron. I don't want to go back to him, but I can't imagine a future without him. That's the problem-it's in me, in my heart. I'm sorry, Cameron. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't

interrupted,

didn't hurt me. Let me make this clear, Evelyn. It's on me. I knew what was

met

a losing battle. So no, you didn't hurt me. But there's one more thing need to say," Cameron continued. "I'm not giving up on you. Not yet. I've liked you for a long time, and though it's too soon to say I love you,

over."

was at a loss

felt torn apart. My heart felt like it was being split in two.

wasn't that I didn't feel