My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 214

Evelyn

"W-what?" My voice trembled, barely a whisper. Somewhere deep inside me—somewhere I refused to acknowledge—there was hope. A desperate, foolish hope that he'd say something different. That he wouldn't break me with a brutal truth like this.

"Yes, Evelyn." His voice was steady, his eyes cold, though maybe—just maybe—there was a flicker of guilt in them. But at that moment, guilt didn't matter. His words did. His actions did. The emotions he chose to display, and the ones he kept buried, were the only things that mattered.

"I am not fucking ready to be a father." His tone was unyielding, each word a blade slicing through me. "I don't want to be a father. I don't have it in me, and I'd rather die than carry a burden like that. Raising a kid, all of it -it's pointless. Stupid. Meaningless shit. And I thought you felt the same, but I was wrong. And that fucking scares me. I hoped I could convince you, but you're proving me wrong at every turn. Evelyn, no matter how much you think you're ready—you're not. We'd just be bringing another burden between us, ruining everything in the process. It will ruin our fucking lives."

His words shattered me. Tore me apart and scattered the broken pieces like they were worthless.

And they echoed inside my head.

Burden.

Stupid.

Meaningless shit.

I didn't even realize I was crying until hot tears streaked down my face, burning my skin. I couldn't stop them.

His gaze flickered to my tears, and for a moment, something in him softened. "Evelyn, I—'

"1

He took a step forward, but I shot my hand out, stopping him cold. My other hand wiped at my tears as I exhaled shakily.

"Don't you dare fucking touch me."

He flinched, barely, but I caught it. "Evelyn, listen," he pushed, voice lowering, "I'm only saying what's best for us. I don't want to ruin what we have, and this decision-it could. It could tear us apart. I can't take that risk."

"Why would it tear us apart?!" My voice cracked, raw with emotion. "It's just a baby, Jacob. For fuck's sake—it won't even be able to tell us it's hungry without crying! That's how helpless babies are!" A choked laugh escaped me, bitter and broken. "Why do you think like this? And just so you know—if anyone is tearing us apart, it's you. Not this baby. You."

expression was unreadable—stoic, frozen. Cold in a way that suggested he felt nothing at all...

That might make him hesitate. That might make him see this child as something other than

picture-perfect family, Evelyn." He exhaled sharply. "But what I see is what's

closer. "Have you even once, in all these days, sat me down and

Jacob. It was fucking terrifying. But I made the right choice. Because I love this baby. Because it's ours. And

own filled with tears again. "This doesn't mean I didn't care about our plans. I did. But I have my priorities straight. I care about a life more than a future built on selfishness. My fears, my weaknesses, they don't matter. But you? You won't even sit alone and think about this. You're too busy convincing

even see that by doing this, you're the one

He said nothing.

Not a single word.

me with those empty, soulless eyes-void of anything real. Void

laugh, shaking my head. "You know what? I'm done.

turned away storming

me, his presence a heavy weight pressing down on my already suffocating chest. As I pulled on my jeans and shoved my armshto my coat

chase your dreams, Jacob. Line them up perfectly, find someone else to hold your fucking hand white you do it. Because this 'burden, I'm forcing on you?" I zipped up my coat with a sharp tug I'm taking it with me. You don't have to worry. You can live your perfect life, free of responsibility, free of

s

my fingers stiff with anger. The air was freezing outside, but the cold I felt was coming from

"Evelyn, listen to me—"

my bag and shoved past him, my pulse hammering

voice trailing

talk about this

"Please, just listen."

"Fine, I'm sorry, okay?"

all out. I

voice sharpened, cutting through my rage like a jagged

out of this fucking apartment is not a

their way into my consciousness, making my hands curl into fists

edge. "But getting away from you and your sick, selfish

through