My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 215

Jacob

As the elevator doors slid shut, a jolt of panic shot through me.

Fuck.

I wasn't thinking—I never was when it came to Evelyn.

Before I could process it, my legs were moving, rushing toward the stairwell. The cold air burned my lungs as

I sprinted down the steps, two at a time, the echoes of my own footsteps pounding in my ears.

God! What the hell was I thinking? Why didn't I stop her?

Fuck. I knew the answer-I was too busy self loathing in my own mind.

By the time I reached the ground floor, my breathing was ragged, sharp exhales cutting through the silence. I bolted toward the parking lot, scanning frantically.

Nothing.

She was gone.

God, how the fuck did she disappear so fast?

It was nearly night. The streets were emptying, the sky turning a shade too dark, too ominous. And Evelyn? She wasn't even wearing anything warm enough.

This wasn't safe. Not for her.

Not for the-fuck-not for the baby.

I raked a hand through my hair, frustration clawing at my skin. "Why am I even thinking about the fucking baby?!" I muttered under my breath, shoving the thought away as I slid into my car and gunned the engine.

I didn't know where I was going, but I couldn't sit still. My mind raced through every possibility, every street, every road she might have taken.

Did she take a cab? Was she walking?

If she was on foot...

A sharp tension gripped my spine. I knew these streets too well, the empty pathways, the dark alleys. The wrong kind of men lurked there, waiting for trouble.

A fresh wave of urgency crashed over me. "Fuck!" My palm slammed against the steering wheel, the horn blaring into the night.

skin. Nearly an hour had passed, and I was

Then, my phone rang.

it, but then I saw the name flashing on

voice raw. "Is she

was instant. "Yes, thankfully, she is. But what

freight train, knocking the

to make a pregnant woman walk out of her house, barely dressed, in

She was safe.

crying. She was freezing. And

pressing harder on the gas. "You know the reason, Bee," I muttered. "I don't know what the fuck to do. I—" I cut off, swerving past a car on a sharp turn, my frustration bleeding through every word. "I am fucking hopeless. I have no idea

A harsh silence.

came through, colder than steel. "That's not her fault. Do you hear me?" Her tone was deadly. "If you knew you couldn't get past your traumas, you had no fucking right to drag her into this. What you're doing isn't just selfish, it's cruel. You are constantly hurting her for the

gritted my teeth.

to me, Jacob! The world was hard on us, I get it. But people have had it worse. And they still fucking live! They choose to move forward! They choose to love despite

My stomach twisted.

name. I already knew who she

to be a man. If you're going to take after anyone, it's him. So

clenched my jaw, swallowing

hour," I said, my voice

before she could say another

I sped

knew exactly where I needed

I needed answers.

needed to fix this—before I lost her

***

Evelyn

her touch soft, wiping my tears with a tissue as I

know what to do,

want our baby, and

my baby alone.

will not

by their side it hurts to

me close, the way Clara always did when I was hurting. But this—this was different. This time, I wasn't

pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Jacob can be an asshole-the biggest asshole in

not staying with him if he doesn't accept my baby," I sniffled. "I choose this baby over his

way we do it's hard for him to make decisions like this. You know our biological father

can't be a father. He is not like him, Bianca. He's different. If anything, he's like Enzo—not that man." My voice faltered. "What is