My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 235

Evelyn

"Tyler, stop the car!"

I screamed, grabbing the wheel, clawing at his arm, fighting with whatever broken, frayed strength I had left in me.

But he didn't stop. He didn't even flinch.

"Sit the fuck back, Evelyn," he snapped, shoving me sideways with a force that rattled my spine. "You make another sound, I'll put a bullet through your skull- and your little girl along with it."

He tossed a water bottle at me like I was just another problem he needed to shut up.

"Here. Drink it. You sound like shit."

I stared at him like he'd gone mad.

Had he gone mad?

He was being hunted-seconds away from getting shot, from dying-and he was tossing me fucking water?

"You really don't get it, do you? It's over!" I shouted, twisting open the bottle and hurling the water right at his face. Rage erupted out of me, unfiltered. The terror, the trauma, the helplessness—it all snapped. "They're going to kill you, Tyler!"

He flinched but didn't lose control. Just wiped the dripping water from his face slowly, like it didn't even faze him.

"Don't push it, Evelyn," he growled, eyes cold.

"Tyler. This is your final warning. Surrender the hostage and stop the vehicle."

The blonde's voice thundered from the mic behind us, clipped and cold. "You're boxed in. Let her go, or we'll shoot."

The car behind us was inches away now. I could hear the tires grinding on the narrow road-both sides lined with deep canals. There was no more room. No escape.

And Tyler?

He leaned his head out of the window and laughed.

Laughed.

"Fuck off," he shouted, voice manic, "bunch of fucking idiots!"

I grabbed Chloe's phone and dialed my hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Jacob?" My voice cracked.

"Evelyn?!" Jacob's voice shot through the line like lightning. "Did he hurt you? Baby, are you okay?"

But before I could speak, Tyler leaned in, grinning darkly.

"Hey, buddy." His voice was sickly sweet, venom wrapped in sugar. "I'm about to kill your Evelyn. You hear that? I hope the mic picks up the gunshot when I blow her fucking brains out. I might just paint the car red."

I froze.

My blood turned to ice as he pulled the gun from his pocket.

"No, no, no-Tyler, no!"

Jacob's voice rang through the speaker-frantic, broken.

I couldn't breathe.

The cold steel pressed against the side of my head.

I shut my eyes, hand clenching the phone so tight I thought it'd snap. My lips

moved before I could stop them.

"...I'm sorry, Jacob."

But the shot never came.

Seconds dragged.

And then-

I opened my eyes.

was still staring at me—but something was wrong. His

The gun

And then...

He dropped it.

my lap with

he floored the

Everything blurred.

Couldn't hear

hear anything.

at the

Then at him.

look at me. His eyes were locked

And I realized...

had given me

wanted me to kill

My voice was cautious, barely a

He didn't answer.

"Tyler?" I said louder.

Still nothing.

I saw it. The truth.

about hurting me. It was about ending

have the courage to do it the

this-this nightmare-for someone

gave me the gun," I said slowly, still watching

look at me, but his voice came

Evelyn. Do it. Because if I'm forced

"You... don't mean that."

turned. He looked at

trapped. You. And your kid.

road. What

But not

From something else.

From pain.

part of the plan. It

for the first time... I didn't feel

I felt pity.

Real, gut-wrenching pity.

know what else to do with yourself. You were already gone inside. So you made this mess thinking

His breathing hitched.

hated yourself more for it," I whispered. "So you spun this whole thing.

were doing anything at all-they were making him tense. Because every time he took a breath in...

fix you. But they didn't, even when you convinced yourself they did," I said, my voice low. "And you hated Jacob, because even after losing everythings he got u.al back The media turned him into a hero." Praised him. While you? You only got the backlash. The headlines. The villain's role. Because

hands clenched on

I continued, gently, "yet you became the villain. And in

you stayed the

he growled, his teeth

your head, or I

women," I

of what your mother

when I rejected you,

everything from Janet

but even

And after all those years of snatching everything from everyone... in the end, you were still that broken, scared little boy. Just wanting to be

s

“And no one ever told you... that you didn't

life threw at you."

he hissed. "Get out of that little world in your

wanted to kill you because I wanted to. That's it.

me peace."

did you hand

A pause.

"I wanted to see you

"That's a lie, Tyler."

the fuck up, Evelyn!" he roared, finally snapping. "What is wrong

do! So stop the sympathy get you

and broken. "I'll shoot you in your pretty little leg—and by then, your psycho boyfriend and his army will kill me anyway. Either way, I win.