My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 236

Evelyn

Time slipped by faster than I could grasp. Before I knew it, Monday was already here again. Even though time moved quickly, I barely noticed-because all I did was lie in Jacob's arms, soaking in these precious moments with him. Watching him heal, day by day, from his own wounds and trauma.

The ordeal with Tyler had left a heavy scar on me. Sometimes, my mind would forget how it ended and instead replay the terror that came before the fear that had gripped me tight. My heart would pound wildly, and I'd cling to Jacob, listening to his steady, calm heartbeat, slowly finding my own peace again. He was my peace-my shelter in the storms, the breeze when I couldn't breathe.

Sometimes I wondered how no one had seen the scared little boy trapped inside Tyler. How no one noticed the cracks until they shattered so badly that he could no longer hold himself together—until his brokenness spilled over in destructive ways. After all, he too was a human....living alongside humans. How come not even one fucking soul see it?

To be honest, I was still afraid. Not because I thought it would happen again... but because it had happened. It actually happened.

And it could have ended so much worse.

If Tyler had truly been the monster he tried to make himself out to be-if he had the will to pull the trigger-then everything would have been lost.

But I was still here. We were still here.

"I talked to Joey," Jacob murmured, his hand tracing gentle circles on my back as he kissed my forehead. "He's taking care of Tyler. Since the police complaint was never officially filed, Joey handled everything with the CCTV footage. Tyler's out of the media spotlight for now, and Joey's keeping him under close supervision. He's even considering bringing Tyler onto his team."

"Oh really?" I nestled closer against him, breathing in his warmth his scent always comforting like home. "That's... actually really good. I was hoping for something like this. I think we can trust Joey to do what's right."

can," he agreed softly. "I hope Tyler finds redemption. He's too young to want to give up on life. Honestly, if I'd had even a glimpse of what he was struggling with... maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe losing that deal with him was all it

knew. Sometimes pain and secrets run so deep -deeper than anyone can see. Not all of us wear our hearts on our sleeves." I pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "You did everything you could. That's what matters." Jacob closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling deeply. "I'm just so grateful you and Sienna are safe. I don't think I could have forgiven myself if anything had happened

over his chest. "You saved us. Now it's just you and me—together, until we grow old and frail." I chuckled softly. "Though

playful smile tugged at his lips instead of anger. "I'll become a ghost and haunt you long after

"Hey, that's cheating."

He raised his eyebrows and then, in an instant, pinned me beneath him. His knees trapped me gently between his legs. His hands rested on either side of my head as he grinned

course

leaning closer, his breath warm against my skin, "You know what was cheating, Evelyn?" His nose traced the curve of my cheek, slow and tender, "You-ruining the peace of a perfectly happy man, a man who thought he had it all figured out, by showing up and making him lose his mind, body,

into his touch as

you know what else was cheating?" he whispered, voice low and rough with

shook my

I'd simply thought it

just

head over heels for you without even trying. And

didn't even

anymore without you-when

became a

me-that was cheating. The most fucked-up