My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 48 Wounds And Words

Evelyn

"It's better if we talk inside," she suggested; the look on her face hinted at a revelation, and possibly a barrage of lectures. I had no idea what was going through her mind, but the closest assumption I could muster was that her boyfriend, who'd seen me last night during the entire incident with Chloe, had spilled the beans.

"Well, of course. I know you have a lot to say. Come in." I stepped aside to let her enter, and she walked inside. I shut the door.

"Tell me what you have to say; I have work to do." I spoke up, walking past her and sitting on the bed.

"Is that...is that Jacob's portrait, Evelyn?" She glanced at the painting before shifting her gaze to me, her voice filled with disbelief and disappointment, "And what are you wearing? His shirt?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Is this how you're rediscovering your passion, huh? Is this what you plan to do?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

God, I already despised this conversation.

"Well, I don't see anything wrong with it. I'm painting the man I love, while you, my mother, pushed your own daughter's dreams aside because of your selfishness," I shrugged, nonchalantly.

"The man you love? Are you out of your mind, Evelyn?! He's your father's friend. You can't love him. There can be nothing between you two that will last long. It's simply wrong. What the hell are you thinking? Making him the reason why you've picked up your brushes after years? You're ruining everything for yourself! You'll be the one who ends up getting hurt in this!"

"Enough, Mom," I stood up, barely able to maintain my calm, "Tell me, what exactly have I done wrong if I've found my passion again because of a man who cares for me, who fulfils my wishes, heals the wounds from my past, makes me happy, and encourages me to pursue my dreams? Most importantly, he loves me. Tell me, what's wrong with wanting to be with him?"

"What's wrong? Can't you see that everything you two have is wrong! Beyond wrong," she raised her voice, appearing angry. Well, I couldn't care less about that. "You don't love him, Evelyn. It's just a momentary attraction. When it fades, you'll regret the damage you've done. So, take a step back before it's too late!"

Okay, that was enough.

"Who the hell are you to dictate whether I love him or not? It's my life, Mom. You don't get to control it. In fact, no one does. And why do you think everyone will experience that momentary attraction you had with Dad? Not everyone is like you. Your attraction faded, and when Dad's pockets went empty, you packed your bags and left. But I am not like you! I will never be someone like you!"

"Evelyn!" She raised her hand, and I flinched, my eyebrows rising as I looked at her hand.

Wow. This was the only thing left for her to do. After everything she'd done, this was the last resort-hitting me.

She seemed to realize what she was about to do and quickly moved her hand away, hesitation seeping into her gaze, cracks becoming evident in her demeanor.

"No, no. Why did you stop? I guess this is the only thing left for you to do. So, why don't you just raise your hand and slap me? Complete the cycle, come on!" My words trembled, "What are you thinking? Just do it!"

Don't cry, Evelyn. She doesn't deserve your tears.

"Evelyn, listen...."

"No, you listen to me, Mom! I love that man. I love Jacob to the point where I would fucking die for him. I don't care what anyone else thinks of me or what the consequences of this forbidden relationship might be. All I care about is that I want to be with him. I can't imagine my life without him," I spoke up, struggling to hold back my sobs, "So, I beg you. Please don't ruin this for me. Please, for once, think about what I want instead of what you think is right. It might bruise your ego, but it would spare me a lot of pain and heartache."

"Evelyn... Why can't you understand? He's not right for you," she sighed, her gaze softening as she watched my eyes fill with unshed tears, "I'm saying this for your own good, not for mine. Do you think everything I do is bad for you? I don't want you to end up heartbroken because, in the end, you and Jacob, you two will have to be separated. It's going to end badly. Jacob loves Chloe, and she loves him. Coming between the two of them will only hurt you."

Coming between the two of them? She'd lost her fucking mind.

"What are you talking about? Are you completely oblivious to the things that woman put him through, or are you just pretending? She doesn't love him. She only wants him back because that's what she

does-brings him back, satisfies her ego, and then she's done, back to her old ways," I spat, "And Jacob? No, he doesn't love her. She's just his regret. He regrets everything he ever had with her. Don't tell me you want to bring Chloe back into his life just because she shed some fake tears. Don't be the noble woman and ruin your own daughter's happiness if you truly care for me!"

"Evelyn, I'm not on a mission to help them get back together, but it might eventually happen. I've seen it all during their college years-Chloe and Jacob, no matter what, always find their way back to each other. It's their complicated relationship. know it's toxic, but it is what it is, and there's nothing I or anyone else can do," I didn't want to take her words seriously, but they weighed heavily on my heart. "And today, I came here because I heard about the incident between you and Chloe through-"

"Oh, of course, your boyfriend told you, didn't he?"

"What? No. Jack didn't tell me anything, Evelyn. In fact, he wanted to stop me from coming here and talking about this with you," she said. "Chloe is the one who told me about it. And it's wrong, you shouldn't have hit her. It's—"

"Hit her? Is that what that woman told you?" I looked at her in disbelief, "I didn't freaking hit her! She was talking shit about me and crossing the line, and all I did was throw the wine at her face, nothing else! I can't believe you came here to argue with me, believing her words!"

"It doesn't matter what you did, and I'm not here to argue with you. I'm just here to tell you not to get involved in the mess of Jacob and Chloe's life. Just stop it already. I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"Well, I think if you don't want me to get hurt, the best thing you can do for now is leave, Mom. I don't want to talk about any of this."

"Evelyn, you can't just keep running away from reality. You have to understand what is wrong for you!"

"Jacob makes me happy, and I think my whole life, I just wanted to be happy. So, I will not let go of Jacob, no matter how much havoc it brings into my life. That's the only thing you should know, Mom," I declared firmly. "Now, please leave."

"Fine, if you've already made your

decision, then so be it. But listen to me very carefully, Evelyn, you are my daughter, and no matter how much you try to deny it, that's never going to change. I will always be your mother, and I will do everything I can to prevent you from getting hurt," with that, she stormed out of the room.

The door closed shut, silence enveloped the room once again, and a few tears slid down my cheeks.

Her words kept echoing inside my head. They wouldn't stop; they only increased the turmoil within me.

"Calm down. Nothing's ruined yet," I breathed out, trying to get my frantic heartbeats under control.

But damn it, it wouldn't help.

I paced back and forth in the room; time passed slowly and languidly. The silence weighed heavily on me, pushing me down into the ground. I

couldn't think straight.

This was so messed up.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

I looked at the clock; it had been nearly half an hour, and Jacob should have been back by now.

Unable to restrain myself, I grabbed my phone and sent him a text.

"Where are you?"

No response came for the first few minutes, but then I received a text.

"In my room."

I didn't care to text him again or ask him why he was in his room instead of mine. I simply walked out of my room and headed for his.