Page 100 of The Wrong Side Of Us

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even hear her arrive until the shower door opened. My eyes snapped open, meeting her curious ones that stared back already with many questions.

“I’m home.” She smiled, her eyes roaming my body briefly before they landed on my face. They were slightly red, a little bit puffy…she’d been crying. Her eyebrows furrowed, trying to think of what to say. “Why are you showering again?”

I swallowed. Evelyn was naive, yes, but she was intuitive. She knew something was wrong. “Just felt necessary,” I said.

Her lips parted as though she was going to say something. I wanted her to say something, anything, but she didn’t. Instead Evelyn nodded, closing the shower door, and retreating away from the restroom.

Fuck.

I hurried out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my waist as I set foot in our bedroom. Evie sat on the bed, hands clasped together over her thighs, her gaze set on me. For a few seconds, there was nothing but silence surrounding us, until she decided to speak.

“He’s not waking up,” she whispered, shaking her head.

“No improvement?” I asked, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in mine. They were cold.

“It doesn’t seem that way.” Her eyes narrowed on me. “But what do we talk about? Derek or whatever happened between you and Jessica?”

I didn’t know how to answer. I cupped her cheek, catching the lone tear that escaped, unsure of what the fuck to do.

Evie continued then, obviously needing to get whatever she felt off her chest. “They took a CT scan, and he’s having seizures now. He has brain activity. It’s just a matter of when or if he wakes up.”

“He’ll wake up,” I assured her, kissing the back of her hand. I hated seeing her affected by this. I hated having to cause her more stress.

She nodded, squeezing my hand. By the look in her eyes, I knew I wouldn’t like what she had to say. “I need to see Hannah.” Immediately, I shook my head. “I don’t care if you don’t want me to see her, Nathan,” she interrupted. “I need to see her. I need to talk to her.”

“Why?” I asked with disbelief.

“Because she has the answers I need,” Evie snapped. She ran her hands through her hair desperately, tugging at the ends as if to relieve some of the pressure. “Nathan, I need to know the truth behind Derek’s relationship with my family. I need to know what the hell happened. If she’s the one that can give me the answers, then I will go to her.”

I stood up, growing irritated. It wasn’t Evelyn’s fault, but it was all taking a toll on our relationship. What we didn’t know, what we did…the things yet to learn. It divided us. “You don’t know if it’s a trap, babe. You can’t go,” I said, walking away from her.

She stood up, her hand taking hold of my arm unexpectedly. I turned back around to face her, the determination on her face rendering me speechless. “I’m not asking you, Nathan. I’m letting you know that I’m going.”

I scoffed. “That’s it, then? I have no say in this? It doesn’t matter that you’re pregnant with my kid, you’re still going to do what you want even if I don’t consider it safe?”

Her gaze softened. “Please understand, Nathan,” she whispered. “I have to do this.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” I couldn’t understand why the hell she’d put herself at risk.

“I’m not a child you need to protect.” Evie’s fists balled up to her sides, blazing eyes speaking louder than I ever thought they could. They said she was strong. They said she was ready. As if it wasn’t enough, Evelyn continued, her words reiterating what I could already see. “I am tired of living in the dark. I am tired of living in fear, Nathan. I won’t. I refuse to do it again. I have the right to know everything.” Evelyn paused, taking a step forward and placing her fingertips on my lips. “And that includes whatever happened between you and Jessica tonight.”

She held them up, and I saw her skin colored in a faded pink.

Jessica’s lipstick.

Shit.

I hadn’t even bothered to look in the fucking mirror, and clearly, I knew nothing about removing a woman’s make-up.

Everything was about to bubble over. The small fight was about to turn into a full-blown war. Evelyn was raging, and I could barely think about what left my mouth. It wasn’t the time to talk, but we couldn’t avoid it.

I dried myself off quickly, throwing on some boxers and not bothering with anything else. Evelyn stood waiting with her hands on her small belly. She was strong, but the way she soothed our baby as she drew little circles with her thumb told me she feared what I had to say.

And I didn’t know how to say it.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, doing my best to not sound harsh. “Because I think it would be best to wait until morning.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said, a mocking smile on her face. “I’ll be pissed either way.”

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