Page 91 of The Wrong Side Of Us

“I love you too,” I murmured. “But I’m worried about you.”

She shook her head, biting her lip, eyes meeting mine. “I’m just overwhelmed with everything. I know we need to talk about Derek and Jessica and all the hell we’re going through, but can we not? Not tonight?” Her voice broke at the end again. She did her best to hold herself together, tried to remain strong. It couldn’t have been easy being pregnant and going through all this all at once.

“I need a break from all of this, too,” I replied, pecking her lips once again.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

She waited quietly while I put on my jeans and shirt, her eyes fixed on me as if she couldn’t believe that I was with her. I couldn’t, either.

Heaven.

Being with Evelyn was heaven. Whether we argued or messed around, being with her was the one thing I wanted in this life. It was a blessing having her by my side and my parents alive.

My mom cooked for us, and though I knew Evie hadn’t eaten much before, she still had no appetite.

There are things you don’t appreciate until you’re deprived from them. I’d always valued my family, always cherished Evie. But having been so close to not seeing them in my own home made this moment that much more significant.

I stared at my phone when it rang once again. Jessica was the elephant in the room, and she wasn’t even physically there. I didn’t want to turn off my phone in case Damian called pertaining the case, or any other emergency, but Evelyn wasn’t having it anymore. She took my phone suddenly, shutting it off. My parents both stared at her in shock, and Carter tried not to laugh.

My sweet Evelyn was long gone.

“I think we’ve all had enough of Jessica today, haven’t we?”

Oh shit.

I knew she directed the question to me. I pressed a kiss on her temple, and she seemed to relax, still our family sensed the tension surrounding us. It didn’t take much long after that awkward exchange for everyone to leave.

I was nervous.

A difficult night awaited us, and with the way Evie felt, I knew it was only a matter of time before she exploded.

I wish I knew what she thought and felt, but she’d closed herself off. That was until she curled up in bed next to me, placing her head on my chest, drawing gentle patterns over my skin.

I ran my fingers down her arm, content with having her next to me. Her eyes closed, and it was only a matter of minutes before she was fast asleep. My mind raced with thoughts of everything going on, but as I rested my hand over her belly and felt our baby move, I took a deep breath, forcing the thoughts out of my head.

They were all that mattered.

Chapter 35

Evelyn

The next morning, I awakened with doubts, questioning everything in my life. My personality, each decision…everything that defined me.

I wondered if it would be easier to give up. Nathan looked at me from across the kitchen, seeming to know my head was overcrowded with a never-ending amount of thoughts. My gaze finally met his, and I asked the question that had been bothering me for the past few hours.

“Am I really that easy to be taken advantage of?”

He raised his eyebrows, setting down the pan he was about to use to cook us breakfast. His head tilted to the side as he considered what to say. Words seemed fail him, however, so instead I continued.

“It seems like it’s pretty easy…take advantage of the girl that sees the good in everything, take advantage of the girl who will be there for you,” I said mockingly.

Everything about our situation was driving me insane. I was tired of the constant lies, so tired to the extent that I wondered whether it was I who was in the wrong. Trying to see the good in the world was the way that I kept going; I saw so much hopelessness on the streets, so much hatred in the news. I didn’t want to live in fear, thinking that everyone was evil or out to hurt me.

But it was time I changed that.

It was time for me to be like everyone else and believe this world would always be a shitty place in which there were no loyalties and all you had was yourself.

“Derek got close to me in order to hurt me,” I scoffed, shaking my head.

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