Page 46 of The One Who Changed Everything

I swallowed hard, forcing a smile as I turned to face her. Evan stood behind her, his broad frame filling the doorway. His eyes met mine, and instantly, his expression shifted—from casual to concerned.

I looked away too quickly. I knew if I let him hold my gaze, he’d see everything. The fear. The desperation. The helplessness I couldn’t afford to feel.

"Hey, sweetie," I said, pushing the letter onto the counter, out of sight. "How was school?" Evan had started picking her up after school any day he wasn’t on shift at the station. She loved every second of it.

"Good!" Sophia beamed, oblivious. "Lola helped me with my math again, and I think I actually get it now."

"That's great," I murmured, barely processing her words. “Can you grab your laundry for me?” I needed her distracted until I could get myself under control.

Evan didn’t speak right away, but I felt him watching me. He wasn’t the kind of man you could fool for long.

"Sam?" His voice was low, careful.

I busied myself grabbing a glass from the cabinet. "What?"

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said too quickly, too clipped. I could almost hear the way his jaw tightened at the obvious lie.

I turned to the sink, pretending to fill the glass, but in the next second, I felt the warmth of his presence just behind me.

"Talk to me," he said, quieter this time.

I hesitated, my fingers gripping the counter. He was the last person I wanted to admit this to. Because if I said it out loud,it became real. And if he offered to fix it… I wasn’t sure I could handle that, either.

I mustered every ounce of strength and spoke with a firmness I didn’t feel. “I said it’s nothing. I don’t owe you every little detail about my life, Evan.”

“This isn’t about owing me anything. You’re upset, and I—”

“Youwhat?” I cut in, turning to face him fully. The frustration, the fear, the sheer weight of it all finally cracked through. “You swoop in when it’s convenient? You get to decide when you care?” My voice wavered at the end, betraying me. I hadn’t meant to let that slip out.

Evan flinched, just barely, but I saw it. A flicker of something—hurt, regret, maybe even guilt—before his expression steeled over. “That’s not fair,” he said, his voice low and controlled, but not cold.

I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Fair?” I shook my head. “You don’t get to come in here, acting like you suddenly have a say in my life just because you’re around now. I’ve done everything on my own for fourteen years. I don’t need you.”

A tense silence stretched between us.

“I’m not trying to take over your life,” he said finally, quieter now. “But I care about Sophia. And whether you want me to or not, I care about you.”

I sucked in a breath, my heart stumbling over itself.

Evan exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but you don’t have to do everything alone, Sam.” His voice softened, but his eyes never left mine. “Youdon’t.”

The fight drained out of me, leaving only exhaustion in its place. I pressed my fingers to my temple, willing the pressure in my head to ease. “It’s time for you to go home, Evan.”

Evan didn’t move. He just stood there, his gaze locked onto mine, steady and unreadable. “Sam—”

“I mean it.” My voice was quieter now, but no less firm. “Go home.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. For a second, I thought he might argue, might push back the way he always did. But then he exhaled sharply, nodded once, and stepped back. “Alright.”

He moved toward the door, but before he reached it, he paused, glancing over his shoulder. “This isn’t over.”

Something in my chest tightened. “Evan—”

“I don’t give up that easy,” he said, his voice firmer this time. And then, without waiting for a response, he walked out. But not without saying a quick goodbye to Sophia before he did.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving behind an absence I felt far too deeply. I exhaled, pressing my fingers against my temples. I couldn’t let him bulldoze his way into my life, into my problems.

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