Page 56 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
I still remember the panic I felt when I had confessed to Eva about what happened with Audrey, and when I realized she was going to give up on us.For the first time, I understood how empty my life would be without her—without her gentleness, without her light.Eva was the other half of my heart and soul.
No matter what desire and fascination Audrey might provoke, it had nothing to do with the deep connection I shared with Eva.I loved everything about her: her subtle beauty, the fire burning within her, and her capacity to love without limits.Sure, we needed to work on our problems, but our love was still there, along with our sexual chemistry.Last night proved it to me.It wasn't just a merging of our bodies, but a connection of our hearts and souls.
Eva was the woman of my life, and I would do anything not to forget that again and to repair what I had broken.And if that meant asking Audrey to leave Community Pilot, I wouldn't hesitate.
I got up, searching the house for her, but found no trace.A bad feeling gripped me, and my heart began to beat faster as I moved into the living room.Suddenly I saw it.The letter prominently placed on the coffee table.
"No, no, no!"I screamed internally, panic overwhelming me.She couldn't have done this.Not after the night we'd just shared, not after I'd told her over and over how much I loved her.
With a trembling hand, I grabbed the envelope and collapsed onto the hardwood floor, my legs refusing to support me.Like an automaton, I opened the envelope and grabbed the sheet inside.I tried to read it, but the letters were blurry, and I realized I was crying.I don't know how long I sat there before my tears subsided and I could finally see the contents of the letter.Traces of dried tears marked the paper in places, distorting Eva's handwriting.My throat tightened, and each word I read pierced me like a dagger.
"Tristan,
I don't even know where to begin.
We were happy together, but that time seems so distant now.I have to face the facts: I'm no longer enough for you; I feel it in every glance you avoid, in every silence that stretches between us.I no longer know how to bridge the growing gap between us.
You told me about Audrey, and I thank you for not turning our relationship into a sordid story.
You claim this phase is behind you, but whenever I try to show you her true face, you become defensive and ardently take her side.How can I believe you when you claim to choose me?I no longer know how to open your eyes, so I'll simply ask you questions.How did you come up with the idea to entrust the Australian branch project to Audrey, to give her that necklace with which she came to taunt me, or to allow her to intrude on the Hope Foundation project, a project I had been working on for months, when I can't stand the sight of her?And if you're not sleeping with her, how does she suddenly end up naked in your office?The answers to these questions will hopefully enlighten you enough to free yourself from her clutches.
For us, it's another story.I don't know if it's still possible to repair our relationship.Last night, you told me you love me and choose me.But it was the voice of the faithful man, not the voice of the lover.And that's not enough, Tristan.It will never be enough.
I don't want to be the choice of reason.You've known me long enough to know that I want all or nothing.I want the eyes of the man I live with to light up when he sees me appear, I want him to feel the absence when I move a few steps away, I want him to have eyes only for me in a room filled with gorgeous women.I want a legendary love.A man happy to grow old by my side, who at 60 years and beyond, continues to look at me as if I were the center of his world.For a long time, I believed you would be that man, but I'm no longer certain today.So I'm leaving, for two weeks.I need time to think, to understand if our story still has a future or if we're just clinging to the remnants of what we once were.I no longer know if there's anything left to save or if it would be wiser to leave everything behind.Some stories, even the most beautiful ones, aren't meant to last.
I'll return for the inauguration of the Hope Foundation.
We'll talk after that.
Eva."
"Some stories, even the most beautiful ones, aren't meant to last." Those words chilled my blood.Eva never left anything to chance; each phrase, each syllable was weighed with surgical precision.Last night, I had finally managed to overcome my guilt, to tell her how much I loved her, naively convinced that everything would return to normal.
But it was already too late.The trust between us was broken.She no longer believed.Anxiety and panic rose within me like a suffocating wave, almost cutting off my breath.I was going to lose Eva, and it was entirely my fault.I had accumulated so many mistakes, made so many missteps.Afraid of repeating my parents' story, trapped in a relationship rotting with lies and unspoken words, I had become exactly the man I had sworn never to be.Instead of talking to her, fighting for our love when our relationship had become fragile, I had built walls between us, convinced that no love could truly last.
My insecurities had dug such a deep trench that Audrey had been able to slip in without effort.But Audrey had never really mattered.She was just a pretext, a pathetic excuse, a way to avoid confronting my own demons.It was Eva whom I loved.It was her I had always loved.And now, I risked losing her because of my fears and cowardice.
This disaster was entirely my fault.I had taken Eva's love for granted, like the air we breathe, without measuring its inestimable value.While she had given herself to our relationship without reservation, body and soul, I remained guarded, one foot always out the door, waiting for the moment when everything would collapse.In doing so, I had trampled what was most precious to me.I had lacked faith in our love.Without even realizing it, I had put an expiration date on our story.
Despite my denials, the words my mother had repeated to me for years had eventually anchored themselves in my soul like an indelible scar."Enjoy it while it lasts."This advice, meant to be protective, had actually mutilated me.It's ironic how those who think they're protecting us are often those who wound us most deeply, clipping our wings without even realizing it.
And because I had only half-committed to Eva, always keeping part of myself in reserve out of fear of suffering, I had allowed Audrey to come between us.But never again would I let my fears dictate my actions.
I grabbed my phone with trembling hands and dialed Leila's number, desperately hoping that Eva had found refuge with her.I needed to find her, to talk to her before she made an irreversible decision, the decision to permanently erase me from her life.
"Is Eva at your place?"I asked, my voice tense with worry."No, I haven't heard from her," Leila replied, her tone betraying her concern."What did you do?"Her tone was harsh, accusatory, and entirely justified."Listen, I know I messed up, but I'll make it up to her," I declared, determined.Leila let out a heavy sigh of skepticism."I'm not sure you can," she replied, bitterness piercing in her voice."Just tell me if you hear from her, okay?"I tried, struggling to control the rising anxiety."Okay," she finally said.I hung up, feeling a lump form in my throat.Where could she be?
Next, I dialed Steve's number.He answered quickly, his cheerful voice cruelly contrasting with my torment."Hey, Tristan, how are you?"he asked.I took a deep breath, trying to maintain my calm."Steve, have you heard from Eva?We had a big fight and...she left.""Left as in, she went out for some air, or left for good?"he asked, his tone immediately becoming serious."She left me a letter," I said, my throat tightening further.A heavy silence settled.Then Steve answered carefully."No, she hasn't contacted me.Do you want me to call her to see if she's okay?""Yes, and if you hear anything, call me back.""Of course, I'll keep you posted," he said before hanging up.
I stared at the phone in my hand for a moment, feeling increasingly helpless.The subsequent calls to Satoshi and Marco yielded nothing more.No one had heard from Eva.Each unsuccessful call only intensified the sense of urgency growing within me.I hesitated to contact her family.No, I knew Eva, and the last thing she would have wanted was to worry them and involve them in our problems."Where are you, Eva?"I whispered into the void, a dull pain weighing on my chest.
I had to find her.Prove to her that my love for her was genuine, that despite my mistakes, I couldn't imagine my life without her.I had to beg for her forgiveness, plead for a second chance, before she decided to turn the page for good.I knew her well enough to know she was capable of it.Eva, with all her unwavering loyalty, also possessed a formidable determination.When she made a decision, there was rarely any going back.This reality weighed on me like a sword of Damocles, ready to fall.
Leila and Satoshi arrived that evening, loaded with takeout, as if they instinctively knew I would be incapable of swallowing anything without their presence.None of us had heard from Eva, and my worry grew with each passing hour, transforming into a dull anxiety that gnawed at me from within.
We settled around the coffee table in the living room, in an unusual silence.Satoshi unpacked the boxes methodically, lining up the dishes between us like a soothing ritual, while Leila played distractedly with a pair of chopsticks, her gaze thoughtful.
"I know I screwed up," I confessed to them, my throat tight."At first, I thought I could handle my attraction to Audrey, but I was wrong.Around her, I was like a teenager at the mercy of his hormones."
