Chapter 79: Evan’s Wish
JULIA
I knew I told Sarah I would have her fetch me. However, I still entered Evan’s car, looking out of the window as he drove me home.
There were a lot of questions in my mind, and after a few more seconds of hesitating, I finally had the courage to ask him.
“Why did you defend me?” I asked.
Evan bit his lip, his gaze focused on the front. “Because you were right,” he muttered.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Wrong question. I meant–why aren’t you following through with whatever your dad is telling you now? Oh, and Heather, too. You left her looking pretty devastated. Not a very good boyfriend move, don’t you think?”
Evan let out a deep breath. I turned to him, but I could tell he couldn’t look at me just yet.
“I’ve known for a long time that my dad wasn’t good enough,” he started off. “From a young age,
I saw how my grandfather scolded him for not being great. He was the only son- the one to inherit the entire business. My grandfather was very efficient, very patriarchal too, so he never even thought of giving the business to any of his daughters.”
“In the end, a lot of the pressure was placed on my father,” he continued. “I think you’ve seen this, too. He married my mom relatively young and had me because, well, now that I think about it, he might have wanted to find an escape from his duties. Now that he had a family, his dad would not put that much pressure on him, right?
I listened intently. I had a feeling Evan’s family wasn’t as perfect as they had seemed since the very first time we had met; however, I never thought about it too deeply. Evan didn’t allow me to stress over this matter, too.
“But that wasn’t the case. My grandfather was still as strict as ever. Probably stricter… even until his deathbed. In that period, my dad lost a lot. He felt liberated now that his overbearing dad was dead. That’s why he isn’t the biggest shareholder in our most successful subsidiaries anymore. In the middle of it all, he realized that my granddad’s words held some truth.”
“Don’t get me wrong, we lost a lot of money, but we still had plenty,” he said.
“I know,” I muttered.
“However, my father lost a lot of pride, too, and for him, that was just as important as money. So, when I came of age, he groomed me to take back everything he had lost.”
I pursed my lips. That was around the time we had broken up. I remember Evan being so stressed back then. It must have been too much for a 19–year–old to bear.
“For so long, I felt honored. My father, who barely acknowledged my strengths, was actually placing a lot of trust in me,” he said, a small smile appearing on his lips. However, it quickly vanished as he said his next words.
want to give him the benefit of the doubt. This is his first life, too,” he muttered. My expression softened slightly, and I had the urge to reach for his hand and hold it
“He isn’t a good dad–far from it, honestly. But, I could acknowledge that he had tried. Not his best, of course, but it was an attempt, at least. I wanted to see if he could change for us–Ellie and I.”
“However, seeing now that he’s the same with my son, I don’t think he would ever change,” he said.
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Chapter 79 Evang With
My perspective was slowly being opened to Evan’s feelings, which I had failed to see before. I had claimed to know him like I knew myself, but I have never expected this kind of story.
“I’ve always wanted a good dad,” he continued, clearing his throat. I saw his eyes glistening, too, and my urge to hold his hand became even stronger. “In life, though, we don’t always get what we want. So, I’m standing up against him. I don’t know what that will entail with my future especially my work, but all I know is that he can’t let me go right now. He needs me to run his empire, too.”
“But I don’t want to be shackled to him anymore–in hopes of him being a good father somehow. What I can do now is be a good father to my son instead. And I believe this is the first step.”
For the first time since the car ride, Evan glanced at me, and I felt the air get knocked out of my chest.
I knew he was handsome, but it felt like I was suddenly looking at him through rose–tinted lenses.
“What?” he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
My cheeks reddened, and I quickly looked away. “I didn’t say anything,” I muttered.
Evan chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve been looking at my hand for quite some time now,” he said.
I saw him looking at me through the reflection on the tinted window. I closed my eyes and bit my lip. Was I making it too obvious?
“Want to hold it?” he asked.
With that, I felt his hand inching closer to mine. However, before our skin could even touch, I quickly pulled away, taking him by surprise.
“Stop it,” I said.
“Stop what?” he asked with a teasing smirk.
“Should you be doing this?” I asked, facing him and crossing my hands in front of my chest. I even narrowed my
eyes at him.
“What, Julia?” he asked with a chuckle.
“You have a girlfriend,” I said, nearly spelling it out for him. “I really don’t appreciate these advances when you’re still with Heather.”
“So, it’s alright if we’re not together anymore?”
“Huh?” I asked, taken aback.
We hit a red light, so he looked into my eyes, the teasing smirk now replaced with a smile.
“If you’re worried about Heather, just don’t,” he said.
My frown deepened, still looking at him with confusion.
“We’ve broken up.”
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