Evelyn
Damian wasn’t kidding when he said it would be a long night. The questions were endless and tiring—and honestly, quite repetitive. It seemed like I was always answering the same question but in different words, most of them revolving around Nathan’s behavior, asking me if he was a violent person or had anger issues.
The only reason I maintained my sanity was because of his lawyer. He was a no bullshit type of guy, and everyone knew that well enough, judging by the way they were respectful while he was around. Jessica and Thomas had given him the information needed and were cooperating, and though I was thankful, I hated the way Jessica was acting distraught, like Nathan was her significant other and not mine. It irritated me.
But in that moment, all that mattered was to get Nathan out of there.
“Here,” Damian said, giving me a water bottle along with chips. “Figured you’re probably a bit hungry.”
I thanked him, unable to take a bite despite the hunger. The accusation against Nathan upset me, and the stress didn’t do me well, either. We all got angry, but there was a huge leap from that to doing something to hurt someone else.
“Does anyone know the state Derek is in?” I asked, looking from Damian to Thomas. Both shook their head, but Jessica spoke up.
“Does his condition really matter?” she spat harshly.
I felt the tension in the room rise, especially when I tilted my head to the side. “I think you should go home,” I stated. “You’ve given all the information the lawyer needs. You should leave.”
She looked pissed, and though perhaps immature, it gave me plenty of satisfaction. I knew she wasn’t there as a friend but as a woman who had feelings for him. I didn’t accept it. Thomas sensed this and let her know it was time to leave, and so they did.
“Clearly she’s not welcome here.” Damian smiled, sitting next to me.
I shrugged. “I don’t usually care, but the last thing I need right now is to see a woman who has feelings for my fiancé flaunting it. I get it.”
“Yeah…well, this should all be over by tomorrow.” I looked up at him, not allowing myself to feel hope. I didn’t want to get them up because if things didn’t work out…I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The thought of raising a child while Nathan was in prison—it was too much to bear.
Damian noticed it, so he kept talking, explaining what he believed would happen. “They don’t have evidence other than what they ‘assume’ Derek meant by mentioning his name. Thomas testifies he drove him home. There’s nothing they can go on. As soon as they finish reviewing the surveillance videos and they see he’s not there, he’ll be out of here, at least on bond. There is nothing to worry about.”
He was persuasive. I looked for any doubt in his words, almost wanting to find it, but I realized he wouldn’t have said it unless he believed it. I nodded, sighing.
“I’ve called Nathan’s parents. They’re coming to pick you up because, honestly, this does you no good and it doesn’t help him, being in there tense during questioning. He needs to keep himself in check.”
“I don’t want to leave, though. I—I want to be here for him and—”
“I understand that,” he interrupted. “But there’s nothing else to do. You’ve given your statement. His friends have given theirs. Let me handle the rest. It’s my job, after all.”
Too tired to argue, I didn’t say anything.
A few minutes later, the Maxwells were at the station. Deborah greeted me with a much-needed hug, her eyes sad and worried. If I felt bad, I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she felt. I put my happy face on to reassure her, even if I didn’t fully believe everything would be okay.
Frank drove us to their home, where I cuddled up on the sofa, falling asleep almost immediately after.
***
I woke up later covered up in a blanket and my whole body sore from the awkward position in which I’d slept.
Never sleeping on a sofa while pregnant again.
“Good morning,” Deb’s voice called out from the other side of the living room. “We tried to wake you up, but you were deep asleep.”
I grimaced, clearing my throat. “Sorry.”
Gaze softening, she took a seat next to me, placing her warm hand over my own. It was the comfort we both needed.
“I need you to tell me what’s going on with that man—Derek—and Nathan. I think we have the right to know, especially given the situation.”
They needed to know. But how could I explain it to them if even I didn’t know completely? Derek never got the chance to tell me what was really going on. He never gave me the explanation I needed. Regardless, I couldn’t keep them in the dark anymore.
“You don’t have to believe a word I say, but I am one hundred percent sure Derek never accused Nathan. To me, it was more of a warning,” I confessed nervously.
“Why a warning?”
For the second time in less than twelve hours, I retold Derek’s story. It was all draining, but I hoped that knowing a little bit more about him would help her understand what my thought process had been like.
“Oh, Nathan is going to be mad that he didn’t know anything about Derek wanting to hurt you,” she said, running her hands over her face.
“I didn’t even really get a chance to tell him,” I sighed. “There was nothing I could tell him. Derek didn’t get a chance to explain because…well…this happened.” Deborah squeezed my hand in a comforting manner. She understood. Taking a deep breath, I continued. “But Damian thinks he can get him out today. That’s good, right?”
Frank, who we hadn’t noticed was leaning against the wall, spoke up then. “He’s just called.”
I inhaled deeply without letting go of Deb’s hand. We were each other’s support in that moment as he told us the judge reached a decision.
***
Nathan
I leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes. Despite the lack of sleep, I wasn’t tired. I wouldn’t ever be able to sleep again if I wasn’t out there with Evelyn.
As much as I missed her, though, I couldn’t hide my anger after learning she hid Derek’s intentions from me. Why the hell didn’t she tell me? Even if she believed what Derek said, nothing guaranteed he was being honest.
I couldn’t help but think back to the little moments we shared, the moments I never realized I’d remember. In that precise moment, those first nights we spent together after I arrived in New York were the one thing on my mind.
“I can’t sleep.”
I shifted on the bed only to find Evie lying on her side and staring back at me. She almost seemed ashamed that she’d woken me up. I cupped her cheek, her eyes fluttering closed with the contact. It always soothed her when I did that.
“Am I enough for you, Nathan?”
The question caught me off guard. Sometimes she needed reassuring, but she was usually a confident woman.
“Why are you asking me this?”
“I don’t know…I’m a mess sometimes. I don’t know what I want. I frustrate myself. It’s only natural that I frustrate others,” she whispered.
Evie didn’t hesitate to answer. Regardless of the emotion, she felt everything tenfold, and now she felt uncertain.
“You’re more than enough for me,” I reassured her, placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Show me.”
I studied her but didn’t ask why she felt that way. I knew the things that her mom and sister had said to her still affected her. She never bad mouthed her mother, rarely spoke about Hannah, and yet it was a weight she still carried on her shoulders.
She kissed me, her lips parting immediately to let me in.
Maybe those doubts would never go away, but I’d spend the rest of my life trying to erase them.
“You finally sleeping?”
I opened my eyes only to find Damian looking at me with a raised eyebrow. “We’ve gotten the surveillance video in which you are seen getting in to the vehicle with Thomas Lanthorn, confirming both your versions.” My closed fists opened as I began to feel some sense of relief. “Now, they’re not clearing you as a suspect just yet, but they are letting you free at least for now.”
I can breathe again.
“With the ties you have to your business, your fiancé, and your family, the judge feels like there’s no way you’ll run, is there?”
“Fuck no, I’m not running.” I chuckled.
“You will cooperate?”
“I will.”
“They’ve set a court date, but I’ll give you that information once we’re out of here. You have your friends already waiting for you, and Evelyn and your parents should be here in a bit.”
Keep breathing.
The following minutes dragged on. We posted bail and filled out the necessary paperwork stating I wouldn’t try to run, though they had to know I wouldn’t. I had too much to lose; I couldn’t risk it. Soon, they would realize they had no evidence against me, and they would clear my name.
When I walked outdoors, I took a deep breath, cherishing even the feel of the fresh air. It hadn’t been too long at all, but to me, it seemed like an eternity.
However, the arms that wrapped around my neck brought me back to reality.
It wasn’t Evie, though.
“Thank God you’re out,” Jessica said. I hugged her back, not thinking much of her actions. “We were all so worried, Nathan.”
I pulled back to search the parking lot for my family but was stopped abruptly when Jessica’s hands held my face and brought her lips to mine.