Unexpected Eva (Triple Trouble #3)(104)

“You knew. All of you knew. He sucked you all in.”

I can’t win. He thinks I’m the devil.

He’ll never believe anything I say.

“Did you know?” he asks Edith.

She shakes her head no with a saddened face. “Calm down, Charlie. You are out of line tonight. Knox is your friend. The things Tabitha has told you, those are all lies. I am friends with Knox’s mother. What Knox says is true. And do you not remember what happened between us? I was almost a decade younger than Eva when we met. Remember how we fought for one another? Because our families didn’t want us to be together? You can’t make her pick, Charlie. You, of all people, should know what this is like. You are tearing us apart. What has gotten into you this evening? It’s not right. This is not right.”

“You’re correct, Edith. This thing between them is not right.”

That's not what Edith meant.

“You’re a hypocrite, Charlie Wallace. You cannot make Eva pick. You are not being fair.” Edith pulls his shoulder to try make eye contact with him. “Please don’t do this. You can’t. You will lose us all.”

He’s adamant and stands tall. “You choose, Eva. Us or him?” He turns to face his daughter.

What a stubborn bastard.

“You can’t do this,” she stutters.

“Oh, I can.”

“But I love him.”

“You think you do.”

“I do.”

“How long have you been together for? A few weeks?”

“Since the auction,” she whispers.

Charlie roars, “The night he paid eighty thousand pounds for dance lessons? I was right. He bought you like some kind of prostitute!”

“That’s not true!” she bawls.

Charlie's face remains rigid and angry.

“End this now, Knox.” He spits venom in my direction.

I have no power here.

“Sunshine.” I gently take her elbow. “He’s not listening. He doesn’t believe me or you. Go. Be with them. Be with your family. I won’t allow him to make you choose. I am choosing for you.”

Charlie's eyes are full of disdain. “See, he’s pushing you away. He doesn’t want you, Eva.”

I look into her eyes. “That’s the furthest thing from the truth.”

She sobs.

“You have to choose your family, Eva. Family first.”

“But I love you. You love me. It feels so right.” She weeps. “You’ve liked me for two years and you’re not going to fight for me?”

She whimpers and my heart beats fast with apprehension at what I know is about to unfold.

“It gets worse. He liked you when you were a married woman?” Charlie puts his hand on his forehead. “You make me sick.” His eyes bore through me.

I feel the anger from him bouncing across the room.

My father stands from the seat he’s been watching from the whole time. He gives me a gentle nod; he’s telling me to let her go. Supporting his advice, my mom reaches out to hold his hand.

I step back.

Sensing my defeat, Lincoln stands between us and takes over.

“Turn around and go, Eva. It’s for the best,” Lincoln says. “Your father is wrong about us and my dad. He’ll step aside. You must choose your family. Those are bonds that can never be broken.”

“What? No! No. Please, can we all sit down and talk about this. Please?” She really starts to cry.

“No. I am done here.” Charlie puts his hand out for Eva to take.

She turns back around to look at me and I do the thing that Charlie wants me to do; I end it.

I walk through the side entrance of the ballroom.

“I trusted you,” Charlie shouts after me.

I can hear Eva howling behind me, begging me to come back.

“I will never forgive you for this, Charlie. What have you done?” Edith wails.

I’m in so much pain and it’s not my broken nose or my eye that hurts. It’s my fucking heart.

Without sunshine, without her, there is only darkness.

Maybe this is the way it should be.

Destined to be alone.

I wanted to create an evening no one would ever forget.

We certainly did that.

Epic. Fuck, is it ever.





CHAPTER 27





Eva - Two weeks after the ball

“Step back, forward, hop-hop-hop,” I shout over the loud music. “Faster now, step back, forward, small hop-hop-hop. Same again.” I clap in time to my instructions.

“Looking great, Frank and Ivy. Shake those hips, Brian. Fabulous,” I encourage my over-sixties ballroom dancers.

“Big finish. Annnnnnnnd hold! Well done.” I give them a larger-than-life fake smile.

I don’t want to be here.

I have to pick up the boys from my next door neighbor first. Charlotte has been incredible and helped me out these past few weeks with the boys. Then I am having an early night. That’s if I can sleep. I’m surviving on three hours of sleep a night at the moment.

My body and mind are exhausted, but for the life of me I can’t sleep, even with my comfortable mattress.

I can’t stop thinking about him. Knox.

It’s difficult to forget when I’m surrounded by all the furniture he bought me.