Unexpected Eva (Triple Trouble #3)(107)

I wipe my nose and eyes on the sleeve of my coat.

“And you made us cancel the dance retreat contract, which was going to be a lifeline for me. I needed that money so bad. But now I have to sell the house to buy Ewan out. Do you know why? Because he gambled all of his severance pay away. And in addition, I have only found this out in the last couple of days, he’s racked up three credit cards, in my name.” Hurting myself, I point at my chest forcefully. “I have had to put my campervan up for sale. I am drowning and still you don’t see me. I am dealing with everything by myself, but Knox helped me. He saw everything. He paid attention. Even when I didn’t tell him what I needed, he knew.”

My anguish shatters into a thousand pieces.

I’ve been keeping all of this in since the ball.

“Did you consider any of this, or were you only thinking of your reputation, Charlie?”

“Don’t call me that,” he says through pained words.

“I will. You are not my father. Where is the person who taught us to be compassionate, kind, thoughtful? And this.” I motion to my family. “This just drives the nail further into the coffin.” I shake my head. “Not being invited. I didn’t do anything wrong. Loving someone is not a crime. But you are punishing me. I made a simple mistake of keeping Knox and me a secret for longer than expected to give you more time to deal with our family dramas. Because there is always something.

“But I am done with it all. I can’t do it anymore.” I make a decision I know I will regret for the rest of my life, but I say it anyway. It's the only way I will survive. “I don’t want to be part of the dance school anymore. Buy me out. I need the money.”

“No!” Eden runs across the kitchen floor. “That will never happen.”

“I don’t care.” I shrug my shoulders. “Buy me out. You have four weeks to make it happen. I don’t want to do any more classes either. I quit.”

I pull my studio keys out of my wool coat and throw them on the counter.

“This way I won’t have to teach all the people who have done nothing but talk about me for the last two weeks. I fell in love with a man you don’t approve of, Dad. Your friend. That was all. And I kept it from you. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I still love you, but I can’t pretend to like what you did. Knox didn’t push me away. He did what you asked him to do. He’s a selfless man. You see what a great guy Lincoln is. It’s because of Knox. Knox sacrificed everything for Lincoln. He’s a true family man, and he believes this is where I should be. With you. You all think you know what is right for me, but you don’t. I love him more than anything and now I have no one. Not even you guys. He wasn’t just a chapter in my life. He was rewriting my story. Our story.”

My dad looks defeated, immobile. He stares at me.

“This town is toxic. I’m selling the house and moving a few towns over. Bayview is beautiful. And I’ll rent. Start again. And Tabitha can continue talking crap about me, destroy other people’s lives with her ugly lies, and she gets to carry on as normal. But I’ll rebuild. I’ll be fine. I have my boys. And you can all have each other. So you stand there, Charlie Wallace. Stand there and be too proud to admit you messed up. But I’m not. I messed up and my life is a mess, but I’m not ashamed or too proud to admit those things. Because you brought me up better than that. You taught me how to be independent and strong. So that’s what I will be.”

My tears haven’t stopped, and neither Ella nor my mom can say anything as their emotions reflect mine. Ella is sobbing in Fraser’s arms and my mom’s hand is over her heart.

“I have to go fetch the boys. Have a nice night. Have your lawyer get in touch with mine about the studio. It’s Veronica Evans that is dealing with my divorce. And Mom.” I turn to her. “Thank you for taking the boys for sleepovers the past few months. I am very grateful.”

I have nothing left to say.

I leave.

And I feel worse than ever.

Raw grief floods my body.

Our family motto is right. Everything in threes is perfect. Omne trium perfectum.

Now it’s just me, Archie, and Hamish.





CHAPTER 28





Eva - Nine Hours Later

“Eva, Ewan’s been in a car crash. He’s in the hospital” It’s Ewan’s mother, Frances.

Instantly awake, I flip the bed covers off me and leap out of the side of the bed.

“What happened? Is he okay?” I ask and tuck my phone between my ear and shoulder.

Scrambling about in the dark, I grab my yoga pants and hoodie off the bedroom chair.

“They found his car flipped upside down in the field on the bad bends at McGregor’s fruit farm. We don’t know any more than that. It’s been snowing tonight.”

“What was he doing out at this time of the night?” I pull my phone away from my ear to check the time. Three a.m.

“We don’t know.”

“Was he drinking?”

She doesn’t say anything.

“Frances?”

“Yes. His blood alcohol level is three times over the limit.”

I fall onto the edge of the bed. This is bad.

My pulse spins.

“How is he?”

“Can you come to the hospital?”