My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 72 The Breaking Point

Evelyn

I awoke to the relentless throbbing of a headache, a painful reminder of the copious amounts of alcohol I had consumed the night before. It was clear to me that even an elephant would have felt the effects of my indulgence. However, oddly enough, this pounding headache had its silver lining-it provided a convenient distraction from the hazy recollections of last night's events. I wouldn't claim complete amnesia, but yes, did I choose not to summon the fragmented memories into focus? Yes.

After a quick shower, I reluctantly walked down the stairs, wondering why I had woken up early. But any remorse for the early hour evaporated swiftly, as my stomach growled like a ferocious beast demanding its due.

I needed food— tons of it even though I didn't have much appetite. Was this how depression worked? I had no idea since I didn't find it fair to call myself depressed.

I had everything to make me happy, except for just...a man.

Upon reaching the kitchen and pouring myself a glass of refreshing orange juice, suddenly I found myself being jolted by the sound of hushed voices, conversations that seemed tinged with guilt and regret.

What the heck was going on?

My brows furrowed as I placed the glass down on the counter but then....a familiar voice reached my ears.

"It was a mistake, Samuel. I didn't intend for it to come before you like this. It just happened, I am sorry" -It was Jacob.

Oh, shit!

My gaze darted toward the window, offering a view of the pool area, and a very strange sight.

My heart plummeted as I took in the scene-Jacob, my father, my mother, and Clara, who stood in the corner with a deeply troubled expression. We were so done!

"Getting involved with my daughter a mistake?" Dad demanded, his teeth clenched, and fists balled at his sides. And then I watched in horror as without any warning, his fist shot forward, colliding with Jacob's face. "That's my fucking daughter, you bastard!"

Jacob staggered backward from the force of the punch, his face contorting in pain, a fresh cut appearing at the corner of his lips.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Without wasting a single heartbeat, I bolted outside like the wind, leaving behind the pounding headache and the remnants of my hangover, which dissipated into the ether like a mere puff of smoke.

"Samuel, what are you doing? Please, calm down," Clara rushed to stop my Dad but he didn't budge. My mother stood frozen, her face a canvas painted with an array of bewildering emotions. It was fishy but I didn't have time to spare for her right now.

As for me, I stood there, stunned, unable to take another step or muster the will to halt Dad's rampage. I had never witnessed him so consumed by anger, so utterly devoid of the calm and control that defined him.

I already knew it. I was screwed-so fucking screwed.

Dad wrested his hands from Clara's grasp, his gaze fixed on Jacob. He was not going to stop today.

Jacob attempted to speak, but Dad beat him to the punch, both verbally and physically, "How could you fucking do this?! You've known her since she was a child. You despicable filthy bastard! I trusted you! Did you not even once before getting into this shit?!" Another blow landed on Jacob's face, and this time, blood marred his knuckles, mingling with the crimson streak on the corner of Jacob's mouth.

Oh no...

Jacob exhaled heavily, restraining himself, not making a single move. I couldn't decide whether to be grateful that he didn't escalate the violence or to implore him to avoid the blows. If he had joined the fray, this would have indeed turned into a full-blown brawl, far worse than the chaos before me.

"Samuel, look...I'm sorry. I never wanted you to find out like this... but it just happened, alright?" Jacob's voice wavered with the slightest hint of regret, "I know words won't suffice for an explanation, and honestly, there's not much to explain. I have already admitted it was a mistake, I know fucked up but I ended it... just to set things right."

"Set things right? How in the world do you plan to set any shit right after fucking up everything in the first place? First, you lead her on, and then you play the saint by breaking it off to 'fix' everything?!" It seemed that Jacob's response had the unfortunate effect of further enraging my Dad, "Don't even dare to act like you did it for her."

"Look, it's not like "

"I might have even considered forgiving everything at some point if you genuinely had feelings for her, but you, you heartless, callous bastard! How dare you do that to my daughter? Do you have any idea of how I raised her? None. Not even a soul has been allowed to harm a single strand of her hair, and here you are, tearing her apart to the point where she drowns herself in alcohol to forget the shit you put her through! " Dad shoved Jacob and delivered yet another punishing blow, "Stop hiding behind your lies. You just needed a distraction from your fucking ex, and you found my Evelyn perfect for that. You sick fuck!"

"Samuel, please, let's discuss this somewhere else," Clara made another desperate attempt to stop him.

"Stay the fuck out of it, Clara."

"Samuel, I've already admitted it was a mistake, and I realised it too late. I never wanted to hurt her, but I believed it was for the best," Jacob sighed.

For the best? Was he out of his mind too?

"It wasn't a mistake, you despicable piece of shit! You're not some naive eighteen-year-old making foolish errors. You're a grown man who knew exactly what he was doing the entire time. You did it because it's who

you are a selfish, untrustworthy, and utterly

ovel

irresponsible bastard!" Dad seethed with fury, his eyes blazing as if he wanted nothing more than to tear Jacob to shreds, "How long have you had your eyes on her, huh? Have you had those thoughts about her since she was a child? Like some bloody pedophile?"

to

"Are you even listening to yourself, Samuel?!" This was when Jacob's voice turned steely, and his gaze turned fierce, "I never saw her that way when she was a child, okay?! Don't you dare fucking label me like that."

This was not going to end well....

"I think labelling you a pedophile is pretty fair considering what you've done," Dad shot back, his anger boiling over, "You took advantage of my daughter, engaged in this deceitful game behind my back, al while pretending to be my friend and even allowed your shitty ex to insult my Evelyn. And now, you have the audacity to show no remorse for your actions? What the hell is wrong with you? I think it's not even your fault—I should've realized that getting adopted into a good family doesn't necessarily make you different, the blood in your veins is still tainted with that criminal's, isn't it?"

Jacob's jaw tightened, his muscles tensed, and his eyes darkened.

"Samuel, don't push this too far!"

"You're the one who crossed the line by getting involved with my daughter!"

As he landed another punch on Jacob's face, Jacob retaliated with one of his own.

Fuck, this was going too far!

Before I knew it, Clara and I had rushed forward to separate them. Both men were pummeling each other like raging bulls, too fast for me to fully process. Blood now stained both of their knuckles, Jacob's lips were split, and Dad's cheek was crimson. They were attacking each other as if they didn't have care for this world.

"Dad... Jacob... please, stop!" I pleaded, attempting to pry my Dadaway, but he remained unyielding. Clara managed to pull my dad back slightly, while I positioned myself between the two of them, ensuring they couldn't reach each other again.

"Stay the fuck out of it, Evelyn!" My dad's glare bore into me as he tried to push me away, but I refused to back down.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"Please, Dad, just listen to me, please—"

"I told you to stay the fuck out of it, Evelyn, didn't I?!"

"Dad please listen to me once, I-"

"Stay the fuck...out of it!" He raised his voice.

"No, I won't stay out of it because it's about me!" I finally shouted, my frustration and concern pushing me to my limit, "You two are fighting like wild animals because of me, and I can't just stand here silently and watch this unfold. I can't."

While my Dad appeared on the brink of losing control, my words somehow held him back, though Jacob remained silent. With a quiet hiss, he wiped the blood from his lips and fixed his piercing gaze on my dad.

The tension was palpable. They still were more interested in fighting.

"You don't have a say in this after what you've done," Dad spat, "You've dug yourself into a deep hole, and now let me handle it. Just go to your damn room."

"No, you can't just handle it because it's my situation," I insisted. "It's not solely his fault; I...I was the one who pursued him, foolishly chasing after him. That was all on me. And it turns out he still loves his ex. That's the only issue...nothing else."

"I can't believe this," Dad chuckled bitterly. "You're still trying to defend him? Are you naive? I overheard the two of you last night. Don't think for a second that I confronted this bastard without knowing the truth. So, stop lying, Evelyn. Don't make things worse than they already are."

So, that's how he found out... I had enough reasons to regret last night, and now I have one more.

"But....By fighting like this, you two are already making it worse, Dad. I didn't tell you the whole story for a reason, because I knew I made a mistake, and I didn't want things to turn out like this. I kept my mistake hidden, along with the consequences, because at least that way, you wouldn't lose a friend, and

ake

you wouldn't have to deal with all this crap!" My voice quivered as I fought back tears. "Yes, I love him. I fell for him, but he never did. He and I both screwed up in different ways. If he's to blame, then I am too. Instead of digging into this filth, I wanted to keep it covered up so that

no one else had to witness this."

"If this bastard knew he had no feelings for you, he shouldn't have strung you along. He shouldn't have made those empty promises, and pretended to be someone he wasn't. He did exactly what his damn ex did to him and went back to that same bitch," Dad growled, making another attempt to approach Jacob, "Does my daughter look like a toy to you, you sick bastard? I'll make you regret this, Jacob. You have no idea what you've done!"

"Samuel, please, just calm down," my mother interjected, her expression wavering, seemingly unable to meet my gaze or Jacob's. What was going on with her? "Let's sit down and talk about this."

Was she out of her mind? Hell, she was! Or else, how could she suggest we all sit down in this situation?

Before any of us could respond, Chloe entered the scene, her eyes widening at the sight of the blood on Jacob's lips. She rushed toward him. "Babe... What happened? My God, you're bleeding." She reached out to touch him, but Jacob recoiled, his anger showing no sign of diminishing.

"Even your girlfriend's here now," Dad spoke up, letting out a small laugh that had no humour, "I don't think there's much left to say. You two-pack your bags and leave."

I didn't know how but I just knew that things were about to take a turn for the worse.