Evelyn
Jacob’s brows rose slightly, and he hurriedly stepped closer, slipping his arm around my waist as if afraid I might collapse. His hand cupped my face, his thumb brushing gently against my cheek as he met my eyes. He already looked dead worried.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered, trying to calm me down, “Breathe, baby. Just breathe.”
It was only then that I realized I wasn’t breathing. I’d been holding it in-along with the panic, the fear, the overwhelming dread. My hands trembled, my knees threatened to give out, and my breaths came in shallow, broken gasps. I didn’t feel like myself. I didn’t feel human.
Tyler was out of jail.
The memory hit me like a slap. The text he’d sent me the day I left Italy surged through my mind, dragging me deeper into panic.
“It might be over for now, but not forever. One way or another, you will be mine, Evelyn. Just wait and watch-I will be back.”
Oh God…
He was back.
“Jacob,” I whispered, voice cracking. “He’s going to barge into our lives again.” My eyes burned as tears gathered, and my words tumbled out in a frantic rush. “What do we do? He’s going to take everything from you again. We can’t let it happen. We have to do something-now-before it’s too late. Jacob, we have to do something! God! This is terrifying-what would we do. What are we-”
I was spiraling, my thoughts disjointed, my fears blurring together into an overwhelming haze. I kept saying stuff that probably made no sense. I only realized a few things I said. The rest? It was a blur.
Tyler’s face alone was a nightmare etched into my mind. Everything he put us through… it was my worst nightmare brought to life.
The thought of losing Jacob again… it was unbearable.
“Baby, look at me,” Jacob said softly. He guided me down to the couch and pulled me onto his lap, cradling me against his chest as though he could shield me from the weight of my fear. “Nothing’s going to happen. His family might’ve gotten him out, but he has nothing now. No power. No influence. He’s finished-a loser. He can’t touch us, not anymore.”
“No, Jacob… you don’t understand,” I choked out, gripping his shirt. “He’ll come back. He’ll do something-anything-to tear us apart again.” My chest tightened as the words left me, each one laced with dread. “And you… you’ll change again.”
The whisper slipped out before I could stop it. The moment it did, regret flashed in Jacob’s eyes, sharp and unmistakable. He exhaled a slow, heavy sigh, then slid his hand to the back of my head, pulling me close until our foreheads touched.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered, his voice steady and sure. His other hand rubbed slow circles down my spine, grounding me. “I made mistakes before-mistakes that nearly cost me everything. I won’t let that happen again. You and our baby… you’re my whole world, Evelyn. Nothing can change that. No one can take that away from us.”
He said it with such conviction that, for a moment, the fear loosened its grip.
But Tyler was out there now.
And I couldn’t shake the dread that this was only the beginning.
“You don’t understand…” My voice cracked, “He’ll come back. He’ll find a way to tear us apart again.” My eyes filled with tears. We’d finally found happiness-finally made it through the storm-and now this. I couldn’t lose Jacob. “You’ll… change again.”
Regret flashed in his eyes. He let out a soft sigh, cradling my head and pressing our foreheads together.
“I won’t,” he murmured, his hand tracing soothing circles along my spine. “I made mistakes before, but I won’t make them again. You and our baby are my world. Nothing could make me push you away.”
He sounded so sure now… but what if Tyler tried the same tricks? What if Jacob lost himself like before?
“What if Tyler does it again?” I asked, dread coiling in my chest. A tear slipped down my cheek. “What if he finds a way to get to us? I can’t go through that again, Jacob. We’re finally happy. I can’t lose this.”
Jacob cupped my face, his eyes steady. “You won’t lose it,” he promised. “Tyler has no power anymore. His family cut ties with him when the media uncovered his lies-they have got him out just because of the constant pressure from media, the negative effect it was bearing on them. And Tyler’s business? It’s gone. He’s got nothing to use against us. Trust me.”
“You knew he was out?” My heart lurched.
Jacob sighed and kissed the corner of my mouth. “Yeah,” he admitted. “I knew from the start, but I didn’t want you to worry.”
“I’m scared,” I whimpered, burying my face in his chest. My fingers clung to his shirt like a lifeline. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had to go through this pregnancy alone. I just want peace, Jacob. For us. For our child. Please don’t let him get to us again, Jacob! Please!”
“I promise, I won’t and I also promise that we will only have peace in our life. Nothing can ruin what we have,” he said softly, though his voice carried the weight of a vow. “I won’t let anyone take this from us. I’ve already put protections in place. Tyler can’t get near us.”
“I love you,” I whispered. “Please don’t leave me again.”
He tightened his embrace and kissed my temple. “I love you too, baby. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll get through this together.”
“I won’t,” he whispered, his voice gentle yet heavy with the weight of a promise-a vow that no one would steal our happiness. “You don’t have to worry about anything, baby. I’ve already taken care of everything.”
I said softly, “Don’t leave me again, please. I can’t live without you.”
“I can’t live without you either, baby,” he sighed, holding me close and pressing a tender kiss to my temple. “I’ll take care of everything. I promise.”
I nodded, letting his words, his touch, and his warmth soothe me. My heart slowed from its frantic pace, and the tension began to ease. But the shadow of Tyler’s potential return still loomed over me, an unshakable doubt lingering in the corners of my mind.
Are we really over the storm? Or something’s going to drag us deeper?
***
Over the past month, my fear of Tyler had slowly faded. Life had returned to normal-or as normal as it could be with a baby on the way.
My stomach had just begun to round, the tiny bump barely noticeable unless you were looking for it. To anyone else, I probably just looked bloated. But to Jacob? It was everything. He was ecstatic-so much so that he was currently on a shopping spree, arms overloaded with baby clothes.
Not just any baby clothes. Girl clothes.
Jacob was convinced we were having a daughter, and nothing could change his mind.
“Look at these,” he grinned, holding up a pair of pink socks.
I took them, running my fingers over the soft fabric, already picturing my baby’s tiny feet. Our baby. A thrill shot through me, warm and overwhelming. “They’re adorable,” I murmured, unable to stop my smile.
“Then we’re getting them!” He handed them off to the cashier before diving back into more baby essentials.
I trailed behind him, pausing when a row of tiny night suits caught my eye. My fingers brushed against the fabric as the reality hit me all over again. I was going to be a mother. Me. A mother.
It still felt unreal.
A sudden whisper at my ear shattered the moment.
“Good glow, Babymomma.”
The breath against my skin made me whip around, my heart slamming into my ribs.
But he was already gone.
My gaze snapped to the doorway just in time to see a man in a black hoodie slipping out, pulling his hood tighter as he disappeared into the street.
I stood frozen, the words echoing in my head. The voice curling around my spine like ice.
I knew that voice.
I could never forget that voice.
Tyler.