Page 150 of The Bittersweet Bond

“Do you really think I’ll just let that slide?”

“Bas.” Her voice was firmer now. She stepped closer, forcing him to meet her gaze. “It’s over. I handled it. You were there. You saw him leave. Why isn’t that enough for you?”

“Because he should have never been here in the first place!”

Bas’ voice rose before he exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening.

“Evin, you don’t get it. People like him don’t just disappear. They come back.”

“And what do you want to do?”

Her eyes flashed, her voice slicing through the night.

“Go after him? Show him that he got to you exactly the way he wanted? You’d be playing right into his hands, Bas. That helps no one. Least of all me.”

That hit him.

His chest rose and fell heavily as her words echoed in his mind.

Why does she want to brush this off so quickly? She saw him—she knows what he’s capable of.

“So you want me to do nothing?” he finally asked, his voice low but charged. “Just watch as he gets closer and closer to you? As he...”

He bit down on his tongue, the words stuck in his throat.

Evin placed a hand on his arm—gentle, but with enough pressure to make him pause.

“I need you, Bas. But not if you’re going to fight this battle for me. This is mine, not yours.”

He let out a bitter laugh, pulling his arm away.

“Your battle?” His voice was rough, his eyes burning with frustration. “You talk like you can stop him. But you can’t, Evin. People like him only understand one thing.”

“Then let me be the one to speak it.”

Her voice trembled slightly, but her gaze held steady.

“You have to trust me, Bas. I know how hard that is for you. But I can do this.”

He wanted to argue, wanted to prove to her that she was wrong.

But her gaze stopped him.

That determination, that strength radiating from her—it had him in a chokehold. At the same time, a part of him was fighting against the instinct to protect her, no matter what she said.

“I want you to promise me you won’t be alone if he shows up again.”

His voice was quieter, but the weight of his words was undeniable.

Evin nodded slowly.

“I promise you.”

Her voice was calm, almost gentle.

“And you have to promise me that you won’t act without me.”

Bas hesitated, narrowing his eyes as he studied her.

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