Page 191 of The Bittersweet Bond

Her gaze drifted from Chris to Dominic… to Bas. She caught the way he tilted his head slightly as he spoke. Chris running a hand through his hair. The knowing grin Dominic shot Bas.

She hated herself for noticing all of it. No, she hated herself for looking at him at all.

Oh, for fuck’s sake… will this ever stop?

A part of her wanted to walk up to him, grab his jacket, push him against the nearest wall, and kiss him until all this restless energy inside her finally burned out. But instead, she stood there, fingers clenched tightly in her pockets, as if that was the only thing keeping her together.

Milka grinned. "So, where's Bellamy? He was supposed to be with you."

"He went to grab something to eat," Dominic answered dryly, nodding toward a small café. "Don’t worry, he’ll show up."

"Oh, right," Milka said breezily, waving it off. "He texted me earlier—guess I forgot." She let out a short laugh, glancing briefly over her shoulder at Evin, who still hadn’t moved.

Ah… Was this all planned?

Evin narrowed her eyes slightly and started toward them—maybe to confront Milka, maybe just to anchor herself in the conversation. But her feet dragged like something invisible was holding her back.

Then she felt it.

Bas’ gaze.

Like a magnet pulling her in, impossible to ignore.

She could feel it, even through the blur of passing strangers and the hum of voices around them.

And when their eyes finally met, Evin held her breath. Everything else fell away. No noise, no movement—just him. His blue eyes locked onto hers, steady but not cold. There was something else in them. Something she couldn’t quite name.

One single heartbeat.

Then, he looked away. His lips curled slightly into a half-smirk before he turned back to Dominic.

Evin clenched the fabric of her jacket, as if she could physically hold herself together.

Chris smirked at Milka. "So, you guys are coming tomorrow, right?"

Evin blinked, her mind still not caught up with the conversation.

"What are you talking about?" Milka frowned.

Chris looked genuinely surprised. "Dominic’s party. You’re coming, aren’t you?"

Dominic, who had just positioned himself next to Bas with his arms crossed, suddenly straightened up. His gaze flickered between Chris and the girls, a hint of confusion on his face. “No, because I don’t need drama at my party...” His tone wasn’t aggressive, but his message was clear. To him, they weren’t on the guest list.

Evin raised an eyebrow but only shook her head, letting out a dry laugh. “If that’s the case, you might want to uninvite yourself.”

“After the spectacle at the charity event, you should do yourself a favor and stay away from all parties,” Dominic shot back.

“Dom!” Bas cut in, his tone sharp as he placed a firm hand on Dominic’s shoulder. “You’re losing touch with reality again.”

“Maybe he’s the most realistic of all of us,” Evin muttered, a tinge of embarrassment creeping into her voice. “I wasn’t planning on coming anyway, don’t worry, Dom.”

Lie.

Truth was, she would’ve liked to go. Rafael hadn’t been wrong. The distraction might’ve helped. It could have eased some of the tension that had been suffocating her for weeks.

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Sebastian

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