Page 203 of The Bittersweet Bond

“Dancing, for example,” she answered without hesitation. “Training, running—whatever keeps me moving. It helps clear my head. And do you know what's helped me most?” She paused, meeting his eyes directly. “New memories.”

“New memories?” He sounded confused.

“Yes,” Evin confirmed. “I realized what helps most is creating as many new moments as possible. Good moments. Things that distract me, make me forget. And I want…” She stopped, biting her lower lip before continuing. “I want to do everything I can to overwrite every single detail of that night.”

His expression was hard to read—somewhere between agreement and quiet concern. “Evin, I understand you want to leave it behind, but pushing things away isn’t the same as dealing with them.”

“Maybe not,” she replied, sharper than intended, “but it works. I don't want to talk about it—not with a therapist, not with you. I just want it to be over.”

He tilted his head, watching her silently, before finally nodding. “Okay,” he said softly. “If that's your way of coping, then I’m with you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, more to herself than to him. She took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. The touch felt warmer, more meaningful than usual. “I don't want to see it as a part of me anymore. All I really want is for us to create memories that make me feel like I’m more than what happened to me.”

Bas gently squeezed her hand. “Okay, I get it. We'll do that. Together. Promise.”

Evin felt an odd sense of calm settle inside her—not because the problem had disappeared, but because she finally felt he understood her. At least enough to let her move forward—in her own way.

“And I'll make you a promise this time. If pushing it away doesn’t work, we'll come back to dealing with it.”

__________

Sebastian

Evin leaned against Bas’s shoulder, the pendant still clasped in her hand, while the faint voices of the party echoed toward them from afar. The quiet between them felt comforting, yet the fatigue and lingering thoughts about the night made him restless.

“Bas... I don’t want to go back to the others,” she murmured softly but firmly.

He lifted his head to meet her gaze, nodding gently. “Honestly, I’m not in the mood either.”

“Would you drive me home?” She looked up, offering a tender yet resolute smile. “I have practice early tomorrow.”

“Then let’s go,” he answered, standing up and holding out his hand to her. “You know I'll come to your performance, right?” he added casually.

Evin froze for a split second. “Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh God… I wasn’t expecting that!” Her voice trembled slightly as she took his hand and let him pull her up. Clearly, his words had caught her off guard.

“You really thought I’d miss that?”

They walked hand in hand toward the exit, but as they reached Bas’s car, a familiar voice stopped them: “Leaving already?”

“We’re heading out,” Bas replied briefly, nodding toward Chris.

Evin stepped aside slightly, focusing her attention on Ben. The memory of the charity event flashed in her mind—Ben standing in the shadows, speaking to a woman. Who had she been? She hadn’t seen him again after that.

“By the way, where were you at the event?” she asked casually, though her eyes carefully monitored his reaction.

Ben blinked, apparently caught off guard by the question, quickly regaining his usual nonchalant stance. “Oh, here and there. Met a few people, you know. Networking and stuff.” He waved it off with a grin. “Nothing special.”

Evin held his gaze, trying to read between the lines, but Ben avoided her eyes, turning instead toward Bas. “See you tomorrow, right? Don’t oversleep, Montgomery.” He winked playfully.

Bas chuckled dryly. “Don’t worry about me.”

He parked the car by the curb, watching as she slowly unfastened her seatbelt. Every move she made was like a damn piece of art—deliberate, almost hypnotizing. Her eyes met his, big and filled with something unsaid.

When she stepped out, he walked around to meet her, accompanying her to the front door. Her steps were quiet, hesitant, almost careful as she pulled her keys from her pocket. Seeing her like this, fragile yet strong, ignited a burning sensation inside him.

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