Page 58 of The Bittersweet Bond

Why?

"No, I'm staying out here, and tell everyone else to leave us alone!" Bas commanded, nodding for Dominic to go back inside.

What was all of this about?

"I should go," Evin stated stiffly, surprising even herself. She grabbed her bag with mechanical precision, unsure of her next move. Then he said her name again. "Evin." She froze. Her skin tingled as her name slipped from his lips like a betrayal. How dare he address her after everything, as if a few words could erase all that had happened?

"It wasn’t my intention," Bas said. His words hung in the air, as if he really believed they could mend something. She felt his gaze on her and resented him for it. Yet, she hated herself even more for not meeting his eyes. If she did, he would see everything—her pain, her disappointment, her anger. It enraged her how her body betrayed her, responding to him despite everything.God, she wanted to despise him.

"Not your intention?" Evin scoffed bitterly, her laugh sharp enough to cut deeper than any words.She forced herself to meet his gaze, refusing to back down

"What then, Bas? Was it all just a mistake? A little joke that you think you can just take back?"—her thoughts drifting to Dominic.

His lips parted slightly, as if he had something to say. But, as always, nothing came. He never had the right words when it actually counted.

Evin exhaled sharply. His face was a mask, but she thought she caught a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Or was she imagining it? How many times had she trusted him only to be let down?

Heat flushed her face with frustration.

“Of course not,” she added with a sneer. Her heart raced, and her voice turned icy. “Of course not,” she repeated, her words dripping with scorn.

“Big balls yesterday. No balls today.”

Evin shook her head, the weight of disappointment pressing heavily on her shoulders. Enough. This was enough.

Her legs felt heavy, unmovable. "You knew exactly what you were doing."

Bas’s jaw clenched. "They asked," he blurted suddenly, "and my words got twisted. I didn’t say any of that."

His voice faltered, like he barely believed it himself. Was this supposed to be his justification?

"Twisted?" Evin let out a bitter laugh. "As if it wasn’t bad enough that you talked about it at all."

Her anger boiled over, the words spilling out before she could stop them.

"What did you think would happen, Sebastian? That it’d just stay a harmless joke?"

Her eyes blazed with rage. "You told them. You invited them to see me this way! You, with your shitty comments, turned me into something for them to laugh about. Like I’m some kind of object!"

That creeping itch had spread, crawling under her skin, unbearable now.

"I thought…" Her voice cracked.I thought I meant something to you.

Her breathing quickened as she locked eyes with him, her anger and disappointment a wildfire between them.

"Do you know what the worst part is?" Her voice was low, almost flat, but it struck harder than any accusation ever could.

"It’s not just what you said about me. It’s the fact that you didn’t even have the decency to treat me like a person. You never even tried to respect me. Couldn’t have made it any clearer."

Bas flinched—almost imperceptibly—but his jaw remained tight.

For a fleeting moment, his eyes wavered.

Then his expression hardened as footsteps approached.

For a second, she thought he might explode.

Instead, someone else entered the scene.

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