Until We Die|✔️

49| That's The Biggest Lie

~You touched my heart the most with only your words~

Tobias' PoV
We entered the house only for Eva to go straight upstairs without a word. I let out a sigh and walked towards the room my brothers were gathered in. "You fucked up," Nicholas stated.

"I fucking know that," I snapped at him.

I had to say what I said to act as if she means nothing to me. The moment they realise she actually means something to me, they'll try and take her.

"Fiancée, huh?," Enzo mumbled.

"It just came out. It seemed like the only way for me to protect her," I told them with a heavy sigh. "So did everything else I said."

"She's pretty hurt," Theo added.

"I said what I fucking said to protect her,"
I defended my choice of words. We stayed silent for a moment. "I wish I didn't fucking take her."

"Why did you?," Eros asked.

"Remember what happened the last time we left her home alone," I reminded them.

"Her dads dead," Eros stated.

"Anyone else can take her. If he managed to get this close to her, then anyone else can too."

They fell silent, realising why I couldn't just leave her at home. I couldn't lose her again. But by taking her there, I might've lost her anyway.

"How much did my father owe?," I heard her shaky voice say. I froze, not wanting to answer the question. We all stayed silent for a moment, the boys didn't dare to move or even breathe. I slowly turned to face her.

Her hair was out of the bun and was flowing down her back. She still wore her red dress, the only difference was that she wasn't wearing shoes. Her eyes were puffy and red yet her makeup wasn't ruined or running down her face.

"Evangeline," I breathed out, not knowing what to say. She avoided my gaze, that was pretty clear.

"How much am I worth? That's all I want to know," she said softly. I didn't reply. The boys had left quietly, not wanting to get involved but no doubt were listening from somewhere.

The debt means nothing to me. She's worth a hell of a lot more than the debt but I'll do whatever I can to keep her with me.

"The debt means nothing," I told her. "I needed to keep you safe." She frowned and bit her bottom lip. She stayed silent for a moment.

"You made me feel so disgusted and degraded," she said, her voice cracking slightly. I took a step towards her, wanting to hug her. She held a hand out, stopping me in my tracks. "The words you said, in front of everyone there, made me feel like I'm nothing but an object." She let out a fake angry chuckle as she harshly wiped the tears that fell. "I guess that was expected of you. I don't know why I thought you had changed. You clearly haven't if you paid for me."

"I did it to protect you."

"Maybe," she shrugged. "But I didn't see the need in humiliating me in front of everyone, unless, of course, that was the aim of taking me."

"It wasn't," I assured her even though she clearly didn't believe me.

"You're in the mafia. You use people to clear debts. I don't know why I thought you'd see me as a person and not just as a body for you to use," she spat out.

"Evangeline," I said calmly, knowing full well she's angry and hurting.

"I trusted you! I did. I trusted you with everything and I've never trusted someone before," she laughed at herself. "Look at where trusting you got me."

"Trusting me has gotten you to fall in love with me," I said. "It made you happy."

"You say you were protecting me but I don't see how," she suddenly said, ignoring what I said. "I mean, I'm fine physically but emotionally I'm not. So I don't think you really were protecting me."

"That was something I was willing to risk."

"Did you pay him then?"

"Yeah," I breathed out. I had to pay him otherwise he would've come after her again. I can't kill the fucker either, I'll have too many people after me then. I watched as her body stiffened.

She dragged her expressionless eyes from my collar bone to my eyes and held eye contact with me. "Congratulations, you now own me."

My heart dropped.

Evangeline's PoV
"Congratulations, you now own me," I said feeling completely void of emotions. He paid for me. He made me feel worthless, like I'm nothing even if he says it was to protect me he still said what he did.

I don't even think I have anymore tears left to cry.

I still believe he could've gone another way about the whole thing but he chose to break me down instead. I should've expected this. I don't know why I didn't.

It took me so long and so much hard work to get to this point with myself where I finally feel confident. I finally feel like I mean something and now I just had to be knocked back.

"Don't say that," I heard him say. Keeping my red eyes fixed on his, I didn't move.

"I have nothing else to say but that," I said.

He paid for me. He literally owns me. I won't be caged up again. I can't be. I don't want to be hiding in his shadow.

"I paid for your freedom," he suddenly said.

"You say that now, but in the future, you'll throw it back in my face."

He let out an annoyed sigh. "I said what I did to make him believe that I don't care about you, so he doesn't take you from me."

"You had to make him believe you don't care about me. I think you convinced everyone of that when you spoke about me, my fathers debt and everything else. You even convinced me that you don't care about me."

"Of course I care about you. I love you, Eva," he said desperately, only now realising just how deep he hurt me.

"That's the biggest lie you ever told me."