Contracted To You-Chapter 57: To Be Proven Right

Evie had an important meeting that day. Lately, she had been pouring all her energy into her work and doubling her income. It was time to focus on herself and her life for once, instead of being tangled up with men who offered her nothing but trouble.

First, there was Derek—she didn’t even want to think about him. Then there was Ezra, and she definitely didn’t want to revisit that chaos.

She craved freedom, free from anyone’s thoughts occupying her mind. And she had been achieving that goal; she stopped caring about distractions. She was working, enjoying time with Ruby, shopping, and pursuing things that truly made her happy. Maybe this life was exactly what she needed.

Today, she was heading somewhere, but she wasn’t in a rush.

Unfortunately, the car she had taken broke down. Evie could have easily flagged down another car, but the driver, desperate to fix the situation, begged her to wait. She obliged, sensing that he was struggling and that life was tough for him. She sighed, wishing for better days for everyone deserving of it.

Now standing outside the car, she shielded her eyes from the sun while awaiting the driver, who had dashed off to seek help. She glanced around absentmindedly.

Suddenly, she heard someone call her name.

"Evie." Her eyebrows knitted together. Could that voice really belong to Ezra? Her heart raced at the thought. After hanging up abruptly the last time he called, she never expected to hear his voice again.

Was he stalking her?

Couldn’t he just let her be?

When she finally turned around, it was indeed Ezra standing there. Her heart nearly leaped from her chest.

"Ezra?" She asked, disbelief lacing her tone.

He looked different; tired and disheveled, not the composed man she remembered. But why did that matter to her?

Evie turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. "What are you doing, Ezra?" she snapped, glaring at him.

"Wait," he pleaded.

"Wait for what? Why should I even consider it?" She yanked her hand away. "I told you I wanted nothing to do with you. Just leave me alone," she insisted, her voice weary yet firm.

"Please," she added one last time, attempting to walk away, but Ezra wouldn’t budge. He pulled her close, pressing her against the car, towering over her. They were mostly hidden from view, but that didn’t seem to concern him.

"I need you to listen," Ezra said, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You’re really heartless, you know that?" His brow furrowed in frustration.

"I tried reaching out to you countless times, only to receive silence in return. Why are you trying to drive me insane?"

Evie took a steadying breath, meeting his intense gaze. "You’re driving me insane. I miss having you around, Evie. I hate the silence, the emptiness. We aren’t how we used to be," he admitted, his frustration palpable.

"And how did we use to be?" Evie shot back, leaving him momentarily speechless. "In case you’ve forgotten, our relationship was a facade," she retorted, pushing against his chest.

"You think I’m heartless? You have a child, and I only find out about it when I see your ex embracing you," she continued.

Ezra pinched his brows, trying to contain the frustration brewing inside him.

Evie continued, "Do you realize how shattering that was for me? I genuinely believed we had something meaningful, something real. But you proved to be just like the others—full of secrets and deception."

"I didn’t know. I had no idea," Ezra said. "I swear, I want you to believe me. I wasn’t aware Dawn would show up that day. I was completely in the dark about having a child."

Evie watched him closely, weighing his words with her heart racing.

"Even if that were true, there’s nothing that can be done now. It has been confirmed that Noah is your child. Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is for me to still stick around after everything? Dawn is his mother, and sooner or later, you’ll marry her," Evie stated firmly, her heart aching with each word. Suddenly, Ezra leaned in and kissed her, cutting off her sentences.

Evie was taken aback, her eyes widening in disbelief. What was he thinking? Did he even consider the situation before acting like this? She pushed him away with all her strength and glared at him.

Ezra sighed. "I’m not marrying Dawn. And while I don’t want to offend you, I suspect there’s more to this than we know. Just know, Evie, I won’t give up on us."

"What exactly is it that you suspect?" Evie asked, despite herself. She didn’t want to care about his life anymore, but the question slipped out.

"It’s about Dawn. I don’t buy her claim that Noah is my son," Ezra said, and Evie’s confusion showed. How could he doubt that Noah was his child? Ezra had done the math—his time with Dawn and the timeline just didn’t add up for her to be pregnant with his child.

"But the DNA results confirmed it; it was all over the internet," Evie challenged. Ezra nodded; he knew it was true. He had undergone DNA testing at three different hospitals, all yielding the same result, but he refused to accept it.

"I understand that, but I still don’t trust her. It’s Dawn—she’s capable of anything," Ezra said. "I’m conducting my own investigation. I just hope to be proven right."

"And if that happens?" Evie pressed, her heart racing at the thought. Would they just resume their fake relationship? It was all so confusing.

"Then we’ll be together again, Evie. Alright?" he said, his tone earnest. Evie remained silent, swallowing hard. What did that actually mean for them?

"Trust me on this," he insisted, pulling her into a hug.

She froze, uncertain of how to respond. She hadn’t expected to be talking to Ezra again after their last encounter.

He had always said he didn’t know, that he was shocked when Dawn had hugged him. He suspected Noah wasn’t his son.

Evie wrestled with her feelings. Did she really want to trust him again, or would that make her a fool?

Yet, deep down, she still liked him.

Her heart raced in the embrace, and she hesitated, her hand halfway up to hug him back, but pride held her back.

What if Ezra was right, and Noah wasn’t his son? Even if that turned out to be true, could she return to him? As they stood there, memories and warmth flooded back.

"Madam," called someone, snapping Evie back to reality. She quickly pushed Ezra away, blinking as if caught doing something wrong, turning to the driver who had come back after looking for help.

The driver glanced between her and Ezra, clearly confused but chose not to ask. "I couldn’t find any assistance," he said.

"What’s wrong?" Ezra asked, focusing on Evie.

"The car has issues, and he went to find help," she explained, licking her lips nervously.

"I’ll check it," Ezra offered, and Evie had no choice but to allow it, she didn’t want to keep waiting after all.

He quickly moved to the front of the car and lifted the bonnet. The driver watched intently, and Evie too watched as Ezra examined the engine with the precision she knew he possessed.

Sunlight caught his features as he squinted, revealing a sense of burden that hadn’t escaped her notice. He looked different—like he had been through a lot since their last time together. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Stop it, Evie. She reprimanded herself inwardly. Why was she empathizing with him? This was ridiculous.

Her gaze shifted back to Ezra when he climbed into the car and started the engine. It roared to life, coaxing a smile from her—only for her to mask it when he turned to her with that infuriating smirk.

"Thanks, sir," the driver said to Ezra as he stepped out, clearly impressed.

"You need to handle this like I did if you face this issue again, but honestly, it’s best to take it for a proper repair," Ezra advised the man. The man bowed in appreciation, while Ezra waved off the gratitude.

His attention shifted to Evie. She gulped, gathering her resolve. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"Madam, we should leave now," the driver instructed Evie, to which she nodded in agreement as he moved to his seat. Before she could step into the back, Ezra stopped her.

"What is it now?" Evie asked, her tone edged with uncertainty. Without answering, Ezra leaned in and kissed her, igniting heat in her cheeks and causing her heart to race. Despite herself, her lips parted, welcoming his tongue as he cupped her face firmly.

She knew this wasn’t right, but the longing for Ezra and his kiss overwhelmed her.

"Ezra," she moaned, caught in the moment. He had no intention of breaking away, just as she didn’t want him to. But they had to.

After a lingering moment, he pulled back slowly, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "Wait for me," he murmured.

"If you take too long, you just might not see me again," Evie countered, meeting his gaze.

A smile appeared on his lips as she turned to enter the car. With one last look, the vehicle sped off, leaving Ezra behind, his eyes following its path.

Suddenly, it felt as though the weight of the world had lifted. Did Evie mean they could truly find their way back to each other? If so, he was determined to prove that Dawn had entered his life under false pretenses and wanted nothing more than to drive a wedge between him and Evie.

As Ezra began to head back, he abruptly stopped when he spotted Dawn standing across from him, arms crossed and a frown plastered on her face.

Had she witnessed the entire interaction?

How did she even know where he was?