Chapter 906

Evelyn Sinclair hesitated this time.

If Preston Sinclair saving her during the car accident in Sandford was just a coincidence, then what about now?

He could have stayed away. Why did he come?

His arrival was like a beacon cutting through the storm, pulling her back from the edge. The silence between them stretched for seconds.

Preston finally spoke, his voice smooth and steady.

"Yesterday was my birthday. I wanted to have dinner with you. Maybe even a late-night snack if we got lucky."

His gaze was unbearably tender. A slow smile curved his lips when he saw Evelyn’s stunned expression.

"I couldn’t find you, but I refused to give up. Isabella Montgomery’s staff said you went to a bar. The bartender told me you left with Sebastian Hart. His housekeeper said you both came up here to watch the meteor shower..."

His brow furrowed slightly, frustration flickering across his face before he chuckled.

"At first, I almost gave up. Then I checked the weather forecast—no meteor shower, just heavy rain and mudslide warnings. I called you. No answer. So I came myself."

Evelyn opened her mouth, then closed it. A simple thank you felt hollow. Insufficient.

Preston had retraced every step she took. Knowing the danger, he still came without hesitation.

A sharp ache pressed behind her ribs. Her throat tightened.

Preston was pouring everything into this one-sided pursuit, while she kept him at arm’s length.

His devotion was so raw it reminded her of her own past self.

Something thin and sharp twisted in her chest, squeezing until it hurt to breathe.

She met his eyes, lips pressed tight. "Preston... why are you so good to me?"

From the start, she had never given him hope.

So why did he still love her?

Preston paused. Then his mouth curved into that warm, knowing smile.

"Does love need a reason?"

"At first, I thought it was because of Oliver," Evelyn admitted.

Preston’s lashes lowered briefly before he looked up, amused. "Did I really give off that impression? If you need a reason... it was that first day at the hotel. That unshakable pride of yours, the way you refused to compromise. And when I learned about your past, it broke my heart."

When had he started loving her? Even Preston couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment.

But the deeper he fell, the more certain he became—he was in too deep to walk away.

That was why, even against Nathan Blackwood, he wouldn’t back down.

Unless Evelyn herself rejected him, he wouldn’t stop.

Her lashes fluttered. A faint gloss shimmered over her eyes, though her expression remained composed.

Inside, though, everything was shaking.

After a long silence, she finally spoke. "Preston... loving someone is hard. Especially when their heart belonged to someone else first."

It was a cruel feeling. A man like Preston didn’t deserve that pain.

His hand settled over hers—the first time he’d ever touched her without permission.

Evelyn tensed slightly but didn’t pull away. She just watched him, waiting.