Eva's POV
"What the fuck is this?" His voice booms across the hall, and in two more strides he's in front of me. "What the fuck, Eva?"
Micah shields me. "I suggest you keep your voice down, Stefan."
"Is there a problem here?" The clerk asks, brows pinched in confusion.
"No."
"Yes"
Micah and Stefan respond, and I gulp. Shaky fingers grip the hem of Micah's jacket, fear coursing through my veins.
In all my years of knowing Stefan, I've never seen him this angry. The veins of his neck protrude, thick redness coats his face.
He looks like he could kill, lips curled in a malicious sneer.
"Get the fuck out of my way, Micah," he snarls, shoving Micah.
Micah doesn't budge. "Do you have no decency? Courtesy? A wedding is going on."
"Fuck you!" Stefan spits, then his eyes meet mine from across Micah's shoulders.
My throat goes dry, pulse thumping frantically.
"Explain yourself, Eva."
My jaw tightens, and I force my spine to straighten. "I don't owe you any explanation."
His eyes flash. "Come again?"
"She said she owes you no explanation," Micah snaps. "Leave, Stefan. You had your chance with her and you blew it."
Stefan scoffs. "Wow. I see what this is. You've been after my wife, for a long time-"
"I'm not your wife." I step out from behind Micah. "You lost the right to call me that the moment you put other women above me."
He jerks back like he's been slapped, eyes wide in shock. And then he shakes his head.
"Isn't that hypocritical of you? I'm not the one getting married-"
"What the-"
Squeezing Stefan's arm gently, I shake my head at him. "I'll handle him."
Micah nods. Stefan cackles like a maniac, loud and obnoxious.
"You'll handle me?" He snorts. "You? The woman who's never spoken up for herself? The woman who begs people to stay in her life?"
Words get stuck in my throat, eyes burning with unshed tears. Every word he speaks cuts, everything he says is true.
His lips curl. "Micah is not better than me either. He's gonna leave you, the way everyone leaves you."
My lips wobble, a tear slipping free, but I steel my spine, chin up. "You're right. But you didn't leave me, Stefan. I..." I jerk a finger to my chest, "I left you. I left your cheating, pathetic ass. I stood up for myself against you-"
"And you're gonna come back, Eva."
Maybe I planned to if he apologized and changed, but not anymore. Not when he chooses not just to hurt me with his actions, but with words.
Not when he puts me down, aiming to tear me down, to rip my soul from my body.
I won't give him that satisfaction.
"I'd rather die," I spit, swiping a harsh hand across my face. "No one will love you the way I did, Stefan. No one will put up with you, and your horrible family the way I did."
Stefan's eyes darken, pupils blown. His fists clench at his side, muscles so tense he visibly vibrates. For a second, I think he'll hit me.
But he doesn't. "You know nothing about family. After all, you killed our family before it even begun-"
My heart stops. "D-don't."
"You," he hisses, "killed our baby."
That statement-spat out with so much hatred, disdain-lands like a weight in the room. It pierces into my soul, and it yanks at my heart.
For a second I don't hear anything else except those words ringing in my mind, over and over, and over.
I'm numb, unseeing, unfeeling. I don't feel the tears that roll down my cheeks, I physically can't.
The memory of that night bulldozes into my mind, and I'm plummeted back into that taxi, my side of the car slammed by another vehicle.
"That's enough, Stefan." Micah's voice pulls me back to the present. "Leave or I'll have to send my men in in."
Stefan's jaw ticks. "You're going to regret this, Eva. You too, Micah."
"Get out."
Stefan scoff, shakes his head and storms out of the premises.
Micah immediately pulls me into his arms, and I break. Guttural sobs rip from my throat as I grip his clothes will all my might.
"I..I d-didn't kill my b-baby," I hiccup, tears soaking the collar of his shirt. "I swear, Micah, I d-didn't..."
He rubs my back, drawing soothing circles. "Hey, hey. You didn't, I know that."
"I didn't kill my baby."
The words don't stop falling from my lip, they're broken, cracked but I don't stop saying it. Almost like I'm trying to convince myself, to assure myself that I didn't kill my child.
But the guilt doesn't let the assurance take hold. The guilt of being in that car, the guilt of not driving myself that night...god, it wraps around my chest, it gnaws at me.
And I know that I'm the one responsible for that miscarriage. I'm the one responsible for the loss. It's all my fault.
I'm lifted off my feet, carried bridal style by Micah.
"Let's take you home," he murmurs, and says something to the clerk I had totally forgotten about.
Soon, I'm placed in the car. But it's not any better, the accusation has etched itself deep in my chest.
Fears that I had have been confirmed. Stefan blames me for the loss of our child. And deep down, I know that our marriage broke because of that.
It's my fault and I deserve everything that has happened. Who am I to be happy? When I...I killed my baby.
"Eva," Micah calls softly.
I don't respond, staring out of the window as we drive.
This...this was a horrible idea.
"I d-don't think I can do this." My voice breaks, fresh tears falling.
He pauses. "Stefan is a tool, Eva. You can't take to mind what he says."
"He's not wrong."
"Surely, you can't believe you killed your baby, Eva."
When I don't respond again, he tilts my chin, eyes soft yet burning with quiet determination, and subtle hints of rage.
"Listen to me, and listen well, Eva..." he whispers. "You're Eva Valentine, a beautiful woman with an even more beautiful heart. You carried your pregnancy with so much grace, and so much love..."
My lips wobble, a tear drops.
He catches it with his thumb, and continues. "I watched you glow with that baby. And I know that baby was loved for the few months it was inside of you."
A choked sob leaves my lips. "M-Micah..."
His words calm the storm in my mind, they settle something in the pit of my stomach.
"You're perfect, Eva. So fucking perfect," he says, "and do you know what else you are?"
I sniffle, swiping my tongue against my salty lips.
His eyes dip to them, and back up to my eyes, jaw tightening.
"You're strong. And you're going to show Stefan what he missed out on. He's going to come back, Eva...even if he has to crawl on his fucking knees."
My head jerks on a soft nod, and I wipe my tears.
"So, what do you say? Are you ready to be Mrs Grayson? Are you ready to ruin Stefan?"
For all the hurt Stefan has caused me, all the messes I had to clean up after him, all the fights I had to endure.
Inhaling deeply, I make up my mind.
Then, I nod.
"Yes."
