My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 66 Revisiting Demons

Evelyn

I had broken the promise-yeah, I was already wasted and feeling absolutely horrible about breaking the commitment I made to my dad. The effects of the liquor were hot and heavy, enveloping me completely. A stranger had his arms wrapped around me from behind, swaying our bodies in sync with the pulsating music that resonated throughout the club. The place was packed, like a colony of huddled penguins, leaving barely any space to move, let alone make my way to the bar for another drink.

All I wanted was more alcohol. I just wanted it. That's it-It was that insatiable craving a strange itch.

Had I already drowned half of the pain away?

I thought I had, until the guy, whose name I hadn't even bothered to catch, yet found it absolutely fucking normal to let him grind against me, spun me around. Our eyes locked; his were a captivating shade of baby blue, but they paled in comparison to the emerald eyes that haunted my dreams and imprisoned my soul.

Okay...so, I still haven't succeeded.

Jacob was still embedded deep in my damn mind.

"You are absolutely stunning," he murmured, his hands descending to my butt, giving them a squeeze before drawing me closer. Our chests collided, and the scent of his cologne enveloped my senses- it was good but not as good as his.

Wasn't this what I wanted? Someone else to make me forget, right? Then why the fuck everything only reminded me of him?

What the hell was wrong with me?!

Even here, amidst the alcohol, under the intoxicating influence of liquor, I still yearned for him to be with me- instead of this guy, I wanted him, holding me in his arms. It was his cologne saturating my senses. His embrace, that skin-to-skin contact, the scent of his breath, and... his lips on mine.

Damn it, I had promised myself that I'd forget him!

Without a second thought, I wound my arms around the guy's neck. One of my hands tangled into his blonde locks-smooth but not as smooth as my heartbreaker's nheless felt good enough between my fingers. Then, I pressed my lips against his.

He responded instantly, his tongue grazing my lips before slipping into my mouth, deepening the kiss.

With each stroke of his tongue, memories flooded my mind-starting from the day his lips first claimed mine in the pool. How his hands explored every inch of my body, and how we spent those nights entwined in my bed, lost in each other, lost in our passion- Jacob Adriano dumped me yet, not even a single strand of my body bothered to forget about him or even make an attempt to do so.

A strange, unsettling sensation gnawed at my core. My skin prickled, but not with desire-instead, it was a feeling that made me want to pull away.

I struggled to force myself to continue kissing the guy, trying to match his pace. But the more I pushed myself into it, the stronger the opposing force became—this force was far more potent, laden with pain and the harsh reality I had been avoiding. Broken hopes and shattered dreams, memories and regrets-it was like a relentless, ferocious beast tearing at me from the inside, rending my insides apart.

As the guy's hand wandered upward, groping my breast, he broke the kiss and trailed his lips down to my exposed neck. Each place his lips touched reminded me of how Jacob had kissed me there-softly and deliberately, leaving his marks that I still had concealed under concealer.

Fuck, he was there, in every beat of my heart. The same heart he didn't give two flying fucks about before crushing it under his feet. Cruelly and absolutely perfectly.

Tears threatened to blur my vision, and I squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to let myself enjoy another man's touch. But as this guy pressed his lips to mine again, it all came crashing down on me. I could never move on from him....

Jacob had indeed ruined me for other men.

I couldn't escape from the harsh reality or the pain. I had to face it, no matter what.

Unable to keep it together any longer, I hastily broke the kiss and pulled away from the guy. My breathing came out in pants, and tears teetered on the edge of rolling down my cheeks, making me appear as the only wreck amidst these people who had come here to enjoy their nights-perhaps not to drown their sorrows because unlike me they might have not gotten their hearts broken by the ones they had loved.

But then again, I knew nothing. I was bad at people or else how had I blindly believed every word Jacob Adriano said, all the way along, concealing his lies?

"Look...I... I can't..." I stammered, struggling to form a coherent sentence.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, stepping closer.

Images of Jacob kept flashing before my eyes, and his cold words swirled inside my head in a loop- a pounding headache attacked me. I couldn't seem to break free from this haze- Clara had said it right- I shouldn't have avoided the pain.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

God, I was fucked up in more ways than one.

"It's nothing. I just... I'm sorry, I can't do this," I smoothed my dress and hair, making a move to leave the club, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to his body. My own body shuddered in disgust. I couldn't stand anyone else's touch on me because it only reminded me of... him.

"Senorita, I can tell you're not a virgin," he chuckled into my ear, his hand slowly creeping down my thigh. His rough fingertips brushed over my skin, making me want to run away and shield myself, "So why don't you drop the act and let me fuck you? I promise, you'll enjoy it."

"Listen," I yanked his grip away from me, "Get away from me."

Just when I had managed to break free from him, he grabbed me again, this time with more force than before. I was already too drunk to maintain my composure. My heart raced, the pain intensified with each passing second, and at this point, I didn't even know if the memories would stop bombarding my head or if I would stay conscious.

"What's with this attitude, huh?" He seized my jaw under his bruising grip. His once-innocent blonde hair falling over his blue eyes now looked anything but innocent like when he'd offered me a drink with a smile, they had seemed harmless, but now they bore a vicious look that sent shivers down my spine, "Stop being so damn difficult," his grip tightened as his other hand snaked around my waist, "I know you want this, so quit these tantrums."

I immediately regretted leaving my purse at the bar. Mason had warned me to keep my phone with me, but I had foolishly put myself in this predicament. Grief had made me blind and these consequences, I didn't know what they were going to do to me— I just wanted to disappear.

"Let go of me, you bastard," I pushed at his chest with all the force I could muster, breaking free from his hold. I stumbled backward, creating a few inches of space between us, nearly bumping into another person.

Rage flashed in his eyes, and his jaw clenched. I knew I couldn't take on this six-foot-tall bastard, so I did the most sensible thing I could think of-I turned around and, navigating through the tightly packed crowd, reached the bar. I hastily grabbed my purse, but before I could find my phone, I spotted that demon approaching me.

"Shit," I muttered, halting in my tracks and quickly changing direction.

It was a challenge to coordinate my movements in my drunken state. I could barely maintain my balance in my high heels; Everything seemed blurred, like a broken television with lines of black appearing on the screen. Damn it, I had never been in a situation like this, so I had no idea what to

do.

I silently thanked the heavens when I

found the backdoor. I slipped out of the club through the narrow exit, heading toward the parking lot. There had to be at least one security guard here, or, if luck was not on my side, none at all. This club seemed like it was still under construction, with the upper floors vacant and in desperate need of work. From the outside, it resembled a den of darkness-a devil's lair. As for Mason's friend? Clearly, it was all a ruse to get here, and now I deeply regretted my decision- I shouldn't have lied.

I could end up getting raped today- the thought itself shook me to my core.

"Where do you think you're going, Senorita?" His voice echoed from behind me, a sinister smirk curling on his lips as he observed my bruised ankles.

"I don't think you can run very far."

God! Save me.

"Please, just leave," I tried to keep my voice steady, to suppress the trembling, but it was a futile effort. I was already shaking uncontrollably. "I... I don't want to do this."

"But I do," he advanced toward me, and I instinctively stepped back. There was nowhere to run, and the fear that fleeing too far might lead to an even worse outcome paralyzed me.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

My back collided with a wall, with parked cars flanking me on either side. He pressed his hand against the wall, leaning closer to my face stood frozen in place, unable to think of a way out. I could try kicking him in the groin and making a run for it, but I wasn't sure I could even make it back to the club without passing out-I had already run quite a distance.

I was trapped.

"I had planned to take you to my apartment and have my way with you there, along with my friends," he said, casually twirling a strand of my hair between his fingers. "But, alas! Now I'll have to finish things quickly here and find another plaything for them."

"Please..... just let me go," I pleaded shakily. "I—"

Before I could finish what I had to say, he grabbed the neck of my dress and tore it apart. "Just shut up and give in already. I don't have time for your

nonsense."

"No, please!" I desperately tried to stop him, but he was much stronger than me.

As his hand moved further down my dress, as if attempting to rip it apart completely, I kneed him between his legs and bit his hand.

He groaned, stumbling backward and clutching his groin in pain. "Fucking bitch!"

I tried to take the opportunity to escape, but he grabbed my hand and slammed me against a nearby car. My back collided with the rearview mirror, sending a searing pain through my entire spine and body. I almost felt like I'd pass out — it was that awful.

A pained hiss escaped my lips, tears streaming down my cheeks and smudging the mascara. He grabbed my throat under his brutal grip, blocking my

airways.

"You've made a grave mistake, you stupid bitch. I was going easy on you, but now I'm going to show you what I'm capable of." He raised his hand to strike me, and I closed my eyes, bracing for the impact.

But it never came. A moment later, I heard the sound of a heavy impact, followed by a pained groan as the grip around my neck loosened and then

vanished.

My eyes flew open in surprise and I blinked twice, to make myself believe what I was seeing was true but not just a sudden imagination assembled by my mind to relatively get scraps of hope alive within me in this turmoil-but it was not just my imagination- it was true.

I was truly seeing the last person I'd expected, right before my eyes, having the guy's throat under his grip, almost in a way that he'd break it into two parts at any second-It was Jacob Adriano.