Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Mate
Chapter 101: You do care...

Chapter 101: You do care...

"Evelina, wait," Damian pleaded desperately. "Please, don’t walk away."

Evelina froze, her back still turned to him, her body tense. She wanted to pull away, to put as much distance between them as possible, but something in his voice gave her pause.

She could hear the sincerity and raw emotion in his voice, and it tugged at something deep within her.

She didn’t look at him, though. She didn’t move, but she didn’t pull away either.

Damian moved a little closer, keeping his hand on her wrist. "Do you really not care about us? About how we feel?" His voice was soft, almost fragile.

Evelina felt a lump form in her throat, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She willed herself not to cry or let him see how much his words affected her.

She was supposed to be angry, upset that he had manipulated her, that he was so persistent in pursuing her when he was supposed to be engaged and get married to Selene.

However, seeing him standing there with a sincere and honest expression made her determination start to waver.

She felt a deep ache in her heart, a desire for something more that she had tried to ignore. It was a longing she sensed they both shared, but they were too scared to acknowledge it.

She wanted to walk away, to put as much distance between them as possible, but she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to move or deny the growing feelings inside her.

Still, she kept her gaze fixed ahead, staring blankly at the darkening horizon.

Her silence added to the tension between then, but Damian wasn’t going to let her hide behind it. "Evelina?" he prompted gently.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Evelina spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don’t. I don’t care... about us."

Damian’s heart tightened at her words, yet he refused to accept them.

He moved closer, speaking gently. "If you don’t care, then why did you run all the way here when you thought I was dying?"

Evelina’s shoulders shook as her emotions got the better of her. She couldn’t look at him, couldn’t stand the thought of seeing his expression while she battled with her feelings. "I thought..." she started to say, but her voice broke, and tears filled her eyes, making it hard to see.

She took a deep breath, trying to push back the rush of emotions that felt like they might swallow her whole. "I thought I’d lost you... that you were dying."

Her admission was barely audible, but it was enough to shatter the last of Damian’s resolve.

His grip on her wrist softened, his fingers tracing soothing circles on her skin. He stepped closer. "So you do care, Evelina. You do."

Evelina squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling, but it was a futile effort. Relia was surprisingly quiet in all these. She probably knew Evelina couldn’t handle her bugging her mind so she kept quiet.

Eve couldn’t keep up the charade any longer, couldn’t deny the truth that had been gnawing at her from the moment she saw him.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Yes, I care. But that’s what scares me the most."

Damian gently turned her around to face him, his eyes searching hers. "Why does it scare you?" he asked softly.

Evelina looked up at him. "Because I don’t want to get hurt again," she admitted, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "I don’t want to lose myself in someone else only to be left behind, broken and alone."

Damian felt a deep pain in his heart when he heard the vulnerability in her voice. He gently lifted his hands to her face, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"Evelina," he said softly, "I defied my father and the council because I chose you, not Selene. I won’t leave you or hurt you. I want to be here for you, to support you. But you need to let me in."

Evelina looked into his eyes and saw only sincerity and warmth. The walls she had so carefully built around her heart began to crumble, piece by piece.

She was so focused on keeping herself safe that she didn’t notice how much she wanted him and how much she wanted to believe in what they could have together.

"But what if..." she began, her voice trembling with uncertainty. "What if it doesn’t work out? What if Selene, your father, the council..." she trailed off.

Damian smiled gently, keeping his eyes on hers. "Then we’ll figure it out together. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but I’m willing to fight for us if you are."

Evelina felt the last of her resistance melt away at his words.

For the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to hope, to believe that maybe, just maybe, this could be different.

She leaned into his touch, the warmth of his skin seeping into hers, bringing with it a sense of comfort and safety she hadn’t felt in a long time.

She knew she was taking a risk by trusting him, but in that moment, she felt as if her heart was finally healing, leaving behind the betrayal of her former colleague in her past life.

She took a shaky breath, nodding slowly as she met his gaze. "Okay, I’ll give us a try."

The smile that broke across Damian’s face was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

He felt relief as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "We’ll take it one day at a time, one step at a time," he promised. "And I’ll be right here with you, every step of the way."

With that, he leaned down and captured her lips in a gentle kiss that made her head spin and her knees weak.

She melted into his arms, allowing herself to surrender to the growing feelings between them, knowing that whatever the future held, they would face it together.

They slowly pulled away from each other, and then Evelina rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

It was a sound that grounded her, that made her feel safe in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time. She didn’t know what the future held, but with Damian by her side, she was willing to find out.

Before she could fully enjoy the moment, Relia’s voice creeped into her mind, oozing with mischief. "Hehehehehehe... you know what I’m about to say?"