Chapter 177: Things I Want To Do With You
The moon was casting silver streaks across the room as a hushed tension thickened the air. Harry sat there, his eyes locked onto Eve with an intensity that made her breath hitch. His voice was soft, yet it carried the weight of a thousand emotions.
"Eve... what are you still afraid of? Don’t you trust me? Can’t you see that I am no longer the naive boy you once knew? I am a man now, a man who loves you. Am I not the one you want? Am I not the one you envisioned as Cassey’s father?
Because that’s who I was always meant to be. That’s who I am." His voice was marked with both tenderness and demand, filling the quiet space between them as he reached out, his fingers brushing away the stray locks of hair that had fallen over her face.
Eve inhaled sharply, her heart hammering against her ribs. "It’s just that—" she started, but Harry cut her off with a single finger to her lips, silencing her unspoken fears before they could fully form.
"Shh... Answer my question first. What are you afraid of?" His voice was soft, yet there was an underlying steel to it, a desperate need to understand what still held her back.
She swallowed hard, averting her gaze, her fingers twisting nervously at the hem of her dress. "I don’t want to be a burden to you. If your family finds out I’m back... if they discover that I never lost your child, they might take Cassey away.
They might hurt us... or worse, they might do something to you," she confessed, her voice trembling with the weight of her fears.
Harry’s hands cupped her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. "No, no, no, Eve. Look at me. I am no longer under their control. I am my own man, and I can protect you and Cassey.
Just say yes, just be with me, and I swear, I will protect our family with everything I have. Can you trust me this time?" His voice cracked slightly at the end, betraying the raw vulnerability he tried so hard to suppress.