Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband

Claire’s POV

"Are you sober now?" I asked as Evander stepped out of the bathroom, a towel draped loosely around his neck and wearing a robe that made him look sexier just as I remembered him from the past.

"Yeah," he replied softly, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head bowed as he avoided my gaze.

I crossed my arms, trying to keep my voice steady. "Why weren’t you answering your phone? Where is everyone? Where is Eliam? And why was the house so dark? What is going on here, Evander?"

I hadn’t come to bombard him with questions, but seeing him like this—so lost and lifeless—it scared me. My heart ached in a way I couldn’t describe.

I had heard from Damian about how Evander used to drown himself in alcohol after work, retreating into his darkness. But seeing it with my own eyes... it made me feel guilty. If only I could go back in time, I would punch my past self for ever doubting him. I should have believed in him and trusted him no matter what.

"Why are you here?" he asked, his voice cold and distant, almost as if he didn’t want me here.

"Why didn’t you answer my calls?" I asked in the return. If he could dodge my questions with more questions, so could I.

"I am sorry," he muttered. It was so soft that I almost didn’t hear it.

My chest swelled with a mix of pride and surprise. It wasn’t every day you heard The Evander Kensington apologize.

"Yes, you should be! I had to come all the way here because of you!" I said, rolling my eyes dramatically to lighten the tension.

"No... I am sorry for that too, but..." He lifted his gaze to meet mine, and for the first time, I saw his red burning eyes, and pain was swirling in them. "This sorry is for something else."

"Something else?" I repeated, my chest tightening as my mind raced. Did he do something behind my back? Or was he feeling guilty because he didn’t trust me?

He should feel sorry for doubting me, but I knew that wasn’t the whole story. I needed to hear it from him, whatever it was.

Still, a part of me couldn’t blame him entirely. How could he not doubt? After all, I had done the same to him in the past. Trust wasn’t something we had built fully yet. Despite being married, it felt like we were only just starting our relationship. We weren’t even in the dating phase for him to trust me blindly.

Anyone in our shoes might feel insecure, and I could understand his feelings. Relationships didn’t come with a manual, and ours was complicated, tangled in misunderstandings and unspoken fears.

But this wasn’t about who was right or wrong anymore—it was about us, about leaving the past and being together.

"Evander," I said softly, stepping closer, my voice steady. "Whatever it is, just tell me. We have been through enough already, haven’t we?"

He looked at me, his usual cold demeanor faltering, replaced by a flicker of vulnerability. And for the first time, I felt like the walls he had built around himself were starting to crumble. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"I am sorry for having you go through something like this," he said in a low tone.

"What?" I asked, raising my brows in confusion. Wasn’t I the one who had put him through so much?

"I... I should have come back to you," he began as his voice sounded hesitant, "and told you that nothing was going on between me and Susan. That she was nothing to me. She was the one trying to reach out to me all the time..."

He trailed off, his words hanging heavily in the air.

I stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond. Was he trying to comfort me for what I had been through? Was he trying to relate to my pain in the past? I was still looking for my answers when Evander continued.

"I should have cleared the rumors at least," he continued, his tone laced with regret. "But... I couldn’t make Susan look bad. I just... I couldn’t ruin her reputation."

What? What was he saying? He clearly admitted he never cared for Susan, so why did her reputation matter to him?

Now that I think about it, he had confronted his mother and punished Diana and others who had wronged me. So why was he letting Susan off so easily?

My heart started racing, and an unfamiliar fear crept in. I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the questions threatening to escape my lips. I didn’t want to hear his reasons, not now when I was trying to forget everything.

"It’s alright," I said, forcing a smile. "I know you have nothing to do with Susan. You respected her, and I understand that."

The words left my mouth, but I knew they weren’t true. I was lying, not only to him but to myself also.

Is this how we were going to start over? I had come here intending to tell him that I had nothing to do with Damian, though he likely already knew that. But now, everything felt clouded, and doubts started to creep into my mind once again.

How were we supposed to move forward when so many unanswered questions loomed between us?

"Ugh!" I muttered under my breath, frustrated by the whirlwind of emotions. I am going crazy with all these things going on. I thought.

Evander’s silence didn’t help, and I felt like we were both trapped in an endless cycle of guilt and misunderstandings.

"Evan," I said as I rose to my feet. "I am done saying what I have to say!" I inhaled deeply. "Now that I am done saying, I would like to leave as I have to shoot in the morning."

I lied again. I was on leave, and there was nothing to shoot, but how could I stay here?