Page 51 of The Billionaire’s Betrayal (Billionaires of Paris #2)

TRISTAN

I struggled to get up from the couch, but the room began to spin violently around me.

Nausea overwhelmed me, and I had to grip the backrest to keep from collapsing.

A simple movement, and it felt like my head would explode.

Headaches had become my constant companions, intensifying with the slightest attempt at concentration or movement.

"Tristan, stay seated," Eva whispered, approaching to help me lie back down. Her voice was gentle, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

I awkwardly leaned back, wincing under the assault of pain. My skull felt like it was about to burst.

"I can't stay like this, Eva... I need to... make progress on the fundraising," I replied, struggling to contain the anger and frustration rising within me.

Eva's gaze softened, and she sat beside me, sliding her hand into mine.

How did she manage to keep smiling with everything she was going through right now?

Between her responsibilities at the office, her pregnancy, and my recovery, how did she stay on her feet?

Some mornings, I saw her throwing up, and in the evenings, she returned from work completely exhausted.

All of this was wearing her out, and I felt so helpless as everything fell on her shoulders.

"You'll recover, Tristan, it's just going to take some time," she whispered, gently squeezing my hand.

"But it's already been a month," I protested bitterly. "I can't stand being here anymore, locked in this apartment, unable to think for more than five minutes without my head exploding. I don't even remember what I wanted to say a moment ago..."

I ran my free hand over my face, furious at this failing mind that no longer obeyed me. Sometimes, I couldn't find my words, or I'd search for a specific memory that escaped as soon as I thought I had grasped it. It was like trying to assemble a puzzle with half the pieces missing.

"It will come back," she assured me with a reassuring smile.

"And if it doesn't?" I asked, my tone harsher than I intended.

Silence fell between us, heavy and oppressive. I immediately regretted my words, but I couldn't help it. Fear was consuming me. Fear of never becoming the man I once was. Fear of being a burden to her. Fear of losing everything we had built together.

"I should be with you, there at the office, fighting for Community Pilot. But I'm here, lying around like an invalid, unable to read a report without feeling like my head is going to explode."

"Tristan, you're already helping me enormously, even if it's just by supporting me emotionally, discussing important decisions with me..."

"That's not enough!" I retorted, my voice trembling with rage and frustration. "I'm supposed to be your partner and companion, not someone who needs to be taken care of!"

Eva lowered her eyes, and my throat tightened.

She didn't deserve this.

She didn't deserve me wallowing in self-pity, pouring my rage and frustration onto her. I took a deep breath, trying to dispel this destructive anger consuming me from within.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, gently squeezing her hand, feeling her warmth against my trembling palm. "It's not directed at you... It's just that... I feel so diminished sometimes. I'm afraid I'll never again be the man I once was."

"You're going to heal," she whispered softly, her gaze locked with mine. "It takes time, but you'll be like before. I see progress every day."

"I don't deserve you."

No, I didn't deserve her. Despite everything I had put her through, she was there, enveloping me with her tenderness, her love.

Taking care of me and comforting me day after day while my world had been shattered, while my brain had stopped functioning as before.

The doctors optimistically claim that I will fully recover, but I see no tangible progress on a daily basis.

Sometimes doubt devours me, wondering if I can ever become the man I was, resume my role as CEO, regain that confidence that was once my strength!

And each time I sink, Eva patiently encourages me, details the imperceptible progress that only she notices, restores my confidence when everything collapses around me.

How could I have even for a moment looked at another woman? It was insane. Unforgivable.

Eva possessed everything a man could dream of. She wasn't just beautiful; she was luminous. Every time she entered a room, the shadows seemed to retreat. They became less threatening, less profound.

For her, I would fight.

Against my health problems that were gnawing at me, against the self-pity and despair that invaded me in my darkest moments. She had become my strength, my reason to continue, and I silently vowed that I would let nothing defeat me as long as she was by my side.

"I have to go," she finally whispered, her gaze still locked with mine. "Your mother will be here soon; she's bringing lunch."

I nodded wordlessly, but as she stood up, I held her by the arm.

Surprised, she let me pull her close, and seized by an uncontrollable urgency, I captured her lips in a desperate kiss.

An intense kiss, laden with all my fears and unspoken hopes, which left us breathless, suspended between passion and despair.

"Have a good day, Eva," I said softly, still short of breath. "See you tonight."

She stared at me for a moment, troubled, then nodded before walking away.

As expected, my mother arrived shortly after, loaded with dishes prepared by her personal chef. One thing was certain: it was much better than the meals from the corporate restaurants where I usually had lunch.

When my mother noticed the sweater and throw that Eva had left on the chair across from the couch, she bent down to pick them up, ready to put them away, but I interrupted her:

"No, leave them, Mom," I said with a smile. "I like that she leaves her things around," I added, happy to see Eva making our home her own again.

Her little quirks that once annoyed me now awakened a deep tenderness in me.

Lunch was pleasant, relaxed, and after discussing this and that, I finally decided to announce the big news to my mother.

"Eva is pregnant; we're going to be parents."

And then, it was an explosion. My mother began to cry and laugh at the same time.

"Oh, my darling, I'm so happy for you! That's wonderful!"

I smiled, amused by her excessive reaction as she hugged me.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes, even if I can't really process it yet. I'm waiting for the first ultrasound to truly internalize it."

She then told me what she had felt when she was pregnant with me, how she already talked to me, eager to finally hold me in her arms. She continued by reassuring me about fatherhood.

"Your father also had trouble realizing it at first, but as soon as he saw you, he loved you instantly."

A comfortable silence stretched between us, charged with shared memories.

"I need your help," I told her after a moment. "But you mustn't talk about it to Eva. It's a surprise."

I saw her eyes light up with curiosity, and she nodded enthusiastically. She raised a solemn hand, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

" Fiat silentium, fiat oblivio ," she said, looking serious.

I burst out laughing, surprised by her reply. I didn't remember that my mother could be so funny. She had just repeated the oaths that my brothers and I made when we were children, whenever we promised to keep a secret.

As I looked at her with amazement, she lowered her voice slightly, as if still hesitant to fully confide:

"I decided to follow your advice. I've been seeing a psychologist for several weeks. It's doing me good."

I nodded, a smile of relief and pride on my lips.

This was a huge step forward! Knowing that she was beginning to rebuild herself warmed my heart.

Perhaps she would finally manage to break out of the depressive spiral that had so weighed her down.

In any case, I wished it for her with all my heart. She deserved to find her light again.

***

I had just closed the door after the delivery man left when Eva came out of the shower.

As she timidly approached me, I placed the takeout containers on the coffee table before unpacking them.

I had ordered Korean fried chicken, knowing how much she loved it.

We ate on the couch like in the old days, she sitting beside me.

The meal was delicious, and Eva ate with appetite.

She seemed more relaxed and serene. A strand of hair slid across her face and, without thinking, I reached out to tuck it behind her ear.

But she abruptly pulled back, as if my simple touch burned her.

"No," she said in a tense voice.

The rejection froze me in place. My God.

.. Did I disgust her that much? Did she hate me to the point of no longer tolerating the slightest contact?

Is that why she slept in the guest room and not beside me?

I didn't even try to mask the pain that crossed my face.

Eva looked away, replacing the strand herself with a trembling hand.

A tense silence stretched between us, charged with everything that was no more.

"I saw you do the same thing for Audrey," she whispered in a painful voice. "You were in the meeting room, your hand lingered on her face in a slow caress... That's when I realized you had feelings for her."

A tear slid down her cheek, and my heart broke once again.

Because of my mistakes, I had tarnished our expressions of love. Because I had squandered my tenderness without thinking, the woman I loved now refused to let me touch her.

When you distribute your tenderness too freely, it loses its value.

Did I have to give up this gesture because I had used it too carelessly? No, I refused to believe that all was lost. I would make her forget my mistakes; I would build new memories for her, more beautiful, more pure.

"I wish I could go back in time," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I wish I hadn't destroyed the best thing that ever happened to me. But that's impossible. However, I promise you one thing, Eva... From now on, you will be the center of my world. And you will remain so. Forever."