Chapter 70

Chapter 70

 Max’s Point of View

The pain in my jaw throbbed, but it was nothing compared to the fury coursing through me. Nathan had the audacity to hit me. In my own damn space. I was still reeling from the shock when I saw Eva standing there, her eyes wide, her chest rising and falling with the rapid beat of her heart.

“Eva…” I rasped, my voice hoarse from the punch and the flood of emotions swirling inside me. I wanted to say more, but she stepped between us, her gaze fierce, like a lioness protecting her cubs. I couldn’t stop staring at her. Every nerve in my body was alive with anger, and yet, my heart twisted as I watched her defend him.

“Max, I told you to leave,” she said, her voice sharp, filled with that venomous edge she only used when she was done with me. “Now, I’m telling you again. Get out.”

Her words cut through me like a thousand daggers. I wanted to scream, to shout, to demand that she see reason but I couldn’t find the words. Instead, I just stood there, fists clenched at my sides, my entire body vibrating with rage.

Nathan, standing behind her, was smug. A little too smug for my liking. I could feel the arrogance radiating off him. The man had the nerve to stand in my presence like he owned the damn place.

“You heard her, Max,” Nathan said, his voice dripping with condescension. “It’s time for you to go.”

I didn’t respond at first. I couldn’t. What was there to say? She was protecting him, defending him, like I was the enemy. That fact alone made my blood boil. But I wasn’t about to leave without a fight not when I had so much at stake.

“What the hell is your problem, Nathan?” I asked, my voice low, the kind of quiet that made the air crackle with tension. “You think you can just walk in and claim her like she’s some trophy to be won? You’re nothing. You mean nothing to her.”

Nathan’s lips curled into a mocking smile, his arms crossed over his chest. “Maybe you should stop acting like you own her, Max,” he shot back. “She’s not your property anymore.”

His words hit me harder than any punch. It was the truth. Eva had made it clear. Over and over again. But hearing it from him, from the man who was now holding her hand like he had every right to, made it feel like a betrayal.

I took a step toward him, but Eva’s hand shot out, landing firmly on my chest, pushing me back. She was so small compared to me, but she had an authority in that single motion that made me pause. Her eyes, once filled with a mixture of anger and sadness, were now cold like I was a stranger.

“Max,” she warned, her voice a deadly whisper. “Don’t make me do this.”

“Do what?” I growled, my voice rough with frustration. “What is it, Eva? You want to throw me out? Is that it? Are you done with me?”

“I’m not done with you, Max,” she said, her voice quiet, almost too quiet. “But I’m done with this. Done with the jealousy, done with the accusations, done with you showing up here like a possessive lover, trying to control everything.”

My mind exploded with confusion. “Jealousy? Possessive lover?” I repeated, my voice rising in disbelief. “You think I’m jealous?”

“Yes!” she snapped, taking a step closer, her face inches from mine. “You think you can waltz in here, act like you still have a claim on me, and then get upset when I’m talking to someone else. You’re not my husband, Max. You never were. Not in the way I needed you to be.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. I could see the pain in her eyes, the raw emotion in the way she spoke. I had hurt her. I had destroyed her, over and over again, and now here I was, acting like I had a right to demand answers. I was nothing more than the man who had failed her.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, her palm shot out, connecting with my cheek with a resounding slap.

The sting burned across my skin, sharp and searing. I froze. My mind couldn’t process what had just happened. Eva’s hand was still hovering in the air, the weight of the moment heavy between us.

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t even seem to regret it.

“You want to act like a jealous lover, Max?” she hissed, her voice low but full of fire. “Then you deserve that slap. Don’t you dare come near me like that again. You don’t have the right to control my life, to tell me who I can talk to. You don’t get to show up and ruin every moment I have.”

My hand instinctively went to my cheek, but the pain wasn’t the issue. The issue was the finality in her tone. She had slapped me, in front of Nathan, in front of a whole damn bar, and I couldn’t even bring myself to be angry about it.

Because the truth was, I deserved it.

“Eva…” My voice cracked, and I didn’t care. “I didn’t come here to ruin anything. I came here because I can’t stand seeing you with him. It kills me.”

She shook her head slowly, like she was disappointed in me, and the hurt in her eyes made my heart stutter. “Maybe that’s the problem, Max. You can’t stand to see me happy. You can’t stand the idea that I’m moving on. But guess what? I’m not the same person I was six years ago. And I’m not going to let you manipulate me into feeling guilty for doing what I need to do.”

The words hit me harder than the slap. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell at her, to tell her everything that had been eating at me since the day we fell apart. But I couldn’t. Because deep down, I knew she was right. I had failed her. I had hurt her. And now, I was the one standing here.