Now You Want Me? Too Late

Evelyn’s throat tightened, anger twisting deep inside her. She pushed against his chest. "I don’t want to hear anything. Let me go."

"You saw something and misunderstood."

The simple answer hurt more than she expected.

"I saw you holding her." Her eyes were already glistening with tears. "What am I supposed to think?"

Helplessness flickered in Ian’s eyes, but he refused to back down.

"You have to listen to me. It is nothing like you are thinking." He tried to explain.

"Really." Evelyn twisted in his arms, forcing him to loosen his hold. "You were hugging her. Are you denying that?"

"No. I’m not denying it."

His answer caught her off guard.

"She was dismissed from my team," Ian explained. "Someone else replaced her."

Evelyn gasped, shocked. "What? Maya is dismissed from your team."

Ian let out a deep breath. He nodded slowly. "Yes. This morning."

Evelyn blinked, trying to process what she was hearing.

"The director was furious about what happened yesterday," Ian continued. "He wanted to fire her. Eventually, he decided to transfer her instead and replace her with another doctor."

He paused. "Maya had worked under me for years. She couldn’t accept being removed from my team."

His expression softened slightly as he recalled the scene.

"She came to my office and asked me to speak to the director. She was sad because she didn’t want to leave the team."

Evelyn studied his face. "Are you upset for her? Do you want her back on your team?"

"No..." The answer came without hesitation. "It was the director’s decision. And I respect it."

"Oh..." Evelyn folded her arms.

A faint, bitter smile touched her lips. "So you wouldn’t have dismissed her if the director hadn’t made that decision. Is that why you were comforting her? Because you felt sorry for her?"

Ian frowned.

The director had been nagging him for several months to take Dr. Jay into his team. But he kept refusing him.

This time, when the director told him to replace Maya with his son, Ian didn’t oppose him. He had decisively agreed to the term.

Ian shook his head. "Maya was crying and suddenly threw herself into my arms. I was caught off guard. I was trying to calm her down when you arrived."

He stepped closer. "Trust me, Evelyn. I have no feelings for her."

"Save it, Ian..."

She jabbed a finger against his chest. "You always had a soft spot for her. Whenever she called, you rushed to her. Whenever she needed you, you were there. And I was always the one waiting."

Her voice turned colder. "You made me feel like I wasn’t important enough. Accept it. There is only one woman in your heart. And it’s Maya."

He grabbed her hand before she could pull away.

Evelyn scowled. She tried to wrench her hand free, but his grip only tightened.

"It’s true that there is only one woman in my heart," he admitted.

Evelyn’s expression faltered.

"But it’s not Maya. It’s you."

Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she simply stared at him.

She had spent years wishing to hear those words. Now that they had finally come, she didn’t know whether to believe them or protect herself from them.

"In this life, there is only one woman. It’s you, Eve. Only you."

Evelyn’s breathing grew shallow and rapid. At that moment, she forgot everything. She forgot her fury, the jealousy, and what she had just seen a while ago.

"Do you love me?" she asked.

His expression softened. He grabbed her shoulders. "I do," he said. "I always did. I was just too foolish to understand it."

His mind drifted back to the past. He remembered every letter she had written him, every flower she had sent, and every time she had visited him at the hospital when he had been nothing more than an intern trying to establish himself.

"At first, I rejected you because I wanted to focus on my career. Then rejecting you became my habit."

A bitter smile touched his lips.

"I liked hearing you say that you like me. I secretly waited for you to show up, nag me, and ask me to accept you as my girlfriend."

When he said that, he couldn’t help but think about how foolish he had been. His chest tightened with guilt.

"I enjoyed watching you follow me, do things for me, and wait for me. I convinced myself you would always be there."

Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears.

"The possibility of you leaving never even crossed my mind. So when you asked for a divorce, I thought you were only angry. I thought you’d calm down after a few days and come back."

Evelyn laughed, tears blurring her vision. "You took my love for granted. You hurt me again and again because you knew I loved you."

She slammed her fist against his chest. "How cruel you are."

He caught her wrist. "I know."

Remorse filled his eyes. "I’m sorry. I know that apology can’t erase what I did. It can’t give you back the years you spent waiting for me."

He held her gaze. "But I genuinely regret it, Evelyn. More than I can put into words."

His fingers tightened around her wrist. "I want a chance to make it up to you. Don’t push me away."

Evelyn stared at him through tear-filled eyes.

His confession should have comforted her. Instead, it hurt.

All those years she had spent hoping, forgiving, and making excuses for him. But he had simply treated her like someone who would wait for him, no matter what.

Anger burned beneath her tears. Part of her wanted to turn and walk away.

’Don’t forgive him. He hurt you for years. Don’t let a few sweet words erase that.’

But another part of her, the part that had loved him through all those years, couldn’t bear the thought of losing him again.

’I love him.’

That was the truth she could neither escape nor deny.

Evelyn sniffed and wiped her tears away. "You’d better remember what you said, Dr. Whitmore. This is your last chance."

Her gaze sharpened with warning. "If I see you again with that woman, we are done. I don’t care what explanation you give me. I won’t give you another chance, even if you kneel and beg."

"You have my word. Maya was never important to me. She is a friend and a colleague. Nothing more. You don’t need to be insecure about her."

Evelyn gave a skeptical snort. "You considered her a friend." She tilted her head. "But what about her? Are you sure she thinks of you the same way?"