Rebirth: Love me Again

[EVE]

The rain was pouring harder now, a relentless downpour that showed no sign of stopping.

Lily and her group were still lingering under the waiting shed, giggling like schoolgirls as they saw me.

But their laughter abruptly died when Cole's custom-made Royce rolled up to the curb.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Their jaws practically dropped. It was a one-of-a-kind car, a luxury vehicle so exclusive that even the wealthiest families would have to pull strings to get one.

Not even Sullivan's family or Lily's could boast something like this.

I could see the shock on their faces as they stared, trying to figure out how someone like me could be stepping into a car like that.

Sophie's expression was a mix of disbelief and envy, while Lily looked like she had just swallowed a lemon.

But I was too preoccupied with the image of Cole striding off to confront Daniel to care about their reactions. It was like setting a wolf loose in a field of rabbits.

"Let's just hope he doesn't scare him to death," I muttered under my breath as I slid into the car, hoping that Cole wouldn't say anything to Daniel.

=== 🤍 ===

[COLE]

Cole watched as Eve disappeared into the car, the softness of his eyes disappeared, turning to slits.

He let out a slow breath, then turned and walked briskly toward Daniel, who was standing by the storage building.

The downpour soaked the pavement, a steady rhythm that seemed to heighten the tension in the air.

Daniel looked up, surprised when he saw Cole approaching, holding his belongings with a cold, almost menacing expression.

Daniel hesitated, taking a small step back. He wasn't sure what to make of the guy in front of him. He'd seen him around Eve before, but there was something different about him today—like a storm barely held in check.

Cole tossed Daniel's bag to him, his expression icy as his tone. "I believe this is yours," he said flatly, his voice laced with a strange calmness that didn't match the fury in his eyes.

Daniel caught the bag, fumbling slightly. "Oh, thanks. I was just going to grab it myself," he replied, forcing a polite tone. But in the presence of the man who had hurt Eve, keeping his composure was a struggle.

The air between them thickened, heavy with unsaid words.

Cole stepped closer, his towering presence making Daniel feel small despite his own athletic build.

"You know," Cole began, his tone casual but his eyes anything but casual, "you've been hanging around Eve a lot lately."

Daniel blinked, caught off guard. "Yeah, we're friends," he said slowly, trying to gauge what Cole was getting at. "She doesn't have many people to talk to these days, so I thought I'd be there for her."

Cole's smile didn't reach his eyes. "That's nice of you. Very chivalrous." He took another step closer, but Daniel didn't falter, his gaze meeting Cole's head on.

The rain poured down just a few feet away, the world outside their bubble drenched and chaotic.

"You have a problem with that?" Daniel's voice was firmer this time, trying to push back against the pressure Cole was exerting.

Cole tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing as if he were sizing Daniel up. "A problem? Not at all," he replied with a disinterested smirk. "I couldn't care less about the flies buzzing around Eve."

Daniel's expression hardened, his lips curling into a tense smile. "Flies, huh? You seem awfully concerned for someone who claims not to care." He straightened his shoulders, meeting Cole's gaze head-on. "But then again, I guess it's easy to dismiss what you don't understand."

Cole's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before he let out a low, humorless chuckle. "Understand? What exactly are you hinting at?" He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, mocking whisper. "That you're in love with her? Trust me, I've seen plenty like you trying to win her over. It never lasts."

Daniel clenched his jaw, his eyes sharp with frustration and simmering anger. "Maybe it's different with me. At least I'm always there for her—not like someone I know, who shoved her away and then crawled back the second she finally started to move on. Pathetic."

Cole's eyes narrowed, the words clearly hitting a nerve, but he kept his face impassive.

Daniel's anger only grew as he continued, stepping closer. "You think you can just walk back into her life after everything? Like she's some game where you can keep hitting reset? But she's not a toy you can pick up and toss aside whenever you feel like it."

The air between them crackled with tension, both men staring each other down. Daniel's voice dropped even lower, almost a whisper. "You had your chance, Cole. And you blew it. Maybe this time, you should just stay out of her life for good."

Cole let out a quiet, mocking chuckle, his eyes never leaving Daniel's. "You really think you're different, don't you?" he said. "Like you're some noble savior she's been waiting for." He took a step closer, voice dropping to a dangerous calm. "But here's the thing—she's stronger than you think, and she doesn't need someone like you swooping in to save her."

He smirked, tilting his head. "You're playing the good guy, hoping she'll notice, but you and I both know she's not going to fall for it. Not when she knows who she really wants."

Daniel's gaze wavered and it showed on his face that he was affected by what Cole said.

Cole's gaze hardened, a predatory glint flashing in his eyes. "You can keep playing the hero, hovering around like you're some kind of knight in shining armor," he sneered. "But don't fool yourself. You're just a side character in her life. And when the curtain falls?" He stepped closer, his voice low, every word laced with venom. "She'll come back to me. Because unlike you, she's always been in love with me."

Without waiting for a response, Cole turned on his heel, leaving Daniel fuming, his hands trembling with barely controlled rage.

The words hit like a punch to the gut, leaving a bitter sting that burned far deeper than Daniel had expected. His chest tightened, but it wasn't just anger that coursed through him—it was a gnawing, bitter hurt that he couldn't shake off.

As Cole walked away, something twisted in his gut—a feeling he couldn't place. He'd never planned on saying those words, but once they were out, they settled into the air like a threat.

The truth was, Cole didn't just resent Daniel's presence. He was terrified and jealous.

For years, he'd dismissed the other men who came around Eve, brushing them off like they were nothing more than distractions. After all, Eve had always chosen him—her eyes, her heart, they had always been his. That had been his constant.

But now, Cole wasn't so sure. The truth was hard to swallow—Eve hated him now. He had pushed her too far, and now she was slipping away.

And then there was Daniel. Then Victor. And who knows who?

And as the list of names grew, so did the crushing weight of fear in his chest.

For the first time, doubt slithered into his thoughts, and Cole couldn't ignore it.

His breath hitched, the idea too suffocating to grasp. The thought of losing her—the thought that she might look at him and see nothing but a man of the past—ripped through him like a jagged knife.

The truth settled over him like ice:

That

was what truly terrified him.

Not Daniel.

Not anyone else.

The fear that Eve might not come back to him . . . was the fear that haunted him more than anything else.