"What are you thinking? We've been married for over ten years and have a son together! Do you think you can grab Liam, run away, dye your hair, and throw it all away?"
The muscle in Dylan's jaw twitched, and he gritted his teeth. "I'm trying to work on all this shit! For us, you know? Look, I came all the fucking way to Canada to get you back!"
He loosened his grip, stroking her upper arms and rubbing them as if he could make the pain go away. "I can change, Eve! I won't drink anymore when I get home ... I'm sorry, and everything will be different!"

He grimaced as if he had bitten into a sour lemon. As if HE was the one who was suffering. And that drove even more bitterness into Eve's stomach.

"NO, Dylan!" she repeated grimly, breaking free of his grip and taking a few steps back from him.

She needed this distance to gather herself.

That was precisely how it had always been. He apologized, and she forgave him because she loved him. Although even then, the sinking feeling in her stomach told her that these promises were worth no more than the air into which they dissolved as soon as the words left his lips.

But this time, everything was different.

"Dylan, I finally feel like I can breathe again. It's as if my life has only ever been black and white, and now I can finally dream in bright colors. For years, I measured myself only by what YOU wanted and thought of me. I longed for your love, recognition, and respect like water—and I died of thirst from the few drops you gave me."

Eve had to take a deep breath because this was harder than she had imagined. It was true. Ten years was a long time, and a faint, haunted voice inside her still clung to Dylan. Maybe even giving in... For Liam.

But that would be self-deception.

She wasn't attached to this Dylan; she was attached to the man she'd once loved.

The boy who had put the note in her locker and accompanied her to class. But that was no longer him. She had become pregnant too early, he got cold feet - and found fulfillment in the army and not in his family. This realization hurt terribly. But Eve had finally realized one thing: This wasn't her fault.

She was good enough.

She was strong and independent.

She was beautiful just the way she was.

She didn't need a man to be happy.

And if there was one in her life ... it wasn't Dylan.

Not anymore.

Eve thought about the way Ray looked at her. The look on his face when he'd seen her on Saturday and how he'd reacted when Jonathan had brought her home. His admiration, the jealousy, his tenderness that night. His words had touched her heart.

'No matter what's happened, Evelyn, you're beautiful. You have a good heart. Anyone would have backed away from me. Anyone would have turned away when I was down. I've seen enough people who ... found the sight of my scars repulsive. Or just felt sorry for me. But not you. You reached out your hand to me. You took me in your arms and picked me up. And I want to return the favor. I want to catch you and hold you.

There was so much more in that than Dylan had ever given her. She believed Ray... and she trusted him.

"I can't do this anymore, Dylan, and I don't want to. And you have to accept that," she said firmly, meeting her ex's uncomprehending gaze. That was precisely what Dy was for her: the past.

"Since when have you been so selfish?" Dylan growled now, his mood changing as quickly as the weather in April. "Do you ever think about Liam? Do you think I'm going to let you take his father away from him?" he rumbled darkly.

"Stop dragging Liam into this and don't use him as cover for your faults!" she hissed back. "You were never the father he needed and deserved! If you can pull yourself together, and I see that, you can come and see him. But if I even notice you drinking or raising your hand against us... I'll chase you off this farm!"

That might sound harsh, but the last thing she wanted was to deprive Dylan of his son.

She had wrestled for a long time with the decision to leave without leaving a note. But in the end, his behavior ruined all good intentions. He wouldn't come near Liam again if he were a danger to her and her child. She would do anything for that.

Liam was young ... He loved his dad. But he loved, even more, the idea of a father, or what he was supposed to symbolize. She saw how he blossomed with Ray and other men when they played with him. It was the symbol he had always been missing ... the dream of a happy family. Not Dylan himself. And Dylan could only blame himself for that because he was responsible for alienating himself from his son and not doing anything about it.

Dylan snorted. His eyes suddenly looked darker, like anger was casting a shadow over them. "And how do you intend to keep me away?" he snarled, taking a step towards Eve that couldn't have looked more menacing. The smile on his lips looked distorted and false as if a lion was trying to smile at the rabbit because he hadn't yet decided whether to eat it or play with it a little longer. "You're a woman with no job, savings, or support. Your family doesn't live here, and ... you're not a good mum."

Eve flinched as if he'd punched her in the gut - which was precisely what it felt like. Had he heard about the incident at the lake? Or seen that Liam had hurt himself in the woods?

Eve's pulse quickened, and the roaring in her ears became louder. It was as if the reins of this conversation were slipping through her fingers ...

No! She couldn't let him intimidate her again!

"Fuck you, Dylan! I'm a good mother!" she growled back no less harshly.

"Oh yeah?" Dylan poked at the wound, and his eyes seemed to attack her like a knife cutting into weak spots that were far too obvious to him. He was always good at recognizing weaknesses and bringing you to your knees. "May I remind you that you left Liam alone at school once before and didn't pick him up - but I did? I'm sure the school will confirm that. And if you've forgotten ..." This time, his hand shot forward and gripped her chin, making her look at him. "The hospital has the files. The files that say YOU would have burnt yourself and your son..."