The Billionaire’s Unexpected Proposal (Evelyn and Derek)

Chapter

199

The next morning, sunlight filtered softly through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the bedroom. Derek sat at the edge of the bed, his elbows resting on his knees and his head bowed. His hands trembled slightly as they raked through his messy hair, the events of the nightmare lingering like a heavy fog.

Since waking up from the nightmare, he had been unable to go back to sleep or bring himself to get out of bed. Going to the office was the last thing on his mind, and he had texted his secretary to cancel all his appointments for the day because he was not feeling well. Evelyn held him close until morning, and then she left to prepare Samantha for school and take her to school since she knew Derek was not in the right frame of mind for that. Now, Evelyn watched him from the doorway, her heart aching at the sight of his slumped shoulders and distant stare.

She walked over and sat beside him, resting a gentle hand on his back. "Did you manage to sleep at all?" she asked softly, her voice laced with concern.

Derek shook his head. "Not really. Every time I closed my eyes, it was like I was back there... in the car... hearing the gunshots." He exhaled shakily, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It felt so real, Eve. And the worst part is, I don't think this is the first time I've had this dream. I think I've had this nightmare before... a lot of times, actually. Probably when I was a kid." Her brow furrowed. "You think so?" his gaze fixed on the f

He nodded, on the floor. "I can't explain it, but it's familiar. Like it's always been there, just buried deep inside." He paused, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. "I need to be sure it's more than just a nightmare." Evelyn hesitated, then asked, "What are you thinking of doing?" Derek rubbed his palms together, his mind racing. "First, I need to call my parents," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of apprehension and determination. "I need to ask them if I ever had nightmares like this before."

Evelyn nodded, her hand sliding down to squeeze his. "Okay. Let's call them."

Derek picked up his phone and dialed his mother's number before pressing the phone to his ear.

Evelyn busied herself with organizing the bedroom, but stayed close enough to listen.

The call connected, and his

d his mother's warm voice came through.

"Derek! Good morning, sweetheart," she greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning, Mom," Derek said, his voice quieter than usual. "I...

I need

to ask you something. It's import

important."Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

His mother's tone shifted, her cheer replaced by concern. "Of course, honey. Are you okay? Is something wrong? What is it?" Derek hesitated, his fingers tightening around the phone. "Did I

ever have nightmares as a kid? About... about something terrible happening?"

There was a pause on the other e other end. "Nightmares?" his mother repeated slowly. "All kids sometimes have nightmares."

"No. Not the general type. More serious nightmares," he asked, and she sighed softly as though she had been hoping he wouldn't ask. you did.

did. When you

Yes, felt his cho you first came to us, you had

had them almost

tighten.

"What were they about? Did I ever tell yought for weeks. It took a long time before they finally stopped."

"You were so young," his mother said gently. "You couldn't explain much. But you'd wake up crying, sometimes screaming, and you'd cling to us, saying you didn't want to lose us too." Her voice softened further. "It broke our hearts, Derek. You were so scared." He swallowed hard, his throat dry. "They came back, Mom. Last night, I had one. And... I think I understand now what happened to my biological parents."

A: sharp intake of breath crackled through the line. "Oh, Derek," 'his mot mother murmured. "What do you mean?"

"I think they were murdered," he said, his voice trembling. "It wasn't just an accident. I remember... the crash, the man... he shot them, Mom. He killed them." He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to steady his voice. "I want to look into it. I need to know the truth." There was a long pause. When his mother finally spoke, her voice was cautious. "Derek, are you sure about this? Digging into the past... it could bring up a lot of pain. I don't want you to get hurt," she said, her tone pleading.

"I can't stop now," he said firmly. "I've already started looking for my sister, but I can't stop there. I need to know what really happened to my parents. I need to know if they were killed and why."

His mother's voice trembled with worry. "I knew you were going to be this way. This was the reason I didn't say anything all this while.."

"You knew? You knew my parents were murdered?" He asked, hoping he had heard wrong.

Evelyn,

mom

who was listening from the other side of the room, paused to look at Derek. "Yes, I did. But that's not important now..."

"It

is."

is," He said, his tone weary.

A part of of him had been hoping that the murder part of the dream had only been a dream and nothing more. He had not wanted to believe that someone had been cruel enough to shoot his parents, who had already died from the hit by the truck. "How much more do you know?" Derek asked, hurt that she had kept such an important detail from him. Evelyn left the

Seeing that the e conversation might be longer than she thought,

ו"

left the room to get him something to drink.

only know it was murder. When you were younger, whenever you saw a gun scene on the television, you would hide. And even toy guns terrified you. Coupled with the nightmares, which I thought were night terrors at first. I had to take you to a child psychologist, and she confirmed that med that you had post-traumatic stress disorder. I was very worried and scared for you. I had no idea what happened to your family, and to protect you, we decided you totally adopted our son's identity. That way, no one could find you," she said softly. "But you gave me his identity from the moment I got home from the orphanage," Derek said with a frown.

"No. That's how you remember it. But that's not what happened, darling. Yes, I chose you because you reminded me of him, and I was drawn to you naturally. But you were never meant to be a replacement for him. We wanted you to have all his stuff because it would be a waste to throw them out, but we didn't adopt you to be him. No one can replace a dead offspring. Being a parent now yourself, I'm sure you'd understand better. We gave you Derek's identity to protect you," his mother said, and Derek sighed deeply, not understanding anything about his life life anymore. "Do you

Do really think it was easy for us to watch you grow and call you by his name? It was painful, Derek. I'd have to be insane to be able to look at you and call you by his name without remembering my loss. It would have been easier to call you by a different name," she said, and for a moment, Derek thought about it.

He had been wrong about everything. It seemed like he no longer knew who he was or anything about himself as he had thought he did. "Promise me

I be careful. Please, Derek," she pleaded when he remained silent. be

"I will," he assured her. "I just... I have to do this, Mom."

They exchanged a few more words before ending the call. Derek set his phone down, buried his face in his hands, and exhaled deeply. Evelyn returned to the room and walked over to where he sat, handing him a steaming mug before sitting close to him.

"That seemed intense," she said gently.

he said, and then told her all his mother had said.

"It was,, he said

"How do you feel now?" Evelyn asked, her voice soft and concerned.

"Lost," he admitted, his hands wrapped around the mug. "But I can't ignore this. I need answers."

Evelyn reached for his hand, her fingers brushing his. "Maybe when we find your sister, we might have the clue that could help piece this all together." Derek nodded slowly, his eyes meeting hers. "You're right. She's the key. If I can find her... maybe everything will start to make sense." "Aren't you going to work?" "And leave

you all

"I am my own Tam

Derek asked when he glanced at the clock and saw that she was running late.

all by yourself in this state? I don't think so. If you're home, then I will stay home too," she said, and he smiled softly. boss he pointed out.

"And I am my boss' daughter. And even if I wasn't, my man is a boss and can take care of me if I lose my job," she said, and Derek chuckled.

"That's

s correct," he said with a sigh.

Before either of them could say anything else, Evelyn's phone buzzed, and she received the call when she saw it was from the person helping her track Derek's sister.

"I just received a call f from t the

"What did you just say?" Shephanage home. It seems like the girl is trying to find her brother, too," he said, and Evelyn's heart skipped a beat, and tears gathered in her eyes as she turned to Derek.

asked, her voice thick with emotion as she placed the call on speaker for Derek to hear.

"The girl you're looking for is also trying to find her brother. She's in Husla," he said, and tears of joy dropped from Evelyn's eyes when she saw the tears that gathered in Derek's eyes.

The words settled something in him, a tiny flicker of hope pushing back against the weight of his grief. For the first time that morning, he allowed himself to believe that answers might still be within reach. "I want to see her. I will fly down at once," Derek said, and Evelyn nodded.