The Heart System

Chapter 498: Chapter 498

The door opened, and Ivy stepped in. She brushed raindrops off her coat, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on me. Instinctively, I hunched forward, like that would somehow make me invisible—but that was pointless.

Once she spotted me sitting in the corner, she walked straight over.

"Can you believe it?" she asked, pulling out a chair. "She is fucking pregnant."

"W-who?"

"Are you an idiot?" She dropped into the seat, elbows hitting the table. "My mother. How could she? I mean... fuck, Evan. Who even is the father?"

"Look... you’re stressed about Chase," I said. "You should just—"

"I should’ve listened to you. I know." She cut me off. "You’re right. You’re always right, and I’m an idiot. Just—stop with that, okay?"

"O-okay..."

══════════════════

WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

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Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Kayla: Interest: 38 / 40 ★

Tessa: Interest: 40 / 60 ★★

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80 ★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 20 / 40 ★

Nala: Interest: 100 / 100 ★★★★★

Penelope: Interest: 5 / 20

Minne: Interest: 38 / 40 ★

Ivy: Interest: 10 / 20

Eleanor: Interest: 25 / 40 ★

Amelia: Interest: 12 / 20

Esme: Interest: 60 / 80 ★★

══════════════════

Huh. I was finally out of the negative zone with Ivy. Minus ninety-nine... poof, gone. Still, it didn’t mean much to me. She was probably the last person I’d want anything sexual with.

Sure, she was beautiful.

But... nah.

"Problems... they just keep piling up, huh?" I asked.

"Yes. Yes, they do. And I feel like I’m being crushed under them." She shook her head when the waitress approached, signaling she didn’t want anything.

"So... how’s life, then?"

"Is this the hour where you ask stupid questions, Evan?" she shot back. "Terrible. Disgusting. My boyfriend—"

"Ex-boyfriend," I cut in.

"My ex-boyfriend is a monster. So yeah—life is terrible. Meaningless."

"Don’t say that."

"The worst part is... you tried to warn me. And I didn’t listen."

"You were in a bad place, Ivy. You wanted something real. Someone you could finally settle down with," I said. "But come on—you’re kind of notorious for picking the worst people."

"Jeez, don’t remind me." She exhaled. "I wish I could find someone like you."

I raised a brow. "Oh yeah?"

"Always there to help. Always fucking right..." She paused. "Sometimes an idiot."

"That’s the perfect man in your head?" I chuckled. "You should read werewolf fiction."

"Yeah, hard pass." She gave a faint smile, but it died almost instantly. "God... those videos. It really was him."

"Yeah."

"And he—fuck. What a monster. Those girls..." She dragged a hand through her hair. "His victims..."

"And you were next, Ivy," I said quietly. "But that didn’t happen. Thankfully. You know he accused me of stalking you? The irony, huh?"

Her eyes flicked up. "He told me the same thing."

"I know. And you believed him. Instead of your friend, you believed some random psychopath."

"Don’t guilt-trip me now." She shook her head. "Focus. Fuck Chase. My mother is pregnant, and I don’t know who the father is. She won’t tell me."

"It’s her life, Ivy. You should respect that."

"Did she respect my wishes when she practically pushed you toward Chase to look into?" she snapped.

"She turned out to be right about him, though."

"That’s not the point." Her jaw tightened. "She’s living under my roof. I don’t mind that, but I have the right to know who the father of my damn brother is. Or stepbrother. Whatever the shit is."

"Lousy mouth today, huh?"

"I am." She eyed my drink. "What’s that—iced mocha?"

"Yeah."

Without asking, she grabbed my cup, tapped it against the table, then took a sip through the straw.

I just lit a cigarette and leaned back, letting the silence settle between us. Good. At least she didn’t know I was the father. For once, something was going my way.

Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket, I fished it out and realized Delilah had sent a text. Opening it up, I nearly dropped the device right into my lap.

The photo was dangerously bold. Delilah was positioned right by the window of her apartment, looking down at the very coffee shop where I was currently sitting with her daughter. She was perched on a single velvet armchair, completely naked, her pale skin glowing against the moody, rain-gray light filtering through the glass. Her legs were hiked up, heels resting on the windowsill, and she was using two fingers to spread her glistening folds wide for the camera. The phone positioned just above her tits, looking down on her. The detail was staggering, I could see the soft pink of her interior and the slick sheen of her arousal, all aimed directly at where she knew I was sitting.

Underneath the image was a single line of text: "How’s it going with my daughter, daddy?"

I coughed violently as my own spit caught in my throat, and I frantically killed the screen. I cleared my throat, grabbed my mocha with a slightly trembling hand, and took a desperate sip. My heart was hammering against my ribs. If Ivy had caught even a glimpse of that, she’d have ended my life right there in the booth. Talk about a close call.

"What happened?" Ivy asked, her brow furrowing.

"Work stuff," I replied, exhaling a long, shaky breath. "I sometimes miss my old gas-station job, if you can believe it. A lot less stressful."

"I can’t believe it," she replied with a snort. "Who in their right mind would want a job like that?"

"Hey, I said sometimes. Not all the time," I shot back, trying to regain my composure.

"Working in a big-ass company... now that should be the dream," she said, shrugging as she looked out at the rain. "I wish I worked somewhere like that."

"It has its drawbacks," I said, cracking my knuckles to bleed off some of the nervous energy. "Welp, I need to go. Work tomorrow."

"Wow. You didn’t even say anything about my mother being pregnant," she noted, her tone shifting back to that lingering frustration.

"I was kinda expecting it," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "She’s a grown woman. And she’s seeing someone. I think you’re just being a little dramatic, Ivy."

"Am I?"

"Those things Chase said to you are just filling your mind right now," I told her, my voice softening. "He’s a manipulative bastard. You should let that go."

"I already did, Evan."

"Hey, I’m just saying it just in case." I smiled and stood up. "So, are you headed home?"

"Meeting with friends. No home yet."

"Nice..." I muttered.

"Why?"

"Oh... just, you know, you need to get out. For your own sake," I said, hiding the fact that her being away from the apartment was exactly what I needed. "Anyway, see you, Ivy. And don’t worry about Delilah, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah..." She got up and exhaled, smoothing out her clothes. "Can you drop me off?"

"Sure. Where to?"

"The shopping mall."

"Got it. I could also pick you up from there later," I offered, playing the part of the doting friend. "Just let me know when you’re ready to head back and I’ll come get you."

"Really? That works. Thank you."

"No probs."