Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband
Chapter 89: I Loved My Brother!

Chapter 89: I Loved My Brother!

Claire’s POV

I was stunned to learn that Eliam was not Evander’s son! But then... why did he look exactly like him? It didn’t make any sense. Even if Eliam were Elijah’s son, how could he resemble Evander so closely? Something wasn’t adding up.

Everything aside, should I tell Evander the truth? The matter was deeply personal which was something between Elijah and Lexi— but the way Evander was pressing me made it clear that I couldn’t keep this to myself any longer.

I hesitated, taking a deep breath as I glanced at Evander. His intense gaze was locked on me, waiting for answers. "Brother Elijah was..." I stopped mid-sentence, unsure how to phrase it. My heart pounded in my chest as I clenched my fists tightly.

"Claire," Evander’s tone grew sharper, more impatient. "Tell me. What about Elijah?"

I shut my eyes and forced the words out, my voice trembling. "Brother Elijah was... he wasn’t interested in women!"

For a moment, there was complete silence. When I opened my eyes, Evander had risen to his feet, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief—an expression I had never seen on his usually cold and composed face.

"What!?" He exclaimed, his voice louder than I had expected.

I could feel my cheeks flush with nervousness, but I still spoke up. "It’s true," I said, my voice quieter now. "That’s why Lexi couldn’t... she couldn’t get pregnant. Their marriage wasn’t... normal."

Evander stared at me, his mouth opening as if to say something but then closing again. He paced the room, his hand running through his hair as he tried to process what I had just revealed.

"You are telling me that Elijah..." he started, his voice trailing off as if he couldn’t finish the thought.

"Yes," I said softly, my heart aching for him. "Elijah wasn’t interested in women. Their marriage was more of an arrangement. Lexi knew it, but she stayed anyway."

Evander stopped pacing and turned to face me as his jaw clenched. "Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? Why was I kept in the dark about something so important?"

I shook my head, feeling the weight of the situation. "I don’t know," I admitted. "Maybe Elijah didn’t want you to know. Or maybe... maybe he thought it didn’t matter."

Evander’s face tensed, and I could see the emotions swirling in his eyes—anger, confusion, and disbelief. He was struggling to keep up with everything I had just said.

But one thing was clear: this was just the start of a much bigger truth waiting to come out.

"It doesn’t matter!" Evander turned toward me, his eyes blazing red with fury and hurt. "Do you know... He was the only person in my family who ever cared for me, who ever treated me like a human being, and yet... I didn’t even know something this important about him!" His voice rose to a near shout, freezing me in place.

I had never seen Evander lose control like this. He had always been composed, even in the most intense situations.

"Damn it!" He kicked the chair he had been sitting on, sending it crashing against the wall. The loud noise made me jolt in my seat. "Why? Why didn’t he tell me? What the hell did my brother go through?" His voice cracked with raw emotion.

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the room as if he could walk away from the weight of his feelings. "I even told him about you," he continued, his voice quieter but still trembling. "How much I loved you. He always listened, always supported me, and helped me with everything I needed. And yet... he kept something so huge, so personal, from me. Why?"

Evander’s pain was visible, and my heart ached to see him like this. It wasn’t just anger that he was feeling; it was grief, betrayal, and helplessness all rolled into one.

"So, was this the reason he left the position?" Evander asked. His voice was low but tense as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. His eyes locked onto mine, piercing through me with an intensity that made me shrink under his gaze. "Tell me, Claire. How did you know all of this?" His tone was demanding.

His tone was pressing and almost desperate. I felt my chest tighten under the weight of his question as I was unsure how much to say.

"I... I overheard," I admitted hesitantly in a low tone. My hands fidgeted in my lap in nervousness. The last thing I wanted was to make things worse, but I couldn’t lie to him now.

"What?" he snapped, slamming his hand on the table between us. The sound made me flinch as my heart pounded. He leaned in closer; his face was just inches away from mine, his eyes burning with frustration.

"I overheard Lexi and your brother talking one night," I said quickly, trying to explain. "They didn’t know I was there. I didn’t mean to listen, but... I couldn’t unhear it."

Evander stepped back slightly, running a hand through his hair. His jaw was tight, and I could see his emotions swirling in his eyes. "You should have told me," he said, his voice quieter but still full of tension.

"I didn’t know if it was my place," I replied, feeling guilty. "I didn’t want to hurt you... or him."

"Hurt me?" he repeated bitterly, laughing hollowly. "Not knowing all these years has hurt me more than the truth ever could."

"But... Evander, did we have that kind of relationship where we shared everything?" The words slipped out before I could stop myself. I instantly regretted it, realizing this wasn’t about the two of us. This was about Elijah, and I shouldn’t make it about us.

"I... I promised him," I corrected myself quickly, hoping to ease the tension.

"You promised him?" Evander laughed bitterly, filled with disbelief. "It seems you were closer to him than I ever imagined. Close enough to share secrets that even I, his own brother, couldn’t begin to fathom."

I opened my mouth to explain, but the look on his face stopped me. He wasn’t just angry but rather he was hurt.

"It wasn’t like that, Evander," I said softly, my voice trembling. "It wasn’t about keeping you in the dark. He just... he didn’t want anyone to know. I think he was afraid of how you would see him, how the world would judge him."

"And he thought I would judge him?" Evander snapped, his fists clenching. "Do you have any idea how much I loved my brother? How much I looked up to him? He was the only one who ever stood by me in that hell we called a family!"

"I know, Evander," I proclaimed. "I know how much he meant to you. But he was carrying so much pain, and he didn’t want to burden you with it. He thought he was protecting you in his own way."

"Protecting me?" Evander shook his head, his voice breaking. "How could he think hiding something like this was protecting me? All this time, I thought I knew him, Claire. I thought he trusted me."

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