---- Chapter 23 Jake's voice carried a cautious plea, yet it was firm and unwavering. Eva's heart trembled. What Jake had given her was more than just saving her life. Since she was brought to the Stephens family, Jake had nurtured her from the inside out. When she was timid, he stood behind her and supported her so that she always had a shoulder to lean on when she turned around. When she flinched, he nurtured her heart with love and gave her the confidence to feel worthy of love. She was petite, with thin hair and pale skin, so he hired top nutritionists to improve her diet, and she grew up like a cherished little princess. Eva bit her lip and remained silent. Jake grew anxious. His voice trembled with anger as he began lashing out without thinking. "Eva, are you really so cold- hearted and ungrateful?" Eva suddenly looked up and met Jake's reddened eyes. Her voice was choked with emotion. "Jake, | will repay doubly the ---- money | owe the Stephens family in the future. But any sense of obligation | had to your family was completely settled back in those three years. You have no right to ask me to do anything." Jake gasped for air, struggling to maintain his composure. He staggered forward and embraced Eva tightly. "You can't say that. Eva..." His voice came out in a shattered, quivering whisper. He held Eva with a feather-light touch, as if cradling the most fragile, precious thing. Feeling no response from Eva in his arms, he finally sighed in surrender. "Eva, | was wrong. | should have told you long ago that | loved you before you ever fell for me." A buzzing sound filled Eva's mind, leaving her dizzy. All of it came flooding back vividly-the forgotten kisses, the paranoid possessiveness, the smothering affection, and the boundless indulgence she had worked so hard to bury. His love had given her the courage to love him back. So when she entered college and was ready to tell him her feelings for him expectantly, only to see him with Ryann, she was too shocked to accept it. Watching him stand by and indulge Ryann's actions against Eva, she was seized by an excruciating, bone-deep agony. ---- She told herself he didn't love her-there wasn't a shred of love in his heart for her. Everything he had done was simply what a brother should do. But her brother would not sneak into her room, cradle her as she slept, and steal a kiss on her forehead. Her brother would not kiss her on the lips when she was drunk and unaware. Her brother would not warn other guys to stay away from her when she smiled at them If that wasn't romantic love, then what was it? The mystery that had tormented Eva for years-the very reason for her captivity in the Stephens family-was finally uttered by Jake's own lips. And with that, the tears flooded her eyes. "Jake, what gives you the right to say you love me? What have you ever done to prove it?" Seeing her heartbroken and crying, Jake felt as if his world was collapsing. He reached out to comfort her, as he had done countless times when they were kids. But when Eva saw his outstretched hand, she stepped back defensively. ---- The rejection in her gaze pierced Jake's heart like needles, each one pricking the softest part of his heart. "Eva, | don't even know when my hidden romantic feelings first took root. Every time | approached you with those feelings and you saw me as your "brother" with that innocent gaze, | felt extremely guilty. | was terrified that you would discover the feelings your trusted brother had for you and would be so frightened that you might distance yourself from me. Just the thought of that possibility was unbearable. | couldn't tell you because | couldn't bear the cost of losing you." His gaze was earnest and sincere and fixed on Eva intensely. It was like an invisible net bound her tightly. Eva almost believed his words.