Billionaire's Surprise Engagement

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 frof 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 t| closed my eyes, it was like | 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, |

don't think this is the first tI've had this dream. | think I've had this nightmare before... a lot of times,

actually. Probably when | 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, | need to call my parents," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of apprehension and determination.

"I need to ask them if | 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 cthrough.

"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.”

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 |

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 cto us, you had

had them almost

tighten.

"What were they about? Did | ever tell yought for weeks. It took a long tbefore 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 cback, Mom. Last night, | had

one. And... | 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?"

"| think they were murdered," he said, his voice trembling. "It wasn't just an accident. | 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. | 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. | 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 | can't stop there. | need to know

what really happened to my parents. | 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 | 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, | 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,

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 | thought were night terrors at first. |

had to take you to a child psychologist, and she confirmed that med that you had post-traumatic stress disorder.

| was very worried and scared for you. | 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