This chapter is a bit of a filler chapter—HOWEVER, a lot of this chapter is extremely important for understanding Sebastian, and I mean truly understanding his character.

Hope you all can still find enjoyment from reading this chapter, even if it isn't quite like the others! 

Additionally, I would like to apologize for my break from this book and this website all together. It was absolutely inexcusable, and I am extremely sorry. 

On top of that, this book is very heavy, especially the most recent chapters as Evie deals with her trauma. If this in any way negatively affects you, I urge you to stop reading. 

Hope you all enjoy! 

(THIS CHAPTER IS UNEDITED, LIKE MOST OF THEM; HOWEVER, I FINISHED WRITING AT 4 AM SO EXPECT MISTAKES) 

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Chapter Fourteen

"You were a child forgot,

Lessons of love untaught.

Now no embrace, can quite replace,

The one that never found you."

— Alison Sudol "The Beacon"

Olivia Day was seventeen when she gave birth. By that time, she had lost contact with her parents, and the father of her child wasn't fit enough to look over a plastic bag.

It didn't come as a surprise when in local news, it was revealed that he had overdosed on heroin, only three years later. He had been found in room with three others; there were no survivors.

It was almost fitting. Wherever that man had gone, he caused havoc. He was toxic, and those who lingered around him for too long often found themselves six feet under.

Olivia Day was the polar opposite. She had always seemed like the girl next door. Her parents were upper, middle class people, who had worked hard to get where they were in life. They worked so hard; however, that they forgot to give Olivia the attention and care that she needed, that any child needs.

Instead, they invested the money they had worked for, in nannies. They were neglectful, and hardly ever around.

So when someone started giving her the attention she had never received before, Olivia immediately fell victim.

For once in her life, someone, who wasn't on her parent's pay roll, cared about her.

He said everything right. He told her everything she wanted, needed, to hear. Olivia believed that he loved her, and that was all she needed to be convinced to sleep with him.

She had no idea that her parents, who claimed to love her but were never actually around, would throw her out so easily.

She had no idea that she would find herself homeless, at the age of sixteen.

When she was younger, she had imagined herself becoming a veterinarian. She had always loved animals, and working with kittens and puppies seemed like the most ideal job.

Olivia Day had dreams and ambitions.

They never included being homeless.

They never included her finding out that the guy she had given herself to was a drug dealer, one whom would later become an addict.

At the age of seventeen, on the seventeenth of October, she would give birth to a little boy.

Her little boy was seven pounds and two ounces, a weight she held in her arms for only a few hours before the adoption agency worker came to take him.

Olivia Day had dreams and ambitions. She believed she had a future that included university, veterinary school, and then her dream job.

When she found herself homeless and pregnant, she realized that her future was not the one she had hoped for.

She may have had horribly neglectful parents, but she was determined to not hurt her child the way her parents had hurt her.

So she gave her son up for adoption.

Olivia wanted him to have a life full of opportunity. She wanted him to have parents who could love and support him, and unfortunately, she could only do one of those things.

She knew this was the best option, not only for her, but also for him.

What she didn't know was that her son would spend his childhood in the orphanage. He would be picked on and bullied, and he would never experience what it was like to have a loving family.

By the age of ten, he would have received more black eyes than birthday cards. He would have had over four couples look at him for adoption, but his ruthless temper and uncontrollable outbursts would cause him to become deemed unwanted.

By thirteen, he would be regarded as the most dangerous kid the orphanage had ever seen.

By fourteen, he would be sleeping at empty bus stops in London, working to learn how to use his amateur fighting skills as something he could build on.

And by fifteen, he had placed his plan to build an empire into effect.

He never knew love. He never knew his parents.

His mother had done her best to give him the future she didn't have. Olivia wanted him to become something great, something she had failed to do so herself.

So when she named him, she gave him a name that radiated power and strength.

Little did she know, her son, the boy she wanted nothing the best for, would become the most merciless man London had ever seen.

His name alone made grown men tremble and cower away.

His name was Sebastian King.

+++++

As a child, Sebastian used to hate his name.

He was awfully shy, and at the age of six, he had become the target of the older boys in the orphanage. They often mocked him for his name; fake bowing to him when he tried to pass by unnoticed. He was small for his age, and he knew very little when it came to fighting, but more specifically, self-defense.

At first, he was silent.

He never complained. He rarely cried out. He would hide the bruises from the workers, and he often used the 'clumsy' card as an excuse for his injuries.

But eventually he grew tired.

He was tired of being picked on and ridiculed. He was tired of being targeted, He was tired of saying that he had slipped on the stairs, or that he had fallen while playing with the other children.

He didn't play with other children.

He didn't have a single friend there.

From as long as he could remember, he had always been alone. And he hated that. He hated that his mother had given him up. He hated the fact that he would never know what it was like to have her family.

But most of all, he hated the one and only thing his mother had left him with: his name.

Sebastian King.

How could he be royalty, when he lived in an orphanage?

When his own parents didn't want him?

He began to change when he was seven. One of the older boys broke his wrist during a fight at dinner, forcing Sebastian to spend his night in the hospital. He returned back with a thick, white cast on his wrist the next morning, along with the unfamiliar desire for revenge.

Paul Freeman—the boy who had broken his wrist, was eleven years old, and had all the boys following his every word. He was without a doubt the largest and meanest boy in the orphanage.

He was nothing but a bully, and had found his primary entertainment in tormenting Sebastian.

But when Sebastian spent the night in the hospital, when he saw the nurses and doctors offer him stares full of pity and sympathy, he decided something had to change.

So when Paul Freeman and his friends decided to visit Sebastian the next day, Sebastian did not let himself get pushed around.

This time, Sebastian was still standing on his two feet at the end of it all.

This time, it was Paul Freeman on the ground, clutching his broken and bloodied nose while Sebastian stared at his white cast in wonder. It now had flecks of blood on it, but as Sebastian looked at it, he decided that he wanted to be just as strong as it one day.

When Paul Freeman fell to the floor, screaming and crying, Sebastian King changed.

Whether it was for the best or the worst—that would always remain unanswered.

But it was that moment that Sebastian King decided he would never let another person push him down, belittle him, or even have the audacity to fight him without paying the consequences.

His shy disposition transformed into an unforgiving temperament.

He managed to charm one of the worker's into letting him use her phone, where he would study fighting and the numerous techniques one could use.

His transformation seemingly occurred overnight: one moment he was the victim of the orphanage, the next, the orphanage had fallen victim to Sebastian King.

It took him a few years, but when he set his mind on something, he was unstoppable.

He created an empire; an army, one that would follow his every wish and order. He met Callum Bell and Mason Walker, and began to learn what it meant to have genuine relationships with others.

Olivia Day, his drug addict father, and the orphanage—they couldn't give him what he wanted, what every child needs: a family.

So he created one of his own.

It was unorthodox, unjust, and undoubtedly illegal. It's name, his name, would never cease to be regarded with terror.

But those men were his family, and while he wasn't able to experience what that word truly meant during his childhood, Sebastian eventually came to an understanding of it.

Family meant loyalty.

Family meant sacrifice.

It meant respect, and it meant care.

But there was something that Sebastian could never quite wrap his head around. He knew that he cared for his men, especially Callum and Mason, but at the end of the day, he was still the boy who learned at a young age that trust could not be simply handed out.

If family meant all of that, why did he find himself grappling to comprehend a situation in which he would sacrifice himself for one of his men?

Why did he subconsciously believe that the term 'family' was one sided?

Like everything, his full understanding of family took time.

As the leader of the Kings, Sebastian vowed to protect his men as best he could; however, he made it clear what it meant when one became a part of the gang. In a sense, it was like marriage: till death do they part. He made it clear what was expected, but he especially made the consequences clear when these expectations were not met.

It was Mason and Callum who broke through to Sebastian and showed him what family, and in their eyes, brotherhood, meant.

There was never a moment in his life that Sebastian King would be regarded, by the public, as anything less than callous, unforgiving, and an outright murderer. When he ran away from the orphanage, he never once had thought to worry about being followed or caught, because at the age of sixteen, it was well known that this boy was destined to become something god awful.

But it was those closest to Sebastian who noticed the slightest change in his behavior, because of the help from Mason and Callum. It was hardly noticeable to the gang members, but it provided them some reassurance that he wasn't as entirely soulless as most of England believed him to be.

Yes, it was tacitly known that Mason and Callum taught Sebastian that family was not one sided. It was because of them that he came to understand what loyalty, respect, and dedication meant.

But it was someone else who showed him what it meant to care for another, in an undeniably selfless manner, one that he had never truly known.

It was because of her that Sebastian could finally understand sacrifice.

It was because of her that Sebastian not only wanted to become empathetic, but also why he worked tirelessly to do so.

It was because of her that Sebastian began to see the world differently.

In fact, she managed to turn his entire world upside down, and he could not even fathom on how to right it—but he knew he didn't want to.

Mason and Callum taught Sebastian the meaning of family.

But she taught him the meaning of love.

Mason and Callum helped him become a better leader.

But Evelyn Summers helped Sebastian King become a better man.

+++++

Before her, Sebastian King never felt an attachment to any female.

He got around. It was as simple as that.

His dangerous reputation attracted women by the masses. A fair amount liked to watch from afar; it was only a fraction that actually had the courage to approach him—

But it wasn't actually courage. In reality, it was a few too many drinks, a cocktail of drugs, or a reckless desire to stare danger in the face and see if survival was possible.

The desire for a brief interaction with the devil himself.

He never saw the same girl twice, and of the handful of times a girl managed to sleepover, she would always be gone the moment Sebastian woke. He would rarely throw them a glance as he told them to leave, and he barely ever bat an eye when the girls would try to seduce him for another night.

He never considered developing a relationship with a girl that lasted longer than a night—if what that was could even be called a relationship. He had no genuine interest in the women that flocked around him, other than to exploit for his own satisfaction.

Were his issues rooted in his 'mommy issues'? Did his nonexistent relationship with his mother cause him to become incapable of forming relationships with other women?

When one of the girls would confront him, and try to question why he was the way that he was, it never Sebastian more than a few minutes to get rid of them.

He wasn't inclined to answer them, nor did he want to.

To Sebastian King, girls were nothing but a quick fuck. They were more trouble than they were worth, so he never kept them around.

Being the leader of the most powerful gang, Sebastian was well aware of the other gangs in the area, which included any activity that revolved around the London's Eyes, which had been around for decades.

It was small, decently powerful, but the gang stayed within its own lane. He never regarded it as a threat, even when Johnny Summers became the leader. With his drug addicted wife by his side, Johnny didn't seem dangerous—but Sebastian knew better.

Johnny Summers was power hungry, and it was going to cost him sooner or later.

When Sebastian discovered his own potential, he initially wanted to exploit it. He wanted to rein terror over London; however, he recognized the truth within the cliché: with great power, comes great responsibility.

He took a step back, and then proceeded to form his lethal army.

But Sebastian was able to do this as a teenager, while Johnny was a middle-aged man, who was incapable of viewing the world as something that did not revolve around him.

He was selfish, cruel, and reckless in his behavior.

He ingrained his belief that emotions were destabilizing, and therefore, the source of weakness, into his men. He demanded that they became cold and indifferent in their behaviors, but this was a demand that could not be easily met.

This is why the London's Eyes could never surpass their ranking.

That is why Sebastian never bothered to send threats towards London's Eyes. Johnny Summers expected the impossible and he would grow frustrated and violent when his men failed to meet these expectations.

It was during Sebastian's initial recruitment when he caught wind that a young girl had started training for London's Eyes. It had captured his attention momentarily, for women rarely worked within gangs—instead, women were usually used within the camp settings, exploited and abused for their bodies.

But when he discovered she was a mere thirteen years old, he lost all interest in the matter. He attributed their capturing and killing of traitors, rats, and thieves as pure luck, and dismissed it all together.

However, when London's Eyes seemed to grow exponentially in power and success within only two years, a feat that he had never thought the gang capable of accomplishing, Sebastian demanded immediate intel on the gang.

His newly hired tracker, Mason Bell, did not fail to provide him just about everything in existence on the London's Eyes, and their sudden successes. It was because of Mason, that Sebastian was able to discover the driving force behind the unexpected growth.

It seemed that after years of demanding the impossible from his men, Johnny Summers had found himself someone who could be exactly what he needed and wanted. Someone who could be cold, calculated, but at times, horrifically reckless. Someone who could, and if not stopped, would, be the reason that the London's Eyes became a genuine threat towards the Kings.

This person happened to be Johnny Summers's one and only daughter.

At only the age of fifteen, Evelyn Claire Summers singlehandedly became the biggest threat to the Kings.

Sebastian remembers staring at the hundreds of glossy photographs that were splayed across his desk, his nose wrinkling in disgust as he thought of Johnny Summers forcing his daughter to partake in such activity.

But like they say, a picture speaks a thousand words.

She didn't look fifteen. Her features were dark, but her eyes were icy, and held a scathing look. She was thin, but her expression relayed brutality and an air of ruthlessness.

Where a smile should have been, was a sinister smirk, one that looked knowing and cold.

She should have looked harmless, but she looked lethal.

Sebastian had a few of his men tail her and demanded weekly reports. He wanted to know everything about her: how often she trained, if she could use a gun properly, what she did in her free time, if she ever had any. He wanted to understand her—but little did he know that was a feat he wouldn't accomplish for years.

But after a few months, he came to realize that no matter how well Evelyn did her job, her father was always going to hold her back, hold the gang back, from surpassing the Kings. Despite his commands and expectations, he failed to establish structure to his plans and goals for the gang.

From the beginning, Sebastian knew what he wanted.

He was driven and determined.

Nothing could distract Sebastian or deter him from his plan. He knew what he wanted, and everyone knew the King always got what he wanted.

But he didn't realize that this girl, this girl who he had been watching for months, would ever be something that he'd want. At nineteen, Sebastian dismissed Evelyn and the threat she posed, knowing that as long as her father was alive, she would never truly be able to help London's Eyes overpower the Kings.

He had Mason keep his eye on her, but Evelyn, especially the idea of her, would not cross his mind for another year.

Sebastian had been out, celebrating an arms deal that the Kings had finally closed with another gang in Northern Ireland. He rarely went out to actually celebrate; usually, he would make his appearances in clubs to scope out potential threats. But after a handful of heavy drinks, Sebastian was no longer scowling. His lips were upturned into a smirk, and to an ignorant onlooker, he seemed like a carefree teenager enjoying his night out.

But everyone there knew better, so when a man rushed into the VIP section and spoke to Mason, who immediately grabbed Sebastian before he could take another sip, no one was surprised.

No one was surprised when Sebastian suddenly stood up and disappeared with his men in the matter of minutes.

No one was surprised, because everyone was used to gang related activity circling Sebastian and his men wherever they went.

But most importantly, no one was surprised because no one else knew what had happened.

No one knew that Johnny and Sophia Summers were dead.

+++++

He could remember Mason's voice vividly.

"Johnny Summers was attacked, he's dead."

He remembers the shock that initially overtook him, before he instantly took action. He ordered his men to leave, and called an immediate meeting at the gang house. Sebastian's mind was racing a million miles a minute. His pulse had quickened, but he kept his composure. He remained visibly calm and indifferent, but there was internal turmoil raging within him.

Johnny and Sophia had been killed.

The leader of the second most powerful gang in London had been shot dead.

It could have been an accident, a drive-by even. It could have been Johnny's recklessness that caused it. Perhaps it was the fact that death had always been waiting right around the corner for him, and his wife was simply just collateral damage.

All of these options were plausible.

But Sebastian knew better.

This wasn't an attack on London's Eyes. This was an attack on the Kings. It was a warning, that no matter how powerful someone was, their life was always disposable.

Word would get out soon.

Soon, every gang—every person—in London would know that Johnny and his wife were dead. There would be chaos. People would be in panic mode, and the stress and anxiety of the city would be overwhelming. Everyone would expect the worst from everyone, and Sebastian knew people would be waiting for the Kings to react.

Sebastian had his men on high alert. Ironically enough, he had eyes on London's Eyes, watching their every movement in case there would be any retaliation on their part.

He wondered if Danny Summers, who was only twenty-three and now the leader of the gang, would think the King's were behind it.

For a week, everyone held their breath

For a week, there was no movement. No gang activity. Nothing that would typically be occurring within the confines of London. The entire community was silently waiting, waiting for fingers to be pointed, people to be accused, and gunshots to ring out.

But there was nothing.

There was absolutely nothing.

London's Eyes had decided to lay low. Danny needed time to recover, to mourn the deaths of his parents. He was now the leader of a gang, a position he was never quite sure he wanted. Everything was moving far too fast paced for him, and he found himself struggling to even breathe. So he ordered his men into a period of inactivity, and cast a spell of silent hysteria throughout London.

It was a week of waiting, but it should have been longer.

Danny Summers was still torn and broken, but she wasn't, and people would always question if she ever had been.

It was a week of silence.

Then Evelyn Claire Summers decided to make an appearance.

In the matter of minutes, she managed to reignite the fiery chaos she always seemed to spread.

She made her appearance, and in less than an hour, Sebastian found himself hunched over his desk, staring at into the eyes of a smirking girl, who didn't look the slightest bit bothered. Her dark hair framed her face despite the unruly waves and curls. Her eyes were bright, and Sebastian could have sworn they had a glitter to them.

She was sixteen this time.

And it was this time, that she caught his attention.

Like all the men, and a decent portion of the women in London, Evelyn had Sebastian mesmerized. But it wasn't necessarily her looks that dragged him in. It was the fact that she was seen out, after her parents had been brutally murdered, throwing back drinks and dancing as though she hadn't a care in the world.

It was the fact that she probably hadn't even needed a day to recover from the death of her parents.

In fact, she wasn't in mourning in the slightest—or at least, she didn't seem to be. Not from the way she had confidently walked out into the town, and allowed everyone to stare at her in frozen awe and fear.

She was Evelyn Claire Summers, and she was showing London, proving to London, that she was the most dangerous and cold-hearted girl it had ever seen, and would ever see.

Perhaps her message wasn't clear to those who cowered away from her, but Sebastian heard her perfectly, and when he saw those pictures of her, he knew what he wanted.

He wanted to see her.

Sebastian wore a dark hoodie, and kept his appearance entirely discreet. It was one of the few times that he chose to remain unseen.

And when Sebastian King wanted to be unseen, he practically became the darkness that surrounded people in their worst nightmares. He moved with the shadows, and did so soundlessly.

He crossed the street and leaned against the stone wall of the alleyway. His finger traced the trigger of the gun in his pocket, but he knew in the back of his mind that he wouldn't need to use it.

He waited patiently for minutes, and then after what felt like an hour, he heard the back door creak, before he watched it get flung open.

He heard her before he saw her.

A light, airy laugh echoed out into the alleyway, and then she stepped out. Her short, black dress had ridden up slightly, and her heels were far too high to support her in the state that she was in. Sebastian's spine stiffened when she stumbled forwards and swayed dangerously. Her hair was wildly untamed now, and from her dazed and intoxicated expression, Sebastian could see that she was just barely holding on to her consciousness.

He frowned at seeing her alone, especially in the state that she was in. She was practically a child, but she looked much older.

Sebastian nearly took a step forwards, but then the door opened again, revealing a man much larger than her. His hand tightened around the gun as the man took a few steps towards the oblivious Evelyn Summers.

She was twirling on her feet, and nearly collapsed when the man reached out and caught her arm.

This time Sebastian did take a step forwards, but he remained hidden.

"Get off me," she slurred out. Her voice wavered, but Sebastian could hear it clearly from where he stood.

His jaw clenched when the man pushed Evelyn against the wall against her protests. He watched as she struggled against him, before going limp and giving him a blank stare.

"Are you going to hurt me?" She asked, her voice chillingly soft. She sounded like a child in that moment: hopelessly and utterly innocent; yet, there was an underlying tone. She was taunting the man, and he didn't even realize it. To Evelyn, this was nothing but a game of cat and mouse.

The man smiled and cupped her face, his entire body covering her small frame as he leaned in.

"I might."

She was unresponsive for a few seconds, before her head tilted to the side and she smiled.

"Too bad you can't."

Suddenly the man was screaming out curse words and clutching his bleeding nose. Sebastian halted in place. He had unconsciously been inching closer to them, and his gun was now firmly in his hand.

"Never fucking touch me again."

Before the man, or even Sebastian himself, could register what was happening, Evelyn slammed her knee into the man's crotch, and quickly sent her foot into his face.

Blood splattered across the ground, and even her pale legs. But instead of swaying and stumbling, Evelyn was now standing steadily on her feet. Her eyes were no longer twinkling with drunken happiness. Instead, they raged with fire and anger. She looked absolutely murderous in the dimly lit alley.

Sebastian felt his throat close when her icy eyes moved from the bleeding man on the ground, to the man who thought he was completely concealed in the darkness.

Her eyes locked with his. He watched as the slightest flash of confusion darted through them, before emptiness settled in her orbs.

"What do you want?"

Sebastian said nothing. He wasn't even sure if he could speak. He only remained silent until she rolled her eyes, sent one final kick into the groaning man, and turned around without another glance back.

He watched as she walked away, carelessly swaying back and forth, as though she hadn't just been nearly assaulted. Her hair swung gently, and he watched as she paused to remove her heels when she reached the opposite end of the alleyway.

By now, Sebastian had submerged himself back into the shadows; yet, he still sucked in his breath when her eyes seemed to pierce his own for the second time that night.

He knew he was hidden, but his skin was on fire.

He watched as she leaned against the wall and rested her head in her hands, before forcing herself back on her feet. It lasted only a few seconds, but in that moment, he knew she was hurting.

And for the first time in his life, Sebastian King felt sympathy. But it wasn't just sympathy—there was something else there. Perhaps it was desire; however, he knew it wasn't.

When he saw her shoulders drop, he saw the one and only Evelyn Summers in a state of vulnerability. He saw her in pain, and he saw her hurting.

And he couldn't give a reason as to why, but he didn't like it.

He was upset by it.

So suddenly, Sebastian King decided he wanted her.

He had no doubt in his mind her reputation maintained everything about her—but he had discovered that she another side to her.

So, he wanted her.

And everyone knew the King always got what he wanted.

+++++

Sebastian had come in with a plan.

When he walked through the doors of the Summers's house, he came with a plan that he had placed in effect for nearly a year. Ever since he witnessed Evelyn Summers stumble through the back door of the club, Sebastian had been receiving daily reports on the London's Eyes, specifically her.

She was seventeen now, to the eyes of the public, not much had changed.

But Sebastian knew better. Through the compiled intel that Sebastian had gathered, he had come to the conclusion that Evelyn now preferred to go unnoticed; although that was hardly the case.

She could be standing in a crowd of a million others, and her chilling appearance would stand out like a sore thumb.

She was unmistakably unnoticeable; however, Sebastian could tell that she wasn't fond of that part about her. It was as though she had become shy.

Sebastian King could not quite figure her out.

He stared at pictures, he watched videos, and on rare occasions, he watched her from afar. Sebastian never allowed her to see him, not ever since that night, which had been over a year ago.

He knew she knew about him, but he couldn't seem to gage her knowledge.

The Kings had been slipping, but it had gone completely unnoticed by everyone other than Sebastian, Mason, and Callum. They maintained their ranking, but Sebastian knew action had to be taken immediately for them to continue in their position.

The day he met Danny Summers, was the day he finally revealed what he wanted, who he wanted.

Callum and Mason stood by his side as Sebastian spoke, and neither displayed the shock they felt when they heard her name leave his lips. They remained stoic while Danny's jaw dropped and his eyes widened considerably. They remained absolutely still when Danny began begging, even demanding that Sebastian change his mind.

They knew what their roles as his right hand men entailed. They couldn't falter at his words, and show the break in their usually united front.

On the surface, they stood in solidarity with Sebastian.

But internally, they had made a groundbreaking discovery and were being completely overwhelmed with shock and surprise.

It all finally made sense: the tailing of Evelyn Summers, the constant reports, and the desire to cripple London's Eyes so that the Kings could act as its crutch.

He didn't want more power.

He didn't want to wipe out the London's Eyes.

He wanted her.

Everything he had done, been doing, and would do—it would all be for her.

But this was Sebastian King, and she was Evelyn Summers. This was fire and ice. Polar opposites who demanded control and power, and both far too stubborn to submit to the other.

Mason and Callum remained silent for Sebastian, but both internally questioned how this could possibly work.

He was going to hurt her, and he was going to break her.

They couldn't fathom how she would survive this.

But what they didn't realize, what even Sebastian didn't realize, was the effect she would have on him.

They worried about what would happen to Evelyn when Sebastian was done with her. In reality, they should have been thinking about what would happen, what would fundamentally change within Sebastian, when she was through with him.

But there was no way of knowing.

Mason, Callum, Sebastian—the entirety of London—no one could have known how she would effect him. How she would change him.

Because before her, Sebastian was selfish.

He was trying to learn how to be considerate, but at the end of the day, he was still the boy who grew up in an orphanage. He was still the boy who had to learn to survive on his own, and would struggle for years with trust issues.

He was the boy who was born with no parents.

He was brought into the world without love, and believed his was deemed to live a loveless life.

He would never know his mother's intentions, and he was too far-gone to care anymore.

But then he met Evelyn. There was no way of knowing what she would do, what she could do to him.

Because somehow, she would be the one.

She would be the reason his heart beat a little faster, a little harder each day. She would be the reason he'd wake up and want to see something, someone, apart from the inside of his office. His hands would itch to run through her hair, rather than be tightened around the trigger of his gun.

Because somehow—

The Queen would make the King's heart beat for someone other than himself.

+++++

Everything with Evelyn Claire Summers was reckless.

Sebastian was used to being the controller. He had become accustomed to being the dominant one in any and every situation. He was almost never questioned or challenged, and in the rare times that did occur, it never lasted long.

When Evie tried to run away, Sebastian acted on instinct.

Like a predator with its prey, he tracked her down and tormented her, leaving her on the brink of death.

Her gasps of pain, the tears that flooded her eyes, and the cries that she suppressed: they all haunted him. For days he was beside himself, questioning why he had acted the way he had. But another part of him was angry that he cared.

Never in his life had he cared for a girl, and he could not grasp why this debilitating emotion emerged with Evie.

When someone spends the majority of their life, believing there is nothing and no one worth loving or living for, it becomes their inherent nature to be cruel, even sadistic, to others. Sebastian had never known love as a child, and the gang was his closest thing to a family.

Sebastian struggled to open up. In fact, he found it practically impossible to allow himself to be vulnerable.

Perhaps that is why he struggled constantly with his feelings and actions towards Evie. From the moment he met her, he was drawn to her. Despite his greatest efforts, he couldn't resist watching her every movement and spending endless hours mulling over photographs and files filled with gathered information. She was unlike any person he had ever seen.

But no amount of pictures or gathered intel could prepare Sebastian for the real life Evelyn Summers.

He didn't realize that apart from sympathy, this girl would evoke compassion from him—in a manner that would leave him breathless, lying awake each night with the image of her tantalizing blue eyes piercing his own.

Perhaps it was because she was the one and only person who could break down the wall that had been built at birth, that he treated her so cruelly while inexplicably wanting nothing more than to infiltrate her mind, to understand her and to care for her.

He sought to understand her, but he hardly understood himself. He couldn't understand how he could hurt her, physically and emotionally.

He wanted to be better, but he didn't know how.

But he was trying.

And maybe that is why, even after she spoke the words that made his breath catch in his throat, even after she glared at him with such resentment and hatred, even after she reminded him that her pain was his fault—

Even after she broke his heart, something Sebastian would never have outwardly admitted that she had—

He sat in his car, outside the hospital, mulling over everything and anything he could say to her.

To tell her how sorry he was.

To tell her how much he loved her.

To tell her he was trying.

To tell her that he would not give up.

Sebastian King was about the furthest thing from perfect, and never in his life did he ever feel inclined to be so.

But then he met Evelyn Claire Summers.

She had his heart, and he would work to mend hers.

+++++

He watched as her hand limply trailed over the thin sheets on her bed. Her body was curled to the side, and she looked impossibly small and fragile in the position she was in.

"She hasn't talked for days."

Elizabeth's tone was wary, and she almost looked as exhausted as Sebastian felt.

He had angled his body away from the glass, in case Evie were to suddenly turn and spot him. He didn't want to upset her any further, and after three days of sitting in his car, occasionally coming in at night to catch a glimpse of her sleeping, when she finally looked at peace, Sebastian had forced himself back through the hospital doors.

The rare times he would go home, none of the boys would dare speak to him. He would eat, shower, and then immediately leave, exhaustion clouding his features.

But there was a glint of determination, and while small, they knew not to challenge him.

"Danny got her to eat a bit the other day," Elizabeth perked up to add, although her voice sounded hallow. "She just doesn't seem to have the energy to do much."

Sebastian's gaze was unfaltering on her feeble form, but he was aware of the air of tension between him and Elizabeth. He could tell she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to do so.

"Spit it out." He tore his eyes off of Evie and directed his stare to Elizabeth, who managed to not flinch back as he had assumed she would have.

"It may be in Evie's best interest if she was moved to," her voice faltered and her gaze shifted to the ground before she mustered the confidence to look back up, "There are places that may provide better treatment for her, and I just think that—"

"What are you saying?" Sebastian pressed, his tone hardening as Elizabeth's confidence shrunk.

"Physically, she is on the right path for healing. Of course, I am still concerned by her lack of eating, but I am convinced her weight will go up even if we move her." Elizabeth shifted and the brief pause nearly caused Sebastian to snap. "I think the best treatment for Evie is psychiatric treatment, which would mean moving her to a mental health facility—"

Sebastian shook his head, cutting her off. "What the hell do you mean? Do you think she's crazy? What the fuck are you saying?"

"Sebastian, no, you are not understanding what I am saying—"

"Then enlighten me." Sebastian growled out, "Because I was under the impression that hospitals were supposed to help people, hence, why we fucking brought her here in the first place."

Elizabeth hesitated, anxiety growing in her chest as his tone grew scathing. She heard and practically could feel the anger radiating from him, but she noticed the worry in his eyes, and that was the only thing keeping her from running away from him.

"I know you're worried," she hesitated again, "And I know you're scared. You love her, that much is obvious, but the help she needs is not necessarily the help we are fully capable of providing."

Elizabeth paused, but Sebastian made no attempt to speak. "I spoke to Danny about it earlier, and he is willing to give it a try. There is a place I know only about thirty miles out, which I know is far, but I know a few people who work there and it is extremely secure facility. They provide incredible resources for "

"Does she know?" Sebastian finally said. "Does Evie know about any of this?"

Elizabeth glanced through the glass, where Evie remained on her bed in the same position. Her hand appeared to be still, and the slow movement of her shoulders indicated she had fallen asleep.

"No," Elizabeth frowned, "I thought it would be best coming from you or Danny."

"Okay," Sebastian nodded, "Danny will be coming later, so I will—" He hesitated, and the stress was evident in his expression.

"It's okay," Elizabeth said, placing her hand lightly on his arm. "It's not like we are going to kick her out of here, and I will keep up the treatment she usually receives. I just wanted to propose the idea." She offered a small smile before adding, "I want her to get better, and I know you do to. If it helps, I can transfer over there for the time being to help her adjust and make sure her physical recovery stays on track."

Sebastian stared into Elizabeth's eyes for a few moments before he spoke.

"Why are you doing this? Do you get this involved with all of your patients?" Sebastian questioned her.

"I, I am just trying to do my best and provide the most help. I treat all patients the same." Elizabeth stuttered out, her cheeks tinting pink as she spoke.

He stare darkened further before Elizabeth quickly spoke up again. "Look, I know you've already done a background check on me and you know my parents live in New York and that I almost took a job at Johns Hopkins. You probably know that I almost died in a car accident when I was younger which is why I wanted to become a doctor. What I am saying is—I understand why you have your suspicions. I understand why you are cautious. But I swear to you, you can trust me. I want her to get better. I see the way you all care for her, and," she paused, "I know you would all have my head if anything happened to her."

Sebastian finally leaned away and to her surprise, a small smile appeared on his lips before it quickly faded.

"I just want her to be okay." His voice was soft, a tone that Elizabeth never expected to hear from him.

"She will. She just needs some time."

Sebastian offered her a small smile before she excused herself, leaving him standing alone by the glass.

Sebastian's emotions were running high still, and he felt himself overwhelmed with worry.

What if Evie couldn't be helped?

What if she had been damaged beyond repair?

Sebastian lifted a hand to his face and flinched back at the moisture his hand had come into contact with.

Sebastian King was crying.

He stared at his hand in horror before moving to wipe away the evidence, quickly scanning the hallway to ensure that no one had seen him. Fortunately for him, the hallway was empty, and just as he had finished wiping his face, he cast a quick glance through the glass and found himself frozen.

She was no longer curled to the side.

In fact, she was no longer in bed.

Evie stood barely a foot from the glass, her small frame shaking slightly as she held herself upright for the first time in days.

Her eyes were blank, but her head was tilted curiously to the side.

He watched as she made an attempt to take a step forwards, and he quickly moved through the doorway towards her. Before he could reach out to her, Evie's hand lifted up to his face.

He sucked in a breath as she cupped his cheek before a finger traced the remaining residue on his cheek.

"I've never seen you cry."

+++++

Her eyes were trained on her hands, and her fingers were twitching nervously in her lap. Sebastian watched as she shifted slightly on her bed, her expression only slightly relaying the suffocating discomfort she felt.

The girl in front of him bore no resemblance to the girl who had been spewing hate filled words at him.

He thought of the way he had tried to help her back to her bed, but she had avoided his hands and slowly walked back despite the way her legs shook with every step she took.

Her little act of defiance and independence was somewhat relieving, but that small flame had flickered out in the moments that had passed since.

"Evie."

Her eyes flickered upwards and she held his gaze momentarily before looking down again.

"How do you feel?"

His voice was hoarse, and he winced as the question left his mouth. She wouldn't even look at him right now.

But then she shifted, and her eyes briefly lifted up to meet his.

"Awful."

She swallowed, and for a moment it looked like she was going to say more, but her lips remained pursed and her gaze slowly fell away from his.

He took this moment to take in her full appearance. She was still remarkably thin, and the bruises seemed to look worse despite the medications she had been taking. There were unsettling bags under her eyes, and her lips were turned downwards at the corners, which used to indicate that she was going to cry—but Sebastian wasn't sure if she even had the energy left.

Looking at her then, Sebastian realized how right Elizabeth had been in her suggestion to move Evie. This was more than a broken bone. This was more than a cut that needed to be stitched. This was more than a surgery.

"Evie," Sebastian began hesitantly, "I spoke to Dr. James—Elizabeth, today, and she mentioned—"

"Why did you come back?"

Sebastian was caught off guard and was on the verge of asking her what she meant when her lips moved again.

"After everything I said to you," she bit her lip. "Why?"

He felt himself piecing together a speech in his head, his mind racing to think of exactly what to say, but his mouth moved on its own accord.

"You know why."

She finally looked at him, her eyes unwavering as he now shifted uncomfortably.

"No I don't."

"Yes you do." His tone was persistent.

"Why?" Her tone was suddenly soft, and her eyes no longer held an icy stare.

"Because I love—"

"You shouldn't throw that word around." Her voice was now cold, and Sebastian watched as her mask slid in place.

"I am not throwing it around," Sebastian insisted, now standing up. "I have never said that word to anyone else and I couldn't imagine a world where I did." He watched her closely as she leaned back, her eyes cautiously taking in he approaching form.

"I love you, Evie. And I know that I have almost never properly shown that, but it is the truth and I will do whatever I can to show you that. You blame me. You blame me and you hate me for what happened and I will never be able to apologize enough for that. But I am sorry."

Sebastian paused, mere inches from her bed.

"I am so sorry for what happened to you," his voice was shaky, and he prayed it would not crack. "I am sorry that he hurt you, and I am sorry that it was my fault, that I let him take you and that I let him hurt you."

His eyes burned as he felt his throat close and he found himself standing helplessly in front of her.

"I love you."

It was the last thing he uttered out before he had to excuse himself, unable to stand in front of her for even a minute longer, far too afraid he would cry again, but even more so, that he would take her in his arms in a pathetic attempt to take away the pain she felt and take it upon himself.

"Wait."

Sebastian was already a few feet out of her room when he heard her voice and stopped immediately in his tracks.

He gritted his teeth and turned slowly, his eyes locking on Evie just as she let out a small hiss when her hip hit the plastic end of her hospital bed, causing her to fall to the floor.

He instantly had his arms gently cradling her as he helped her to her feet. But instead of pushing away from him, as Sebastian had expected she would, Evie leaned into him and allowed him to help her back to her bed.

"Wait."

Much to Sebastian's dismay, Evie pulled away from his arms and moved away from him, her uninjured hand holding onto the bedside table to support herself.

"Ms. Summers, you shouldn't be out of—"

"Leave." She snapped at the nurse, who quickly exited the room.

"Ev, she's right," Sebastian tried, noticing the way her legs struggled to support her weight.

"No, no," Evie was breathless now, and Sebastian saw the panic in her eyes, but he knew better than to interfere.

"You need to hear this, I need to say it."

+++++

When I woke up after being sedated, I found myself crying and completely unable to stop. I cried helplessly for hours, all over things that I had said.

I wanted to hurt Sebastian, and I had.

But in his eyes, there was hope. And I hated him for that.

I wanted him to give up on me. I wanted him to look at me as if I was nothing more than trash littered on the side of the road.

I wanted him to see me as nothing, so that I could justify giving up on myself.

I was hurt.

I couldn't bring myself to eat, I barely was able to sleep for more than a few hours, and I was in constant battle with my emotions and thoughts.

I didn't want him to care for me.

I didn't want him to love me.

But he did—even after I tried to break his heart.

My entire body shook as I leaned on the table for support. I felt my heart racing in my chest and my thoughts scatter throughout my head as if gunshots had gone off.

"I don't," my voice shook terribly and I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to muster the strength to speak.

"I—" My voice noticeably caught, and I felt myself grow distraught. The corners of my mouth quivered, and to my horror, I felt the tears begin to burn in my eyes. I swallowed deeply, ignoring the growing lump in my throat and feebly coughed, a weak attempt to make the tears stop building up.

"I don't blame you—" My voice was clearer now. "It's not your fault. What happened to me, it was part of my plan and I just—"

My voice was threatening to break and I had to pause, otherwise I would have lost control.

"Evie."

His voice alone made me want to crumble, just to feel his arms wrap around me and hold me close.

"I wanted you to hate me, so I said the things I said. I wanted to hurt you, because I thought you'd give up on me if I did."

"You say you love me," a bitter laugh left my lips, "Well you shouldn't."

"Evie, please," he tried again, inching closer to me.

I moved back, however, unwilling to let him advance any further.

"I am not a good person, Sebastian King. And right now, I feel as though—" I hesitated, forcing myself to try to calm down, "I feel like I have no control over myself. I feel—"

My lips jerked into a frown and the tears began to build once again, despite all my attempts.

"Tell me. Tell me what he said to you."

I shook my head, unable to find the words.

"Evie," Sebastian was now in front of me, his hands limply at his sides; yet, I could see the way they twitched. "Please talk to me."

"What if he doesn't care?"

My voice rang throughout my mind as I thought of Nick cornering me, taunting me, and tormenting me.

"You're scared."

His voice, Nick's cruel and sinister voice, made me cower back and gasp out. My eyes were frantically darting around the room and I attempted to reassure myself that he wasn't there, that he was dead—that I had driven the stake into his neck.

"Evie—"

"Stop!" I had screamed at Sebastian, who now was frozen in place. "I need to fucking say this, please, just please—"

I watched as he took a few steps back, his hands up as if in surrender.

"When you didn't," I felt myself choke up, "When you didn't come, I got worried. I hadn't realized Mason—"

Sebastian nodded, his eyes soft. "It's okay Evie, I understand. You were scared. And I am so sorry. You had every right to be, and I am sorry."

I felt my lips quiver, and then a sob left my lips.

"I wasn't just scared, Sebastian."

My flooding eyes now reached his and I felt my grasp on my emotions slip off.

"I thought—" my voice cracked and another sob broke through my lips, "I thought you didn't care anymore."

I could tell from his expression that he hadn't quite heard me, and if he had, he didn't want to believe it. But I forced myself to say it, to tell him the truth, and to speak the thought that haunted me and debilitated me entirely.

"I thought you didn't care about me."

+++++

"I've never seen you cry."

Her voice played on a loop in his head as he watched her chest slowly rise and fall as she slept. Her hand still firmly grasped his, and while his back had grown stiff from the chair he sat in, he vowed not to move until she woke in the morning.

Her cheeks were still tear stained, and her eyelashes were still wet. She had not stopped crying it seemed. In fact, she had cried for hours until he was able to convince her to eat a little, in hopes it would help.

But nevertheless, he watched her slowly chew her food with tears streaming silently down her cheeks. He watched her muster up a small smile at Danny when he came in to visit, and even engage in a short conversation with him.

He had given Danny a curt nod, indicating they would discuss Evie later, and mentioned that he would be staying the night there—a subtle way to gage her reaction.

Evie had paused from eating, but when he turned to her she pretended as if she hadn't reacted at all.

She had even gone as far as to offer him the other side of her bed, but even a blind person could detect the discomfort she felt towards that idea. Instead, he pulled up a chair to her bed and held her hand, rubbing small circles into the back of it. With his free hand, he gently wiped her cheeks and smoothed back her hair until she succumbed to her exhaustion.

He wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed and hold her in his arms, and every time she flinched in her sleep he found himself tempted to so.

But she wasn't ready.

She needed time.

And for Evelyn Claire Summers, Sebastian King was willing to give her every breathing minute he had left of his life.

+++++

"I've never seen you cry."

And it was true.

Sebastian King rarely shed a tear.

He rarely showed vulnerability.

He rarely allowed himself to show that he cared.

It wasn't just because he had spent countless nights as a child wondering why his own mother didn't want him. Because he filled that void with his gang, with the power he gained from it, and the friendships he had eventually allowed to form.

It was because of when he met her, when he saw her for everything she was—he discovered there was something more. Something more than the power, the money, and the name Sebastian King.

This something, was someone.

For Evelyn Summers, he would do it all. He would strip himself bare, tear down every wall he had ever built.

The King would fall to his knees from his throne, stripped of his crown, leaving him nothing more than a mere man.

And why?

Because he loved her.

And the King only bows down to his Queen.

+++++

Author's Note

I really don't know if there are enough ways to apologize for the way I abandon this book time and time again. As I have said before and I will say again, there is something about this book that makes me hate it, so much that I put it away and completely ignore it and my responsibility to you all as a writer. 

That is inexcusable, and I am truly so sorry.

I have thrown every excuse at you all, and I am incredibly sorry for the wait.

I am trying so hard to finish this book, and I am sure having a filler chapter after such a long hiatus is the last thing anyone wanted, but I promise to make the next chapter much better!

I am extremely sorry again—if I could be better, and do better, I swear to you I would.

Love you all to the moon and back. xx