Chased By My Billionaire Ex-husband

Chapter 197: Caspian’s Truth: Part II

"An Orphan With No Background!"

Author’s POV

Caspian’s body trembled, his hands curling into fists at his sides. He had always known that one day he would have to tell Evander the truth, but not like this. Not in front of so many people.

It wasn’t just Evander standing there, waiting for the answers to his questions. Damian was present too, along with Claire and an outsider, Sissy, who had no connection to their past. He had imagined this moment countless times, but none of them were like this.

"And then what, Caspian?!" Evander’s sharp voice cut through the silence, dragging Caspian back from his tangled thoughts. His mind had been spiraling, but Evander’s impatient glare forced him to continue.

Caspian quickly wiped the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath, steadying himself. His hands clenched for a moment before loosening.

"And that was when you appeared," Caspian finally said, his voice laced with bitterness. "When Elijah decided to give up everything... Colten fell gravely ill. He was so sick that he was on the verge of death, and your mother—" he paused, watching Evander’s expression darken, "she turned all her hatred toward you once again."

Evander’s jaw tightened; his grip on Claire’s hand unconsciously grew firmer.

Caspian let out a small, sorrowful chuckle, but there was no humor in his voice. "You were already in pain, Evander. You were barely holding on, and Elijah... he couldn’t stand it. He didn’t want anything else to happen to you." His voice trembled slightly, but his gaze remained firm.

He inhaled deeply before continuing, his next words hitting like a quiet storm.

"And that was when, for the first time, he wavered... because of his love for his brothers."

A heavy silence followed; no one knew what to say. While Evander’s eyes flickered with pain and disbelief, he was not ready to accept the truth.

"You know... I hated you at that moment," Caspian admitted, his voice full of the pain that he had been carrying for years. "But at the same time, I pitied you... because, despite everything, you meant that much to me. And that—" he exhaled shakily, "that was how we ended up breaking up."

Caspian’s voice cracked as he tried to hold himself together, but the memories were suffocating. He could almost hear Elijah’s voice, see his smile, and feel the warmth that was now lost forever.

Caspian clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. It was agonizing to think back to those days—it felt like he had lived through hell. But this? This was worse. Because now, it wasn’t just a breakup. It wasn’t just distance keeping them apart. Elijah was gone. He didn’t even exist in this world anymore.

He took a shaky breath, forcing himself to continue. "But no matter how much we tried to stay apart, we couldn’t. We always found our way back to each other." His lips curled into a bitter smile before he let out a dry laugh. "And, of course, that was thanks to you... again."

Caspian swallowed hard, the lump in his throat refusing to go away. He steadied himself, his eyes locking onto Evander’s. "And you won’t believe how grateful we were for that," Caspian continued, his voice laced with sorrow and bitterness. "But, of course, Gloria never left our lives... Not for a single moment."

He let out a dry chuckle, but there was no humor in it. "You know, being an orphan was already bad enough. People looked down on me, but being Elijah’s lover? That made me despised. And Gloria? Oh, she loathed me for that. She never once saw how hard I worked, how much I struggled just to survive and make a name for myself."

His jaw clenched as his eyes darkened with suppressed anger. "Heck! I was in the same league as her sons! I worked just as hard and fought as much, yet..." His lips curled in a bitter smile. "You know the damn truth, Evander. I had no background. No powerful family name to shield me and no privilege. Nothing."

"And because of that, I was bullied relentlessly. It wasn’t just insults or harsh words... It was worse. I was beaten. Threatened. I had to cover my bruises up so no one would see how broken I really was. It got to the point where—"

"Where you were continuously beaten every now and then," Damian suddenly interjected.

Caspian’s breath hitched. He hadn’t expected Damian to speak up.

Damian exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "The loan sharks you always claimed were after you... they weren’t just some random thugs, were they?" His voice grew colder. "They were Gloria’s men, weren’t they?"

Evander’s eyes widened, his gaze flicking between Caspian and Damian. He could barely process what he was hearing. The truth about his brother, about Caspian, about the mother who had tormented him his whole life... was too much for him to bear.

Evander’s mind spun, struggling to piece together everything. Caspian... His best friend... Had been suffering all this time, and he never even noticed. Let alone the pain of his brother, who always smiled at him!

"And... tell me more..." Evander stammered. His hands trembled, his chest rising and falling unevenly as he fought to keep himself together as his eyes pleaded with Caspian to continue.

"You want to hear more?" Caspian’s voice was hoarse, his fingers curling into fists as he forced himself to speak. "Fine. Then listen carefully, because this is the part you never knew."

His mind drifted back to those days—the bruises, the beatings, the suffocating feeling of helplessness. The way Gloria’s men would hunt him down, dragging him into alleyways where no one would see. But two people would always come to help; Damian and Evander.

They always helped him.

Yet, despite everything, Caspian had never hated them. No matter how much he resented the Kensington family, he could never bring himself to despise Evander or Elijah.

The former was his family, and the latter owned his heart and soul.