Chapter 66: Do You Love Summer, Trevor?

If Peyton truly couldn’t make it, she would have been gone years ago. But here she was, still alive and kicking. She even had a new heart now.

Caleb couldn’t resist taking a jab at Trevor. In the past, Summer might have brushed it off. But this was different. It was a kidnapping, and her fiancé was busy attending another wedding. If Summer could put up with that, she deserved a medal for Most Patient Woman Alive.

“Then keep focusing on Peyton and let Summer go. No woman can handle being treated this way by the man she loves. If she’s saying it’s over this time, she’s serious.”

“No way. I can’t do that.” Trevor set his glass down with a heavy thud.

Caleb sighed. “Trevor, do you even love Summer?”

Trevor thought for a long moment, his eyes narrowing. “Summer has always been there for me. I don’t have to love her, don’t have to put in any effort to understand her. She just loves me, supports me, and looks after me. A woman like that makes a great girlfriend… maybe even a perfect Mrs. Larson.”

Caleb listened to all that, but he still couldn’t tell if Trevor actually loved Summer or not.

“So? Do you love her or not?”

Trevor had the words stuck in his throat for a long time, but he just couldn’t say them. The truth was, he had never really thought about this question before. From the very beginning, Summer was the one who chased after him. A beautiful woman willing to spend her time making him happy, staying by his side, with her whole heart devoted to him—why would he ever turn that down?

At some point, without even realizing it, he got used to having her in his life. But the moment Summer stopped being sweet and obedient—when she got upset, jealous, or started arguing with him—he found it frustrating. In his mind, that wasn’t his problem. What man wouldn’t want a girlfriend who was kind and understanding instead of one who was stubborn and difficult?

Watching Trevor get lost in thought, Caleb changed the question. “Then do you love Peyton?”

Trevor said, “She’s very important to me.”

Caleb sighed and reworded it. “If Peyton recovers one day and wants to leave, would you let her?”

“I’ve always wanted her to get better so she could live her own life.”

Caleb sighed. “This is tough. I don’t think Summer is coming back.”

Trevor looked up. “Why not?”

It wasn’t like he cared about her past anymore.

“Why wouldn’t she come back? She’s loved me for five years and swore she always would. She’s just mad right now.”

Trevor fell silent for a moment. “Is there any way to change her mind?”

“It won’t be easy.” Caleb shifted gears. “Did anything happen to Summer while she was kidnapped?”

At that, Trevor clenched his glass, pressing down too hard. It shattered in his hand. His rational side told him Summer had to be exaggerating at least part of her story. But those marks on her skin… He wasn’t so sure anymore. Would she really go this far just to get back at him?

Trevor’s face darkened. “Just tell me how to make a woman stay.”

Caleb was speechless. What do I look like, some kind of magician? Can I perform miracles? Can I make a woman change her mind after she’s already given up?

Still, he thought about it carefully. “Trevor, I think you need to take a step back. You’ve always had the upper hand in this relationship. Try being gentler with Summer. Most importantly, drop the superiority complex. If you can swallow your pride and humble yourself, you might still have a shot.”

Trevor’s steps were unsteady as he stumbled out of the private room. Caleb reached out to support him, but Trevor shoved his hand away. Just as they stepped outside, the elevator doors in the distance slid open. Fraser walked out, leading a group of people. He moved with effortless confidence, his gray dress shirt crisp and unbuttoned at the collar. His suit jacket was casually draped over his arm, making it clear he had just wrapped up an important business negotiation. Following behind him were Mark, the head of Homeland Security, and Kyle, the director of Urban Development. A massive airport project was about to break ground between Havenbrook Easthaven, one of the biggest developments in Havenbrook’s history. The Larson Group and the Graham Group—two powerhouse corporations—were locked in a fierce battle for the contract.

Lately, he had been drowning in work—not just to avoid Summer, but because the Larson Group was in the middle of a crisis unlike anything it had faced before. For months now, the Graham Group had been coming after them with ruthless precision, as if it was hell-bent on taking them down.