Nathaniel stood a short distance away, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on her with an intensity that made her uneasy.
“He’s not my husband,” she corrected the nurse, her voice firm. “Just my… overly involved ride home.”
“Oh.” The nurse raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise crossing her features. “I just thought….. that’s a bit unusual.”
After finishing the dressing, the nurse said, “You can settle the hospital fees now. You’re free to take home the antiseptic and extra gauze, as they’ve already been charged to you.”
As they wrapped up, Nathaniel approached, his demeanor commanding as he instructed the nurse, “Add a take-home scar ointment-the strongest one available for reducing marks.”
The nurse frowned slightly and replied, “Ah, yes, Mr. Overly Involved Ride Home.” Serena couldn’t help but roll her eyes internally.
Gavin settled the bill, and as Nathaniel and Serena exited the hospital, a heavy silence enveloped them. Not a word was exchanged, even as they slid into the car.
The atmosphere felt strange; he had been her savior just moments ago, yet now he sat so close, merely inches apart, yet it felt as though an entire universe separated them. He was warm and present, yet emotionally distant, making her heart ache with confusion.
As they drove a few blocks from Alice’s apartment, Nathaniel broke the silence. “Why were you willing to provide me with evidence that could keep your father in jail?”
Serena turned to him, but he was still staring out the window, lost in thought. “Because it’s the right thing to do,” she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
“But he is your father,” Nathaniel pointed out, his tone incredulous.
“Even if he is, that doesn’t mean I should condone all his wrongdoings,” Serena said, her gaze drifting away from him. “I’m sure you’ve noticed, even just a little, we were never that close.”
A heavy silence settled between them, thick with unspoken words. Serena wondered if Nathaniel had any inkling of the complexity of her relationship with her parents. I front of him, Roselind and Victor had always put on a fa?ade of warmth but it was only when Nathaniel wasn’t around that their true colors emerged.
As they approached Alice’s apartment building, Serena’s eyes caught sight of her friend waiting outside, her expression a mix of concern and relief.
Nathaniel spoke again, his voice steady. “Next time, if you need anything, just tell me.”
“Just tell you?” Serena shot him a look, skepticism evident in her tone.
“Rather than resorting to breaking and entering just let me know what you need. If it’s reasonable, I’ll help you, his voice low and even. he said He sat there, calm and composed, his gaze unwavering. His eyes were sharp, piercing, and strikingly captivating in the dim light.
“I mean it. Whatever you ask,” he added, the sincerity in his tone disarming her.
“Just don’t put yourself in danger.”
His words struck a chord deep amet within her, or perhaps it was the intensity of his gaze that broke through her defenses. She felt emotional tide rising, pushing her to ask Anything? Then tell me can you look past who my father is long enough to see just me?”
The question hung in the air, and Nathaniel appeared taken aback. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came forth.
Gavin pulled over in front of Alice, and Serena took a deep breath. “Just as I thought.”
She opened the car door and was halfway out when Nathaniel grasped her arm gently. “Serena, wait.”
Serena turned to face him, and as his hand brushed against hers, an electric jolt surged through her, igniting a familiar warmth that both comforted and unsettled her. His expression was a tapestry of emotions, tightly woven with something she couldn’t quite decipher, leaving her feeling vulnerable and exposed.
“What you’re asking isn’t simple,” Nathaniel said, his voice low and measured, as if each word was carefully chosen.
He paused, searching for the right way to articulate the weight of his feelings. “The grief you know….. it pales in comparison to what my mother and I have endured. You will never truly understand. There are barriers between us that no amount of desire can breach.”
Serena inhaled sharply, but the breath caught in her throat, leaving her momentarily speechless. Her shoulders lifted in a silent plea for composure, only to drop heavily, as if the very air inside the car had thickened, becoming a suffocating presence.
‘Nothing had changed,’ she thought bitterly. His words still drew a stark line between them, a chasm that seemed insurmountable.
“Relax,” she said, attempting to sound nonchalant as she withdrew her hand, dismissing the moment as if it held no significance. “I was just messing with you.”
She had already stepped out of the car when she tossed over her shoulder, “Don’t worry. I’ve already given up on you. Once the divorce is finalized, you won’t have to worry about seeing me again.”
“Everything will be completed in two weeks, right?” Serena asked, her tone firm and unwavering. Nathaniel nodded, albeit slightly, his silence echoing louder than words.
“Good. I’m sure it will feel better once there’s nothing left between us,” she added, a hint of finality in her voice. “Still… thank you for tonight.”
With those words, she closed the door, her heart heavy with each step she took towards Alice, who was waiting nearby.
Serena could feel Nathaniel’s intense gaze on her back, but she chose to ignore it, focusing instead on the path ahead. As she and Alice entered the apartment building, Nathaniel’s words replayed in her mind like a haunting melody.
“The grief you know… doesn’t compare to what my mother and I lived with. You will never understand.”
Perhaps he was right. Perhaps she would never fully grasp the depth of his suffering. Her own resentments towards her parents had carved deep wounds, yet they had never twisted her into something vengeful. ‘Just how much had Nathaniel truly endured?’
What Serena failed to recognize was that understanding had a peculiar way of creeping up on people. And sooner or later, grief would find her as well, in a form she could never have anticipated.
‘After the divorce, you won’t see me again.’
Those words lingered in Nathaniel’s mind, echoing relentlessly.
That had been the plan, the arrangement he had convinced himself would bring peace. Yet, as he continued to stare at the spot where Serena and Alice had vanished into the building, a sense of unease settled over him, gnawing at his insides.
“We need to start the research on neurological disorders,” Nathaniel muttered to himself, his eyes still fixed on the apartment, ten stories above where Alice resided. “Is that really the answer, Sir?” Gavin inquired, his voice laced with uncertainty.
Nathaniel remained silent, the truth weighing heavily on him. He leaned closer to the window, his gaze unwavering. He had been to that apartment with Serena a handful of times, and he knew exactly where to focus his attention.
“Should… we leave, Sir?” Gavin asked hesitantly.
“No,” Nathaniel replied, his voice firm. “Let’s stay for a while.”
But “a while” turned into hours. He watched as the windows of Alice’s apartment flickered to life, illuminating the darkness, only tonet dim again at eleven o’clock. Still he remained, tooted to the spot even ast the world around him fell silent and the streets emptied of life.
As he lingered on the sidewalk, he made business calls to clients and partners, even reaching out to his best friend. Yet, time and again, his gaze drifted back to that same apartment, where he imagined Alice and Serena settling in for the night.
By the time dawn broke, he was still there.
Still staring.
Still unwilling to walk away.
Then, unexpectedly, Alice emerged from the apartment building, a steaming cup of coffee in hand. She rapped the window and when
Nathaniel rolled it down, she gestured to Gavin. “Look at your poor assistant, suffering because of the choices you made.”
“Do you have multiple personality disorder, Nathan?” Alice teased, a playful glint in her eye. “Because it sure feels like it.”
Nathaniel remained silent, narrowing his eyes in response, his mind racing. He reached for the coffee, but Alice pulled it back, a mischievous smile on her face.
“The coffee is for your assistant,” she declared, then walked around to the driver’s side, handing the mug to Gavin. “You can keep the mug.”
“Ah, thank you, Miss Hartley,” Gavin replied gratefully, taking a quick sip.
Alice returned to Nathaniel’s side, her tone shifting to something more serious. “You should leave, Nathan don’t want my girl waking up to find you loitering around here. I don’t want her to think there’s any hope left for your marriage.”
“Did you convince her to sneak into her parents’ mansion?” Nathaniel interjected, his voice sharp.
Alice bit her lip, momentarily caught off guard. “I-um-“
“Of course you did,” he scolded, frustration creeping into his tone. “I hope that doesn’t happen again, Alice.”
“Don’t tell her I stayed out here,” he instructed, slowly rolling up the window, a sense of finality in his gesture.
“I won’t,” Alice replied firmly. “But you don’t deserve any points for this.”
Later that same day, Serena and Alice found themselves at the hospital, awaiting DNA test results that would take a week to arrive.
But even before the truth could make its way to her, an unexpected opportunity emerged-one that seemed to promise an escape from the confines of Velmon City.
“The Threat.”
“Don’t worry, I know everyone at the lab,” Alice reassured Serena, her voice steady despite the tension hanging in the air. “They will prioritize the DNA testing.”
The two women had already submitted their DNA samples to the Grand Mercy Hospital laboratory-both Serena’s and Victor’s. The uncertainty loomed over them like a heavy cloud; they weren’t entirely sure if the samples collected were sufficient, yet a flicker of hope ignited within them.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.