CHAPTER FOURTEEN

NATHAN

“Mommy!”

The word reverberates as realization crashes over me.

She holds the little boy close, cradling him as if she’s afraid he might vanish if she lets go.

As I take in the sight of them together, the truth strikes like lightning, burning through my veins with an undeniable clarity. The boy’s dark hair, the blue eyes, the curve of his chin—it’s like looking at a reflection of myself, a miniature version staring back at me.

My son. Our son.

The ground shifts as the revelation hits me. Amelia’s mother appears out of nowhere and reaches for the boy, her movements hesitant, as if unsure how to navigate this moment.

“I’m so sorry. I turned my back for a second and…”

Her voice trails off, her gaze flickering between me and Amelia. The tension in the air presses down on us, suffocating in its intensity. She gathers the child into her arms, his wide eyes peeking over her shoulder as she carries him inside. The door creaks as it swings shut behind them, echoing in the charged silence.

We’re alone now, the stillness an endless void filled with everything we’ve never said. Amelia turns to face me, wrapping her arms around herself, her eyes shining with the fierce determination I’ve always admired, even in the darkest moments.

“How could I tell you?” Her voice slices through the quiet like a blade. “I was on my way to tell you I was pregnant. But then…” She takes a shaky breath, her lips trembling. “Seeing that woman when I walked in shattered me.”

Her words hit hard, dragging the memory of that day back to the surface—an image that has haunted us for years. I put my arm around her. “It wasn’t me.”

She shakes her head. “She told me it was you, Nathan. She said you were in the shower because you were sweaty.” A tear slips down her cheek, and she wipes it away with the back of her hand. “And then I got that message, telling me it was over, that you didn’t want me anymore.”

The anguish in her eyes is unbearable, a reflection of everything I’ve lost.

She continues. “What would you have done, Nathan? You made it clear you didn’t want me.”

I pull her close, letting her sob into my chest. Her tears are hot against my skin, and my own fall freely as we cling to each other, years of grief and loss flooding back, threatening to drown us both.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.” I utter the words in a disjointed mantra, trying to calm her and mend our divide.

The thought of all the moments I’ve missed—the first steps, the first words, the laughter that should have filled our lives—hits me like a punch to the gut. The years I can never get back are a wound that cuts deeper with every passing second.

As the pain grips me, my fists clench, nails digging into my palms. A fierce protectiveness surges through me, flaring up with the force of a hurricane. Amelia and our son are my family, and I won’t let anything stand between us. Not the lies, not the past.

I pull back and frame her face with my hands. “I’m here now. And I’m not leaving. Not without you and not without our son.”

Time passes, and then, “Okay,” she whispers, her hands rising, her fingers threading through mine in a gesture of forgiveness. “Okay.”