Chapter 70
Chapter 70: Nathaniel Was Nate?
Nathaniel Was Nate?
Seventeen years ago.
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“Doctor?” the young Serena asked quietly during her therapy session. She sat with her hands folded on her lap, eyes fixed on the floor. “Why haven’t I seen Nate p>
It had been over a week since she last saw him.
Over the past few days, Serena had purposely asked her nanny to stay longer so she could wait for Nate, but he
never came.
Dr. Lin blinked, then offered Serena a gentle smile. “Sometimes, life makes choices for us, even when we don’t understand them. Nate’s family had to move away p>
Serena’s chest tightened.
Nate was the only friend she had ever opened up to about her father hurting her. She had thought that meant something. Nate had even promised to protect her. She believed that meant he wouldn’t disappear.
“Will he be back?” she asked after a long pause, her eyes hopeful. “Will I see him again p>
Dr. Lin studied her carefully.
“I don’t know, Ena,” she said at last. “Some people leave without saying goodbye. And some questions don’t get answers right away p>
Serena nodded, but something inside her quietly broke.
She learned that day that even the people who felt permanent could vanish without warning.
Back to the present.
Serena could not believe her ears.
Nathaniel was Nate?
Meeting Nate was a distant memory, but Serena remembered it because he had been the first friend she had opened up to. Their shared wounds made the friendship feel real. And when he disappeared without explanation, the lesson stayed with her far longer than the friendship itself.
“After I discovered you were Ena, I realized Victor had hurt you as a child,” Nathaniel revealed. “I taught him a lesson in prison. I made sure he paid for what he did to you. Although, I wish he hadn’t died so soon p>
Serena turned to Nathaniel. His jaw locked, shoulders squared, his hands curling slowly into fists as if holding something back. “I wish I had known. I wish you had told me p>
“It was something I wasn’t proud of,” Serena said, frowning. “I carried it quietly because it felt easier than admitting how much it hurt. I didn’t want it to become my whole story, nor did I want anyone’s pity p>
Silence fell between them again until Nathaniel spoke, his voice lowered, unhurried, carrying an authority that made Serena listen. “It explains the scars on your ankles, the burn on your hand, and how you were always on edge around your parents. Serena, do you realize you chose to lie to me p>
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Serena looked away. Yes, it was true. When Nathaniel had asked her about her scars, she had lied. Back then, she
said:
“I burned myself while learning how to cook p>
“I had an allergic reaction to an anklet my nanny gave me p>
“Dad is always very strict. He’s a disciplinarian p>
“If you had told me, it would have mattered,” he repeated. “Things would have been different between us
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“No, Mr. Thorne,” Serena said, drawing the line. “It shouldn’t have mattered. What should have mattered was the fact that I had nothing to do with Victor’s crimes p>
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It’s all in the past,” Serena concluded. “All I want is to see Alice p>
He didn’t press.
During the next half hour on the plane, they didn’t speak.
But Serena felt it.
There was a strange tension lingering between them, something unresolved that neither of them was ready to voice. When they landed, they took separate cars, leaving no opportunity to talk.
By the time they arrived in Westfield, it was two in the afternoon.
Nathaniel guided Serena to a two-story house in a modest neighborhood. Serena didn’t even make it inside when familiar figures rushed out, calling her name. “Serena! It’s really you p>
“Serena p>
They were Lena and Bernard, Alice’s parents.
Lena was already crying, her arms stretched toward Serena. “After so many years! Thank goodness Nathan finally found you p>
Serena didn’t have time to process their words. She only felt a heavy weight lifted from her chest.
“Oh, child. You had us so worried!” Lena added, holding her tightly.
“Serena, we’re glad to see you,” Bernard said, nodding through tears. “We prayed for this day so many times p>
Then, behind them, Landon Hartley stepped out of the house, Alice holding onto him for support.
Serena froze.
Her skin crawled.
Alice.
It was Alice!
Alice looked the same. Her black hair fell to her shoulders. She even wore the same kind of casual clothes she always had. It seemed that despite her lost memories, her preferences had remained unchanged.
She looked at Serena, bewildered, tears clearly brimming in her eyes.
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