Chapter 78
RAINA
I glared at Alex, as crossed, waiting for the nonsense he was about to spill. He leaned back slightly, as it gathering his thoughts, before finally speaking
you night want to keep your distance from Nathan,” he said, his tone almost casual but loaded with meaning “You’re still a married woman, after all.”
The audacity.
Itt heat rise to me face. The sheer nerve of him, acting as if he had any right to lecture me about who I spent my time with. “Funny,” I snapped, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “because those same rules didn’t seem to apply to you when you were engaged to Eliza. Or did being married not matter then?”
That shot him up. He stared at me, his jaw tightening, but no response came. Typical Alex.
I stood, ready to love, when his voice stopped me.
“Did you know Nathan is an orphan?” he asked. “He was in the same orphanage as you and Dominic, ”
I frohe mid–step, my stomach twisting uncomfortably. Slowly, I turned back to face him. “You had Nathan investigated?” I asked, my voice sharp with
disbeliet
Alex shrugged, as if his blatant invasion of privacy was no big deal. “Yes. And did you know he also attended the same college as us? He studied bow there betone going on to law school”
My chest tightened No, I didn’t know that. I didn’t know any of it. The realization hit me hard–I knew next to nothing about Nathan. Sure, he was sweet, attentive, and everything I thought I needed, but Alex’s words planted a bitter seed of doubt in my mind.
“What are you getting at? I asked, my voice colder now, my defenses firmly in place.
“Don’t you find it odd that he suddenly showed up in your life?” Alex pressed, his eyes locking onto mine. “First the orphanage, now college. Isn’t it a little too convenient?”
I wanted to scoff, to dismiss him completely, but I couldn’t. The truth was, he had a point
How could I have been so careless? I felt a sharp sting of embarrassment and frustration at myself. Nathan could play me if he wanted to, and I wouldn’t even see it coming.
It hit me then–it was good that Nathan and I were on a break. After the divorce was finalized, I’d insist we get to know each other better before moving forward. If he was the right person for me, he’d understand
But for now, I had no patience for Alex’s meddling
“I’m done with this,” I said firmly, my voice hard. “You have no evidence that Nathan has bad intentions. Until you do, stay out of my life. And I’m not joking about the restraining order.”
“Why won’t you believe me?” Alex asked, his voice low, his frustration palpable.
I paused, staring at him. For a moment, I debated whether or not to say what
or not to say what was on my n
mind. Then, leaning forward slightly, I lowered my voice
“If I told you Eliza tried to kill Liam the day I was kidnapped, would you believe me?”
His expression froze, his mouth tightening as if he couldn’t decide how to respond.
That told me everything I needed to know.
“That’s what 1 thought,” I said bitterly, standing up. “See you in court.”
I didn’t wait for his response
response.
By the time stormed out of the coffee shop and got to my car, my mind was racing with anger and exhaustion. My hands shook slightly as I gripped the steering wheel
Alex had no right to question my choices, no right to dig into my life or Nathan’s. But as much as I hated to admit it, his words wouldn’t stop circling in my mind.
Back at my office, Alex’s words echoed relentlessly in my mind. Nathan had been at the orphanage. The thought was unsettling, not because I doubted Nathan’s intentions at least, not entirely–but because of the implications.
Did he know me back then? Did he know Dominic?
And then there was college. Alex mentioned that Nathan had been there too. Was he watching me during those years? Was it all coincidence, or had there
1/2
+35 Bonus
been something deliberate about the way our lives had intersected?
Trubbed my temples, trying to push the spiraling questions away. Now wasn’t the time to lose myself in suspicions and what–ifs.
I needed priorities. First, I had to finalize the divorce. Then, I’d file for sale custody of Liam to ensure Alex couldn’t pull any more stunts. After that, there was Eliza, who still needed to be dealt with–her crimes against me and Liam couldn’t go unpunished
Maybe once all of that was behind me, I’d have the energy to confront Nathan about his past
But until then, I couldn’t afford to let my focus waver
*Focus, Raina,” I told myself aloud, my voice curting through the chaotic whirlwind in my head:
D
