Chapter 4: Nathan’s Last Attempt
Chapter 4: Nathan’s Last Attempt
Blackthorn Manor looked different in the daylight.
The same marble floors.
The same towering windows.
The same crystal chandelier hanging above the grand hall.
But the feeling had changed.
For years, Nathan had walked through this house like he owned the world.
Now, every step he took carried uncertainty.
I stood near the entrance when he arrived.
He looked nothing like the man who had stood over me the night before.
The expensive suit was still there.
The perfect haircut.
The confident posture.
But something was missing.
Control.
“Thank you for meeting me,” Nathan said.
I almost smiled.
Four years of marriage.
Four years of lies.
And now he was suddenly polite.
“Why did you want to see me?”
He looked around the mansion.
“This place…”
He stopped.
Then he shook his head.
“I still can’t believe it.”
“Believe what?”
“That you were never who I thought you were.”
I stared at him.
“No, Nathan.”
My voice was calm.
“You never bothered to find out who I was.”
He looked away.
For the first time, I saw something I never expected.
Regret.
But regret was not the same as remorse.
People like Nathan often regretted consequences.
Not their actions.
“I made mistakes,” he said.
I remained silent.
He continued.
“I let my ambition control me.”
“No.”
I interrupted.
“You let your ego control you.”
His jaw tightened.
“I loved you.”
The words hung in the air.
A few months ago, those words would have destroyed me.
Today, they meant nothing.
“Love doesn’t look like what you did to me.”
Nathan lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
I stepped closer.
“Because if you understood, you would have stopped before the first lie.”
Silence.
Then he reached into his jacket.
I immediately noticed.
My father’s security team moved slightly.
Nathan stopped.
“It’s not a weapon.”
He slowly pulled out a small box.
Inside was my wedding ring.
The ring I had removed after the night he hurt me.
“I kept this,” he said quietly.
I looked at it.
A symbol of promises he never intended to keep.
“I thought you would come back.”
I shook my head.
“You thought I would forgive you.”
He didn’t answer.
Because that was the truth.
Nathan didn’t miss me.
He missed the version of me who tolerated him.
The version who stayed quiet.
The version who made him feel powerful.
“You destroyed everything,” he whispered.
I looked at him.
“No.”
I corrected him.
“You destroyed everything.”
His expression hardened.
The old Nathan briefly returned.
“You think you’ve won?”
There it was.
The arrogance.
The real him.
“You have no idea how many people will come after you.”
I smiled slightly.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That I was never fighting alone.”
Nathan looked toward the window.
Outside, several black vehicles waited.
My father’s security.
My lawyers.
My investigators.
Everyone who had spent months preparing.
“You built your entire life on intimidation,” I said.
“But intimidation only works when people are afraid.”
I stepped closer.
“I’m not afraid anymore.”
Nathan stared at me.
May you like
And for the first time…
He looked small.
