Chapter 35

Olivia

I finally returned home after my grueling appointment with Angela. As I sat in the driveway and leaned my head back, closing my eyes for a moment while weariness enveloped me like a heavy shroud, I was suddenly startled by someone knocking on the car window.

I opened my eyes to see Nathan standing there. He looked upset.

Sighing, I pulled the key out of the ignition and climbed out of the car.

"Hey," I said, barely managing a weak smile. "Everything alright?"

Nathan stared down at me for a moment with his arms folded across his chest.

"Olivia," he finally said, "did you go to your first maternity appointment without me?"

I raised my eyebrows. He did look genuinely upset, but I didn’t understand why. "Yeah," I replied casually as I reached back into the car to retrieve my purse, then shut the door and locked it. "Why?"

I started to head up the driveway toward the villa with Nathan on my heels. "I figured as much," he said, sounding almost annoyed. "I’ve already received some messages about it. You should have let me come."

As I opened the front door to the villa and stepped inside, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow in confusion.

"I didn’t think you’d need to come," I replied as I hung my purse up on the hook and kicked my shoes off. Now that I was inside, the tension that was enveloping me after all of the horrible things that Angela said started to slip away.

But when I turned around and saw the look on Nathan’s face, that tension returned.

"What?" I asked, splaying my hands out to the sides and shrugging in confusion. "It’s not like it was an ultrasound appointment or anything. I figured you wouldn’t want to come anyway."

Nathan shook his head and passed his hand over his weary face. "Olivia, we’re supposed to create an image of a happy couple," he explained slowly, sounding aggravated. "We should seem like a united front. Because of this, people are already questioning our relationship."

I furrowed my brow. "Why, though? It was just the first maternity appointment."

Once again, Nathan shook his head, causing his tawny hair to fall into his eyes as he sighed and stared down at the floor. "A father should go to the first maternity appointment."

I was a bit taken aback. "But you’re not the father."

For a few moments, a heavy silence hung in the air between us like a thick cloud. Nathan slowly looked up at me and blinked incredulously, as though stunned by my words. Instantly, I began to wonder if I should have chosen my words more carefully.

"Nathan, I didn’t mean it like that—" I began, but was promptly cut off.

Nathan brushed past me and stormed over to the kitchen. "Even if I’m not actually the real father, people still think that I am," he said somewhat angrily. I could tell that he was trying to control his tone. "I don’t need people questioning me."

"People will question you anyway," I replied, feeling myself starting to get annoyed as well at Nathan’s scolding. "You can just say that you were busy or something. Why is it so important?"

There was another silence. Nathan, who was leaning on the counter, slowly turned to face me again. The expression on his face was a mixture of sorrow and annoyance.

"Have you forgotten the real reason behind why we’re doing all of this to begin with?" he asked.

"No, but—"

"No buts, Olivia!" Nathan exclaimed annoyedly. "Why is it so difficult for you to just include me in the baby’s life?"

"Because!" I replied, my voice raising an octave. "It’s not your baby! I don’t care if the public thinks it is. It’s my baby and I’m allowed to go to appointments on my own if I want to."

Nathan fell silent, his eyes wide with disbelief. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, as though there was something that he wanted to say but it wouldn’t seem to come out.

Suddenly, he turned and headed for the stairs. Huffing, I ran after him and skidded around him, placing myself in front of him.

"No," I said, feeling aggravated now. "It’s not fair for you to bombard me like this the second that I get home and then try to storm off. Say what’s on your mind, Nathan."

My childhood friend stood there for a few moments. His cheeks were flushed red with anger, and his blue-green eyes stared unblinkingly down at me before he finally spoke.

"Would you rather have everyone know about the real father, then?" he asked with a bit of a scoff. "Would you prefer it if everyone knew that your baby’s real father is a selfish, irresponsible jerk who stupidly got a girl pregnant and then left her out on the streets?"

My eyes widened slightly.

Nathan wasn’t entirely wrong. Of course I wouldn’t want anyone to know what my baby’s real father was like, because it would only wind up being humiliating for both me and the baby.

Angela’s words at the appointment floated through my mind. I was instantly reminded of what she said about me, about how I was tainting our Alpha’s bloodline with all sorts of diseases.

Somehow, in the back of my mind, I felt as though I also didn’t want to associate Nathan with my baby; not because I saw him as a jerk like my ex, but because of me. Clearly people hated me here and looked down on me like I was some street urchin, trash, the daughter of a traitor.

And I didn’t want that to tarnish Nathan’s reputation. As I stood there, staring incredulously at Nathan, I slowly began to realize the actual reason behind why I didn’t invite him to the appointment to begin with.

There was still a dissonance in my mind between wanting my childhood best friend to be involved in my life and my child’s life, and wanting to distance myself for his sake.

"Well?" Nathan asked, breaking me out of my deep train of thought. "Is that what you want? Do you want to throw all of this away?"

Finally, I let out a sigh and stared down at the floor as tears threatened to well up in my eyes. I shook my head slowly, feeling my palms start to burn and itch as sadness and embarrassment took over me.

"I just don’t see why you would even want to be associated with me or my child at this point," I murmured.

Nathan was silent for a moment. He shifted uncomfortably where he stood, and when I looked up at him, I could see sadness in his blue-green eyes.

"What do you mean, Olivia?" he asked gently. "Why wouldn’t I want to be associated with you and your kid?"

I shook my head as Angela’s horrible words echoed in my mind.

"It’s nothing. Just forget it."

I turned to head upstairs, but before I could get anywhere, Nathan’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. I turned to look at him, and his expression of anger and annoyance had turned to one of concern.

"The doctor thinks that I’m nothing but a dirty street rat with diseases who’s going to taint your bloodline," I finally admitted. "I don’t see why you’d want to be seen as the father if everyone looks down on me so much."

Nathan’s face turned pale, and he slowly released his grip on my wrist.

"Olivia…" His voice was soft and trembled a little under his breath. "Who said those horrible things to you?"