Chapter 367

Olivia

“Olivia, are you cheating on me?”

Nathan’s accusation left me reeling, a storm of disbelief and hurt swirling inside me. His eyes, usually so warm and understanding, now seemed as though a completely different man was standing in front of me. His stand was cold and distant, nothing like the man who I would have run to and embraced the moment he was home.

What had happened to the Nathan I knew, and how had it all happened so… quickly?

“Nathan, I’m not cheating on you,” I said firmly, trying to maintain my composure despite the turmoil swirling around inside my chest. “Angela was with me. We were just having fun, trying on some silly outfits. It was harmless.”

But he didn’t seem to hear me, his gaze fixed on some invisible point beyond me. “Angela wasn’t in the pictures, Olivia. How can I just take your word for it?”

I felt a surge of frustration, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “Because you know me, Nathan. You know I would never do anything to hurt you or our family. I can’t believe you’re even suggesting this. You really think I could cheat on you? That I would even be capable of something so horrendous?”

He shook his head incredulously, and his voice was laced with a bitterness that I had never heard before—not even when he found out that I took the witch’s predatory ‘deal’.

“You say that,” he said, “but how can I be sure? These pictures... they paint a different story.”

My heart raced, the accusation stinging deeper than I thought possible. “A different story? Nathan, you’re letting a few out-of-context photos cloud your judgment. You’re the one person who’s supposed to trust me.”

Nathan crossed his arms and shook his head. “You’ve been distant lately, Olivia. Always quick to argue, always seeming... unfulfilled. It’s not hard to imagine that you’re seeking something else, something more.”

His words felt like a slap in the face. This was so unlike him, so far from anything he had ever said to me before. “Unfulfilled? Nathan, we’ve been under so much pressure. With the pack, with the twins, with the witch... I thought you understood that.”

He shook his head, his expression one of frustration and confusion. “I thought I did, too. But seeing you like that, in those pictures... It makes me question everything.”

I took a step closer, trying to bridge the gap that had formed between us. A bubble of anxiety mixed with helplessness began to whirl inside my stomach, and it almost made me sick. Instinctively, I pulled my robe a little tighter around me. The cool satin fabric of the lingerie beneath it did nothing to warm me.

“Nathan, you have to believe me,” I said, my voice coming out more pleading than I intended. “I love you, and I would never do anything to jeopardize what we have. Don’t you realize that by now?”

He looked at me then, his eyes searching mine, but I could see the doubt lingering there. “I want to believe you, Olivia. But these pictures... they’re hard to ignore.”

I felt a mix of anger and desperation rising within me. “Then let’s call Angela. She can vouch for me. Hell, I can show you the clothes I bought, too. I went on a shopping trip with my friend. That’sit.”

Nathan let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair. The room was silent for a few moments, punctuated only by the sounds of the clock ticking on the wall and the pounding of my heart in my chest.

“I don’t know, Olivia,” he finally said, his voice barely more than a whisper now. “I just... I need some time to think.”

Time to think? The very idea felt like a chasm was opening up in the floor beneath us, ready to swallow us whole. “Nathan, if you need time to think about whether or not you trustme, your fated mate, then maybe there’s a bigger problem here.”

His gaze hardened, the softness I knew and loved replaced by a coldness that felt foreign. “Maybe there is. But you’ve been acting differently, Olivia. It’s like you resent me. And now this…” His voice trailed off for a moment, and he swallowed. “It’s hard not to draw conclusions.”

I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. “If you truly believe I’m capable of cheating, then I don’t know what else to say. Clearly you’ve already convinced yourself, so what’s the point in me trying to convince you otherwise?”

Nathan didn’t respond right away, and his silence spoke volumes. The room felt colder, the distance between us growing with each passing second.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. “I never thought you’d doubt me like this, Nathan. Not you.”

He looked away, and in that moment, I felt a profound sense of loss. The man standing before me seemed like a stranger, his trust in me shattered by a single, misconstrued moment—by a picture sent to him by a pack member, nothing more. What had happened? Where was the Nathan I knew and loved?

For a moment, I considered walking away, hiding in our bedroom until Nathan came to his senses. But then the therapist’s words floated through my mind, a reminder of what was truly important here: open communication.

Tears streamed down my face as I faced Nathan, my voice quivering with emotion. “I don’t feel unfulfilled, Nathan. I love you very much. And for the record, it’s you who has been acting strange lately. Not me.”

He looked at me, confused and slightly taken aback. “Strange? How have I been acting strange?”

I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady my voice. “Ever since you brought Edward on as your advisor. It was so sudden. You barely know him, his past, or what he really wants. And now, he’s always around, involved in every decision.”

Nathan's frustration was evident. “Why do you keep bringing up Edward? He’s been an asset to the pack. What’s the issue with him?”

I shook my head, feeling a mix of exasperation and concern. “The issue is that it’s all happening too fast. His influence seems to be growing, and it’s like he’s weaseled his way into your professional life. It’s concerning, Nathan. And it’s not like you to make decisions so quickly.”

He frowned, clearly agitated. “I don’t understand why you’re so fixated on this. Edward is a trusted advisor, and he’s my uncle, an uncle who had to fake his own death to escape my brute of a father. I thought you would be supportive, not suspicious.”

Frustration boiled inside of me at his words. Did he really not see it? Not even a little? I sighed, passing my hand over my face as I willed myself to stay calm. “I would be supportive if things felt right. But they don’t, Nathan. We could have talked about this if you had come to therapy with me today.”

Nathan stared at me for a moment, unblinking. Then, his cold expression shifted to one of confusion. “Therapy?” he asked, lowering his voice slightly. “We had therapy today? What are you talking about?”