Chapter 43

Olivia

As Nathan's mom scoffed at him, disbelief etched on her face, I couldn't help but feel a knot forming in my stomach. The tension in the room was palpable, and I was caught in the middle of a storm I never expected to be a part of.

“My son is really kicking me out?” she exclaimed, her voice laced with indignation.

Nathan simply nodded, his gaze unwavering. I watched as his jaw tightened, his determination shining through.

Maria’s face turned pale, as though her blood had just run cold. I could only stand there in abject shock and watch with awe as Nathan stood up to his mother.

“And for what? Your precious Olivia?” Maria looked over at me for a moment with a sneer, her beady eyes looking me up and down with a disgusted expression on her face. “She's nothing but a surrogate, a vessel for your child,” she retorted with a smug smile.

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I had hoped for some understanding from her, but instead, she dismissed me as insignificant once again.

I swallowed hard, hoping that my face didn’t betray the pain that her words caused, but I could tell from the satisfied look in her eyes that she knew her arrow had hit its mark.

Nathan's patience seemed to be wearing thin, and a low growl rumbled like distant thunder in the back of his throat that caused even his own mother to jump a bit.

“She's not just a surrogate, Mom,” he snarled, taking a few steps toward her. Maria almost seemed to shrink beneath his gaze. “She's my fated mate, and she deserves respect.”

His voice trembled with emotion, a mix of anger and disappointment.

Mocking laughter escaped from Maria’s thin lips. “Don't be silly, Nathan. You can't seriously think she's more than that.” Her words stung, but this seemed to do nothing but fuel the fire within Nathan.

For a few moments, a shocked silence hung heavily in the air. But it was only just a few moments before Nathan had had enough.

I watched in awe as Nathan grabbed his mom's arm, his grip firm but determined.

"If you can't treat the mother of my child with respect, then you will never be allowed in this house again," he declared, his voice filled with resolve.

“What?!” Maria exclaimed, trying and failing to wrench her arm away. “I can’t believe my son would treat his own mother like this!”

His mom's wails echoed through the room, but Nathan stood his ground. When she was finished whining, he led her toward the door, still gripping her arm tightly.

The air crackled with tension as I stood there, wide-eyed and astonished by the intensity of the situation.

“Olivia!” Maria shouted desperately. “You said you liked the soup! You’re a dirty little liar, just like your traitor of a father!”

I felt my stomach twist into a knot at Maria’s words. Every fiber of my being was screaming at me to throw a retort back in her face, but no words would come out. I felt frozen from the pain of my dear father being the victim of slander even from the grave.

It was too late at that point. With one final shove, Nathan pushed his mother out the front door. Before she could even turn around and say another word, he closed the door and locked it tightly.

As Nathan shut the door in his mom's face, I felt a mixture of relief and uncertainty. The reality of the situation settled in, and I turned to face him, my heart pounding in my chest.

Maria pounded on the door, wailing about her son’s indignation for a few moments before she seemed to give up.

Finally, the villa fell silent once again as Maria stormed off and drove away in her expensive sports car.

Nathan's eyes locked with mine, filled with a mix of determination and concern. The tension in the air weighed heavily on the two of us, as our elevated breaths mixed in the air between us.

Suddenly, he swiftly closed the distance between us and enveloped me in a tight embrace. I felt myself stiffen from this sudden act of affection, but it wasn’t long before the weakness from the whole ordeal and the poison-like soup settling in my stomach took over me.

My body relaxed a bit, as though it deflated. I buried my face in his chest, seeking solace in my childhood friend’s arms.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, his voice soft and comforting. I nodded against his chest, unable to find the words to express my gratitude for his unwavering support.

"Go lie down on the couch," he said gently, breaking the embrace and pulling away. “Rest for a bit. I’m going to get you some good food now.”

Before I could protest, Nathan guided me over to the couch, where he laid me down and set a blanket on top of me. All I could do was watch, still shocked from the whole ordeal, as his handsome face hovered over me.

“There,” he said quietly after tucking me in. When he looked up at me, I was certain that my face was beet red. “That better?”

I nodded slowly. Nathan smiled and stood, then turned to walk away. “I’ll be back shortly—”

Before he could walk away, my hand suddenly shot out from beneath the blanket and wrapped around his wrist. Nathan looked over his shoulder at me, taken by surprise. Honestly, I felt just as surprised at my own sense of urgency.

“You alright, Olivia?” he asked, his face etched with worry.

I nodded and swallowed, hard, as I tried to find the right words. “U-Um… Thank you, Nathan,” I finally whispered as I managed a weak smile. “You really didn’t need to stand up to your mother like that for me.”

Nathan paused, and turned fully to look at me. As the sunshine flooded in through the window and illuminated his blond hair, I couldn’t help but think that he looked a little bit like an angel.

“It was nothing,” he said with a half-smile. “She’ll be angry with me for a while, but she’ll get over it. And she won’t be coming back here; that’s for sure.”

I chewed my lip for a moment, thinking. “Your dad won’t be too mad at you for it?” I whispered.

Nathan simply shrugged. “He’ll be mad at first. But it’s not like he and my mom ever really have seen eye-to-eye anyway, so he’ll probably come to the conclusion that she deserved it at some point. Besides, you don’t need to worry about any of that. Okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded slowly.

There was a brief silence. I saw Nathan’s blue-green eyes flicker down to my hand, which was still wrapped firmly around his wrist.

“S-Sorry,” I stammered, releasing my grip.

Nathan just smiled and shook his head, causing his blond hair to fall into his eyes, before he disappeared from the room.

I was alone once again. But this time, I finally felt comforted and relaxed. Once again, Nathan’s Alpha demeanor took me by surprise, but I was impressed by his strength.

His tenderness after the ordeal warmed my heart, too. As I settled on the couch, a whirlwind of emotions consumed me.

The weight of Nathan's confrontation with his mom lingered in the air, but his determination to protect me gave me a sense of security.