Chapter 93

Nathan

There was a twinge in my chest, an unpleasant tightness that was a constant companion these days. Jealousy is a terrible thing, I knew that.

I mean, what right did I have to feel jealous? Olivia wasn't mine, not really. But whenever I saw her and Levi, her escort, laughing together, it made my stomach churn. They had become fast friends. Too fast. I didn’t expect that, and the way that he looked at her…

I would tell myself over and over again, “She's just a friend, Nathan. Just a friend. You should be happy for her if she finds happiness with someone else."

But then there was Ryan.

When she told me that her ex was coming back into town and wanted to meet her, something ugly reared its head inside me.

My fists clenched at my sides and I had to take a deep breath to keep my cool. I gently reminded her that we had a deal, and that he likely hadn’t changed at all. She seemed to understand.

But the next day, it seemed as though my words had gone right in one ear and out the other, because she came to me in the morning and told me that she had planned to meet up with her ex for dinner.

“Why the hell do you want to meet with him?” I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.

Her eyes were guarded as she shrugged. “I want to hear what he has to say.” Her voice was so nonchalant it made me sick. I watched for a moment, fuming, as she casually filled the coffee machine.

I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest. “Oh, come on, Olivia! Don't be naive.”

“Naive?!” Her voice raised an octave, her eyes flashing as she whipped around to face me. “I am not naive, Nathan! I just… I just want to see him. Hear him out. Can't you understand that?”

“No, I can't!” I spat out, my patience wearing thin. “He left you, Olivia. He didn't want anything to do with you or the baby and now suddenly he wants back in and you're just going to let him waltz right back in like nothing happened? He fucking kicked you out and left you on the street!”

Her cheeks flushed and her lips pressed into a tight line. A heavy silence hung between us, punctuated only by the sound of the coffee machine as it whirred to life and began squeezing out hot water.

“You're not my father, Nathan. You can't tell me what to do.”

Her words struck me to my core. Her father? I wasn’t trying to be her father. Why couldn’t she just see that I cared about her? I was trying to protect her.

“We have a deal, Olivia!” I snapped, all pretense of calm gone. No other words would come out. My true feelings stayed stuck inside of me like a shard of glass, tearing at my insides. But they wouldn’t come out.

“We have a public deal, Nathan!” She shot back, her tone just as sharp. “What I do in private is my business!”

Her words were like a slap in the face. She was right, of course. Our deal was only for the public eye. What she did in her personal life was none of my business. It didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt, though.

I threw my hands up in the air, frustration bubbling up inside me. “Fine! Do whatever you want, Olivia!”

She glared at me, the tension in the room palpable. But underneath that anger, I could see something else. Hurt. And that, that was somehow even worse.

I turned away from her, my mind a whirl of thoughts. I wanted to reach out, to make her see sense, to protect her from that jerk. But I couldn't. She had made it very clear that it was not my place.

I let out a harsh breath, my hands balling into fists at my sides. All I wanted was for him to leave her alone. Was that so much to ask?

But she was right, it wasn't my business. Our deal was only for the public eye. In private, she was free to do as she pleased.

“Sorry,” I finally said, leaning my palms on the counter as I hung my head. “Go ahead and meet him. But don’t come crying to me when he breaks your heart again.”

Olivia stood there for a moment, clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides. I could see her out of the corners of my eyes.

“I promise I won’t come crying to you,” she muttered. “Clearly you have no interest in being supportive anymore.”

Before I could answer, she whirled around and stormed out of the room. I lifted my head to catch a glimpse of her as she disappeared around the corner; I heard the sound of the front door opening and closing, and glanced out the window to see her waving to her bodyguard.

He smiled and said something. I couldn’t hear what was said, but I could see them walking too closely together as they walked down the driveway and out of sight.

My heart pounded against my ribcage as I watched them walk away together, my fists clenched at my sides.

This was not how I had expected our morning to go. But as the silence settled in, I knew I had to respect her decisions, as much as I didn’t like them.

After all, Olivia was a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. She wasn't some naive teenager who didn't know what she was doing. I had to respect that.

So, I stood there, alone in the silence, feeling like a complete jerk. I had let my emotions get the best of me, had said things I hadn't meant. And now, she was turning to another object of my jealousy—her bodyguard, Levi—for the support that I hadn’t given her.

But what was done was done.

I could only hope that she would make the right decision, that she would see her ex for what he truly was. And if she didn't, well, I'd be there, just like always. I'd pick up the pieces, I'd help her heal.

Because that's what friends do, right? It was what I did before, when she told me everything about her ex. I hated to admit it, but it was what I would always do. What I wanted to do for those ten years that she was gone.

And, stupidly, I would do it again, when she ultimately had her heart broken once more by this asshole.

Nathan, always the one left on the back burner, would wait in the wings for her broken pieces to fall into his hands.

In the end, I realized, maybe I didn't just want to be her friend. Maybe I wanted something more. But that was a thought for another day.

For now, I would be there for her, no matter what. Even if it meant standing aside while she met with Ryan.

As I laid in bed that night, staring at the ceiling, one thought circled in my head: I wished he would just leave her alone.

I wished she could see that there was someone right in front of her who would never abandon her or the baby, someone who cared for her deeply.

But wishing wouldn't change anything. It was her life, her decision. All I could do was stand by her side, supporting her the best way I knew how.

But deep inside, the jealousy and the anger still simmered. And soon, they would boil over.