Chapter 26
“It won’t be that quick,” the doctor had advised. “It’s best to stay in Kingsbury City for another two weeks. If everything checks out after that, then you’ll be in the clear.”
Nathan nodded, his gaze lingering on Tia Clark’s face as if he could never tire of looking at her. His eyes traced her features with a sad, melancholic intensity. Tia reached over and gently unfastened the strap of his watch, revealing a jagged scar beneath.
In that moment, Nathan felt a surge of vulnerability, as if his deepest flaws were laid bare. He instinctively wanted to pull his hand back, but Tia held his wrist firmly, her eyes burning with a palpable intensity that seemed to sear into his very bones.
“Why did you do it?” she asked quietly.
“Because I hate myself,” Nathan replied softly. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have suffered so much all these years.”
Tia gave a small, understanding smile and released his hand.
“Nathan, I don’t hate you,” she said seriously. “What I did in those five years wasn’t just about seeking your forgiveness. I was grieving for Victoria.”
“Yes, from the perspective of your family, the Harrisons, I probably deserved to die. The right thing would have been for me to die with Victoria that day instead of surviving. But you know, when I was on the operating table, almost dying, I saw Victoria. She was there beside me, guiding me across a wide river.”
“As the water rose past my waist, past my chest, I never struggled. I trusted Victoria wouldn’t harm me, nor would she ever hate me. And sure enough, when we reached the other side, she looked at me with a hint of reproach and said, ‘Why are you here so soon? You promised to live well for both of us.”
It was the most beautiful dream Tia Clark had in eight years–a dream of her closest friend from her youth, guiding her to hope across the river between life and death.
Victoria had been such a kind and gentle soul. Tia knew that if she had been the one to die that day, Victoria would never have blamed her, just as she never blamed Victoria.
Tears streamed down Tia’s face, and she wiped them away as she spoke to Nathan, who was also crying silently, “So do you understand now? I’m not living for myself anymore. I’m living for Victoria, for Mia, and for Simon. Nathan, do you think Victoria would want to see you dead?”
“I forgive you. Live on,” she nodded gently. “Goodbye, Nathan.”
Simon clenched and unclenched his fists, watching Tia return with red–rimmed eyes, barely restraining himself from getting out of the car to confront Nathan.
Tia noticed that Simon, despite often appearing mature, could be quite impulsive. She sighed and said, “You’ve already knocked him around a few times. He’s still recovering, you know. Give him a break.”
Simon pouted in dissatisfaction, “Why are you still siding with him? Who’s your boyfriend, anyway?”
“It’s you, Simon,” Tia replied with a touch of amusement, glancing at his profile. “Who else could it be?”
“It’s me!” Mia piped up, raising her hand. “I’m mommy’s boyfriend.”
She clearly didn’t grasp the meaning of the word ‘boyfriend,’ and Simon scooped her up, giving her a playful squeeze. “No, it’s me! It’ll always be me. You want to be her boyfriend? Not a chance!”
