Chapter 6
For a moment, reality seemed to blur.
Like I was watching someone else’s life through frosted glass.
I pinched myself. Hard.
Not dreaming
Taking a breath, I pushed the door open-
And froze.
Instead of the cozy family home I’d expected, I walked into what looked like an exclusive private dining room. Crystal chandelier hung low, mahogany panels, oversized oil paintings, high–backed dining chairs…
I knew this room.
All those video calls with Nathan during his “late meetings” this was the backdrop.
A laugh escaped my throat, sounding hollow in the silence.
My eyes drifted to the powder room door. Something familiar caught my eye.
-The red cashmere scarf I’d spent weeks knitting for Nathan last Thanksgiving. I’d followed a YouTube tutorial,
determined to make something by hand.
Now it hung from the toilet handle. A makeshift pull.
Upstairs, the master suite revealed an oversized bed – custom–made, clearly.
A La Perla negligee tossed carelessly across the pillows.
The walk–in closet held a collection of men’s clothes: Tom Ford suits, Brioni shirts, silk pajamas. Nathan’s exact style.
In the en–suite bathroom, his–and–hers everything: Aesop toiletries, Turkish cotton towels, an electric razor.
I picked up the razor.
Stubble still caught in the blades.
The silence pressed in.
Time seemed to slow, then stop entirely.
I stood frozen, unable to move, barely breathing.
Footsteps on the stairs. Voices drifting up.
23:00
Seven Years of Love, Seven Minutes
57%
Chapter 6
“Sure you won’t stay for dinner?”
Nathan’s voice: “Just a quick shower. Need to be home by seven.
Panic seized me.
Not wanting to face what I knew was coming. I rushed to the balcony, pressing myself against the limestone wall.
But their reflection was perfect in the glass doors.
Nathan. Claire.
I hugged myself, trembling
Nathan methodically removing his Burberry coat, Kiton suit, Patek Philippe watch.
Claire hovering nearby, voice soft: “Stay later tonight?”
Nathan’s expression remained blank as he continued undressing.
“You told her you had a meeting with the senator. This chance-”
“Know your place.” His voice cut like ice.
Claire bit her lip, then whispered:
“But earlier… you enjoyed it.”
Nathan’s hands stilled on his shirt buttons.
He looked down at her, silent.
Her hands slid inside his shirt, moving lower.
“We were interrupted before… Why not finish what we started?”
The sounds that followed were unmistakable.
As their moans filled the air, the first snow of winter began to fall.
I stared upward, feeling disconnected, as if I were floating away into the grey sky.
I couldn’t bring myself to confront them.
Couldn’t bear to witness something that would sicken me for the rest of my life.
Couldn’t even find the strength to leave.
Mom’s last words echoed: I had inherited her sensitivity but not her decisive nature. Thank goodness Nathan was so steady, she’d said. He’d take care of me.
Seven Years of Love, Seven Minutes
58.04
Chapter 6
Mom knew me too well. And didn’t know Nathan at all.
The snow fell softly, whitewashing the world.
Claire emerged in her silk negligee, looking satisfied.
Footsteps thundered up the stairs.
A nanny appeared with a little boy, about three years old.
“Mommy! Nanny brought Cooper home!”
Claire scooped him up, smiling,
The bedroom door opened. Nathan emerged freshly showered, dressed in identical clothes.
The little boy’s eyes lit up:
“Daddy!”
