Chapter 8
I didn’t defend myself. I didn’t tell him that he’d been calling my name, “Doris,” while he kissed me that night. I knew it wasn’t love. It was only a brief moment where he recognized me, nothing more.
That night was when I got pregnant with Oliver.
For the next few days, I stayed with Nathan in his villa, but he was rarely there. After Oliver was born, he was almost impossible to find. I used to think he avoided me because he believed I was trying to trap him with the baby. Now, I realize he actually doubted that Oliver was even his.
Because of this foolish suspicion, he indirectly caused the death of his own son.
The absurdity of it all hit me hard.
“Who do you think this ‘other man‘ is?” I asked, my voice filled with sarcasm.
Nathan slammed the bowl onto the bedside table and stood up angrily. “You know better than I do about these kinds of things,” he muttered.
“What kinds of things?” I shot back.
He looked at me, as if he wanted to say something, but then he stopped. “Forget it. I don’t want to argue with you right now.”
He buttoned up his suit and left.
I felt suffocated, unable to stay in that room any longer. I forced myself to get up and walked outside, wandering into a nearby park. I sat on a bench, watching the children play.
If Oliver had been healthy, he would’ve been their age now.
I sat alone in the park for what felt like an eternity, though I had long lost track of time. My eyes blurred as I stared at nothing in particular, the quiet world around me offering no
Giving Up My First Love For Secret Research: Second Chance at Happiness
15.705
chaptel s
comfort. The chill of the evening crept into my bones, but I barely noticed. At some point, darkness had fallen, and now it was starting to fade into light again. Dawn was breaking, the park bathed in the faint hues of morning.
I blinked, coming back to reality, realizing I had been sitting in the cold all night. My muscles ached as I slowly stood, shaking off the numbness from hours of stillness. I didn’t know where I was going, but my feet began to move. Tina had just gone through the pain of ending her MATE relationship and she had been weak and quiet.
My mind was clouded with exhaustion and a heavy weight of emotion that I couldn’t quite name. It was like I was moving through water, sluggish and detached.
As I trudged along the path, I noticed movement ahead. Nathan.
♡ (0)
