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ANNA S POV
The way everyone was staring at me now like they wanted to rip me into shreds.
made me feel suffocated.
Sophie finally found her voice. “Isnt she still married to Caden Weston who doesn’t even want her? You wanna marry a married woman?”
Nate was quick to reply. “Their marriage is already annulled, you got a problem with that? She’s free and we want each other.
Period.”
“But you love me Nate, you always have. How can you turn your back on me like
this?”
Sophie was about to start shedding tears and I couldn’t stand it anymore. I kicked back my chair uneasily and rose to my feet.
“I am sorry but I need to be excused now.
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Enjoy your evening everyone.”
Without another word, I turned and rushed
outside, needing to breathe a little. The cool night air hit my face, and I could almost hear how loud my heart was beating in my ears.
A moment later, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and I turned to see Nate hurrying towards me, his brows scrunched up together.
“Anna!” he called out in worry. “Where are you going?”
I shook my head, blinking back the tears that gave me a warning it was about to spill. “I just… I couldn’t stay in there, Nate,” I admitted, barely hearing my own voice. and hating how it sounded. “Your parents, they clearly hate me.”
He reached out to gently grasp my arm. “Hey, don’t say that. They’re the ones being unreasonable, not you.”
I let out a shaky laugh, my eyes dropping to
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the ground. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re their son – they’ll always love you, no matter what. But me? I’m just the outsider they can’t wait to get rid of.”
His grip on my arm tightened, and I could see the anger flashing in his eyes. “Well, that’s their loss, then,”
I pulled away, shaking my head. “I can’t do this. I don’t belong here, and I’m not going to force myself on them just to convince
them of our little charade.”
“No, Anna, don’t you dare. I already gave them a piece of my mind, and I won’t let them disrespect you like that. You deserve. so much better.”
I sighed. “Nate, just go back to them. This was a mistake, all of it. I should have never agreed to this in the first place.”
He moved closer, his hands coming to rest on my shoulders. “No, Anna, I’m not going anywhere. I made a promise to you, and I intend to keep it. I’m taking you home, and
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we’re going to figure this out together, okay?”
“That’s really sweet of you.” I managed a dry smile and resumed walking.
“Come on, let me drive you to somewhere different.”
“Don’t bother. Go back to your family, I’m fine with walking.”
“Oh no you aren’t.”
Before I could protest, he had swept me up into his arms, and flung me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. “Nate, what are you doing?” I cried, my eyes widening in shock. “Put me down, this is… this is kidnapping!”
He chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. “Kidnapping? Hardly. I’m just making sure you get home safe, that’s all.”
I tried to argue further, but the feel of hist strong arms around me, the warmth of his body, was oddly comforting. And truth be
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told, I was too emotionally drained to put up much of a fight.
As we approached his waiting car, Nate carefully set me down, one hand lingering on my arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said softly, his gaze searching my face.
Once we were settled in the backseat, Nate gave the driver instructions to take us to a restaurant called Elite.
“Now, who said I wanted to eat?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He laughed, his hand coming to rest on my thigh. “Oh, come on, I know you better than that. You’re always hungry, even when you’re angry.”
I couldn’t help but smile, despite my best efforts to maintain my irritation. He had a way of disarming me, of making me feel at home, even in the midst of any kind of problem.
“I really appreciate you standing up for me like that though against them.”
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He grinned. “Well, what else are friends for, right?”
I chuckled, a lightness settling over me that I hadn’t felt in ages. “Friends, huh? I
suppose that’s one way to put it.”
Nate shot me a playful wink.
As the car slowed to a stop, I glanced out the window, my eyes popping wide as caught sight of a familiar figure on the corner. “Nate, wait,” I said, my voice sharp. “I think I just saw Jessica…”
He followed my gaze, with a confused look. “Jessica? Where?”
I pointed to the dark corner, where she was standing, her body language suggesting an intimate conversation with a man I
recognized very well. “There, on the
corner. I’m almost certain it’s her. And she
is with Fred, the guy she
was dating all those years ago.
What was she doing with him? I thought he
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relocated permanently from the country the whole time?
“Do you want me to have someone look. into it?” Nate was asking me.
I hesitated for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. On one hand, I knew that I should let the past stay in the past – Jessica was no longer a threat, and I had moved on. But on the other hand, a part of me. couldn’t help but wonder what she was up to, and whether it had any connection to the baby she was supposedly carrying.
“Yes,” I said finally. “I want to know what she’s up to.”
Nate nodded. “Consider it done. Now, come
on – let’s get you someplace where you can. relax and forget all about this mess.”
Two nights later, I found myself sitting across from Nate, as the private investigator he had hired presented his findings. The video footage and pictures were clear. Jessica had been meeting with
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Fred, and from their conversations, there
was no doubt that he was the father of her
child, not Caden.
