Ch-47

•~•Nathaniel’s POV

I sat on the hospital bed, barely moving under the sheets. The air smelled too clean—disinfectant, rubber gloves, and whatever IV fluid they had me hooked up to.

A nurse stood beside me, quietly scribbling on her chart after checking the monitors.  

She adjusted the IV and went through the same routine I’d seen over and over since I woke up.

She didn’t say much—maybe she could tell I wasn’t in the mood. Or maybe she’d just stopped caring who the patient was, having attended to me for over a week now.

My eyes drifted to my right wrist.  

With my left hand, I slowly traced the skin, searching for something that wasn’t there anymore.

The couple’s bracelet Irene gave me when we first started dating.

She bought it on a random Saturday after our fifth date—nothing fancy, just a braided leather band with a silver charm that had our initials carved into it.

She said wanted something on me that proved I was taken. I had it on before the accident.

I asked my mother about it after I woke up. Asked if they’d found it on me and kept it. She said no. Claimed she didn’t even know it existed.

It was all I had left of Irene.

And now it was gone too.

A tear fell—just one. It splashed against my wrist. And just like that, I was pulled right back to the morning that ruined everything.

———

Flashback

———

The sun was already up when I got there, its heat warming the side of my face. I stumbled a little on the rocky path leading to the cliffside—who the hell even liked places like this?

The dirt was uneven, stones jutting out, and weeds kept brushing against my shoes.

“Fucking stones…” I muttered under my breath, straightening up.

And then I saw her.

Irene stood at the edge with her back to me, hair dancing in the breeze, her figure outlined by the soft morning light.

She wore a pale yellow crop top and high-waisted denim shorts—casual, sure, but it showed more skin than usual. It made her look... too sexy. And I wasn’t okay with that.

The thought of other guys eyeing her on the way here made my stomach knot.

I picked up my pace. “Why are you wearing something so revealing?”

She turned at the sound of my voice, a smile blooming on her lips. “Oh Nathaniel…You’re here.”

I didn’t respond, nor did I smile back as my eyes raked over all of her. She noticed.

She raised a brow. “It’s summer. And I’ve worn way more revealing things. You never said a word. In fact, you told me I could wear whatever I wanted. So what’s with the scowl, huh?”

‘When did I ever say that?’ I nearly blurted out but quickly bit my tongue.

Right. It wasn’t me.

It was him—Aziel.

My identical twin who I made take my place with her for over a year now.

He was the one who said that. The one who let her walk around like this and told her it was fine.

It made my blood boil.

Irene was my girlfriend. And Aziel, he was just supposed to be a temporary stand-in—nothing more.

Someone to fill in for me with her when I had to be with my fiancée, Shoshana Bates, for the sake of expanding our family’s wealth and business. 

So who the hell gave him the right to act like he was actually her boyfriend? To tell her she could dress however she pleased?

I'd have words with him when I got home.

“I’m sorry,” I said, forcing a smile on my lips and stepping closer. “You just look… too beautiful. I got a little jealous thinking about the guys you passed on your way here staring at you with their nasty eyes... probably wishing you were theirs.”

She laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t be too jealous, babe. You’re dating a goddess. Obviously, men are gonna stare.”

I chuckled too, but my heart wasn’t in it.

I turned my gaze to the view—the wide drop below us, the open sky, the green hills rolling far in the distance.

I was never a nature person. Too quiet. Too... open. I hated heights too. I'd rather be at a rooftop bar or a private resort, maybe a Jacuzzi with a drink in hand. Golf. Anything but standing near a deadly drop.

“So… why’d you ask to meet here?” I asked without looking at her. “Isn’t it too dangerous? I mean, what if one of us falls? I doubt—” I cut myself off when I felt her gaze burning holes into me.

I turned.

And I was right—she was staring. Brow furrowed, head slightly tilted, lips pressed into a tight line like she was trying to understand the meaning behind my words.

“Wait… you were the one who brought me here in the first place. You said you liked how calm it made you feel. We’ve been coming here ever since—and that was so long ago. So… why are you calling it dangerous now?”

Of course, it wasn’t me who brought her to such a place or said those words.

It was him—Aziel.

He loved shit like this—remote, somber, beautiful places that made you reflect. He found peace in them. I found danger.

He probably brought her here again and again, spinning stories in my name. And now, she thought I was the one who loved such scenery.

Either way, he shouldn’t have brought her here. Irene was clumsy sometimes. Fragile. What if she came alone one day and—

I cut the thought short, though a chill ran down my spine.

"I’m just kidding," I said, forcing a laugh. It came out a little too stiff.

She gave a slow nod, but then frowned. Her eyes studied me closely.

Oh God...What now?

“You look… darker than you did yesterday morning.” She mused.

Shit!

She noticed.

I had just gotten back last night from a two-month trip to Hawaii with Shoshana—courtesy of my controlling mother.

I had forgotten my sunscreen, and my brand wasn’t available there. With my sensitive skin, I couldn’t use any other brand, so I ended up getting sunburned.

Think, Nathaniel. Cover it.

“Do I?” I asked, pretending not to notice.

“Just a little,” she said, brushing it off. “But don’t worry—it only adds to your glow.”

I grinned. She didn’t suspect a thing.

“Let’s sit,” she said softly.

We sat on the grass, facing each other. She smiled, but it was a nervous kind of smile. One hand tucked her hair behind her ear. I noticed the tremble in her fingers.

She was anxious.

“What is it?” I asked.

She drew in a deep breath. “I’ve been thinking about how to tell you. But… I guess this is it.” Her eyes closed. “I’m pregnant!” She blurted out.

My smile dropped. My stomach twisted. I blinked once. Then again.

Pregnant?

My thoughts scrambled.

How? We never—

And then it hit me. Hard.

Aziel.

That fucking bastard!

She opened her eyes, still smiling—until she saw my face.

“Aren’t you… happy?” she asked quietly.

I couldn’t speak.

I couldn’t even breathe properly.

She bit her lower lip—something she always did when she got very nervous. 

Then she reached for my hand, gently tracing her fingers over my knuckles. “I know it’s a little surprising—”

‘A little surprising?!’—I almost screamed.

She was supposed to be a virgin. She said she wanted to wait till our wedding night. That’s why I never asked. Never pressured her for sex—because I wanted to respect her decision.

But somehow, my bastard of a brother had managed to change her mind.

And now she was pregnant—with his fucking child.

I thought about my time in Hawaii with Shoshana. How I’d planned to come back and finally ask my mother to call off the engagement.

I was ready to fight for Irene. Ready to stop hiding, to stop using Aziel as my stand-in.

Even if it ruined my family’s business alliance with the Bates.

Even if it wrecked everything.

I was going to choose her.

But now…

I blinked, hoping I was dreaming. Hoping I’d wake up somewhere else. But I was still here. Still on this goddamn cliff.

“I know we’re a little young to have a baby,” she said, her voice soft, trying to sound calm. “But I think we can handle it. There are other young couples with kids in uni who seem to be doing fine and—”

I stood up.

She blinked in confusion, then slowly rose too. “Nathaniel? What’s wrong?”

I looked away. “I just remembered… I have somewhere to be.”

She took a step toward me. “Wait, what—?”

“I’ll call you,” I said.

Then I turned to walk away—but she grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

“Really?” Her voice cracked with hurt. “That’s all you’re going to say? You’re just going to walk away after what I told you?”

“What do you expect me to do?!” The words came out louder than I intended.

She flinched, stepping back. Her eyes wide. Lips parted. Then she yelled back, “I expected you to be happy…You’re going to be a father!”

“I won’t be a father to that bastard!”