Insufferable

ERICA:

Ever since I returned from Panila, Nathan had been cold, different. It was in his eyes, in his actions…a quiet, deliberate distance. I wasn’t expecting a huge hug, but his frosty demeanour was far from what I’d hoped for. 

He wasn’t happy to see me again, though I was too in love to admit it. I told myself he was just being careful, avoiding being seen with me so rumours wouldn’t stir Leonard’s anger.

I wanted to tell him about Eric. I knew it would make him less fearful about our relationship, give him hope. If Eric officially became family, I’d have no reason to marry Leonard. Juana would crumble at the sudden appearance of my father’s long-lost son, and every plot she’s made for the Gerux inheritance would collapse. My father’s attention would shift entirely to Eric, someone he might see as the capable heir Pedro never was, and he wouldn’t care if I married Leonard or not.

In his greed and selfishness, I still believed my father would let me off the hook if a son emerged who could turn his business around. And Eric, teamed with his brilliant friend Lucas, could do exactly that.

But I hadn’t told Nathan. He hadn’t given me the time or chance. He avoided me, saying Leonard was furious about my elopement and would be watching to see if I’d done it for him.

Then there was the viral kiss clip, with the disguised Eric, which fueled Nathan’s desire to avoid me like the plague. He didn’t want anything that would link now that the whole country knew I was Leonard’s bride.

“You shouldn’t have left,” he said when we finally spoke in the company's warehouse. I had dragged him in despite his resistance.

“I am sorry I left you,” I said softly, thinking he meant leaving him. “I shouldn’t have… but I am here now.”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t have run away from your wedding. You should’ve listened to me.”

Then I understood he didn’t care that I left him. His only concern was that I hadn’t stayed to push forward with the wedding.

“He cancelled it on me, Nathan. He wanted to humiliate me. I had no choice.”

“It doesn’t matter what he does. Leonard can’t be ridiculed.”

But I could? It hurt that he always stood on Leonard’s side.

“I am not afraid of him,” I said.

“You should be. Be thankful he didn’t bring back your corpse.”

I reached for his hands. “I’d rather die than be Leonard’s wife. I only care about my life with you.”

He pulled away. “We shouldn’t be doing this anymore…not when everyone knows you are his bride.

“No…I belong to you. You’re the one I love.”

“Then try harder. Learn to love him just as you learnt to kiss him in front of cameras. It will help us all.”

And with that, he left, not giving me the chance to explain it wasn’t me in the clip, but my twin.

Nathan had been willing to try when my engagement with Leonard was a secret. Now that everyone knew, he wouldn’t dare. I had to act. I had to push forward with the mission—only then could I be free of Leonard, and Nathan could stop being afraid.

So I went to my father’s. Eric objected; our plan was never to be seen in public at the same time, but I dismissed the risk.

Juana was alone in the living room, flipping through her beloved Vogue magazines, marking the latest designs she would buy soon. That’s all she does: sit idle, scan magazines, and spend recklessly.

I first met Juana at my mother’s funeral. She had attended with a ten-year-old Pedro. I was ten, too. The moment I saw her, I read through her smile. I knew she was closer to my father than the ‘friend’ he had introduced her as. I wasn’t wrong. A month later, she moved in with Pedro as his new wife.

Juana had kept a sleek attitude from then until now. She always smiled when my father was nearby, but whenever it was just the two of us, she dropped the act.

“You should have come home earlier,” she said. “We had a welcoming party planned for the runaway bride.”

“That’s so kind of you,” I said with a snort, heading upstairs.

I hadn’t come for her. She could gloat all she wanted, because soon I’d be the one doing that.

I slipped into my father’s study, searching for anything—documents, old clothes, photos—that might lead me to something. My father wouldn’t have abandoned Eric unless he thought he was dead… or didn’t know he existed.

I rifled through drawers, cabinets, shelves… until I found a locked safe. None of the codes I tried worked. I was about to call Lucas—he always has answers—when I heard Juana's heels on the stairs.

I’d always wondered why she wore heels around the house. Always hated it. But today, I was grateful for her vanity.

I hastily restored everything to its place. Then my eye landed on a tumbler…and a thought sparked. 

Eric and I still didn’t know who had been abandoned. Was it his mother who abandoned me, or my father who gave him up for adoption? With my father’s DNA, that would be confirmed. So, I slipped the tumbler into my handbag.

The door opened.

“What are you doing?” Juana asked, her eyes narrowing.

“Since when do I need your permission to see my father?” I asked, legs crossed in the armchair.

Her gaze swept the room. I’d restored everything to its original position. But Juana isn’t a fool, no matter how she pretends for my father. She wouldn’t have a man like him under her thumb if she were.

Finding nothing, she huffed.

“My husband isn’t home,” she said pointedly, drawing out the word husband. “He’s not coming back until next week. But I can relay your message.”

“I can always talk to my father.”

This was my opportunity to conduct a thorough search, but no need to rush today. I could return after I got the DNA results. Saturday would be best; Juana would be out at her gym sessions—a gossip venue for her fellow lazy housewives.

On my way out, she grabbed my arm. “I hope you’re not planning something stupid. No matter where you hide, Leonard will find you. I chose him for a reason; you can’t escape this marriage.”

I pulled free. “Look forward to the wedding, Juana.”

“Erica,” she called after me. “I hope meeting Nathan isn’t part of your stupid ideas. Don’t go running back to the man who announced your escape.”

I didn’t believe her until I confronted Nathan, and he admitted it.

“If I hadn’t done it, I’d have been blamed,” he said.

Still angry that he sold me out, I understood his fear. He was right. The minute Leonard realised I had taken off after his text rather than ducking in shame, he would’ve turned to Nathan.

I forgave him. Instead of holding onto the anger, I focused on freeing us from Leonard. 

I sent the tumbler to a forensic acquaintance who promised to have the result ready in two days.

“I will come for it,” I told him. “Don’t email or dispatch it.”

Lucas is a human AI. I didn’t want him to read it before I could. He might not, but you tread carefully around a mind like his. I’d tell him and Eric, but only after I knew if my father was biologically mine or not.

Then the ice cream incident forced me to lie low. I couldn’t return to my father’s or collect the results. All I could do was go to work and stay locked in Leonard’s house.  

I even avoided Nathan at work, as Lucas advised. I didn’t see the point, but Eric insisted… said my feelings were getting in the way. 

Days passed. I didn’t only get bored with doing nothing, I ached for Nathan.

And Nathan, he didn’t come to me either. I didn’t bother. I have been the one going to him anyway. He was the fearful of one. I wasn’t.

Plus, his office was on a different floor. Going down to him was easier than having him come up to me.

When Lucas came up with a new plan—a wardrobe swap between Eric and me—I saw my chance to escape for the night…an opportunity to be with Nathan.

“Eric,” I pleaded. “Can you go back to Leonard tonight?”

I knew it must be difficult for him. Sending him back to that insufferable man, but I was desperate. Nathan was drifting away from me.

Eric agreed. And the moment he left, I hailed a taxi to Nathan’s.