All Chapters of Love Me, Loathe Me.: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Morning arrives gently as the soft sunlight rays are what wakes her up from the long couch she'd slept off on.Not with urgency or alarms or nurses bustling in too early, but with pale sunlight slipping through the hospital blinds and landing softly across Nathan’s face as well. Mavis wakes before he does, her body stiff from sleeping on the couch, her neck protesting quietly as she straightens. She ignores the discomfort immediately, because the sight in front of her matters more.Nathan is asleep on his side, one arm tucked beneath the pillow, the other curled loosely near his chest. His face is relaxed in a way she hasn’t seen in a long time, the tightness of pain and uncertainty eased into something close to peace. For a moment, she simply watches him breathe, letting the steady rhythm calm her own thoughts.She moves carefully, not wanting to wake him yet, and slips into the bathroom to freshen up. The mirror reflects a woman who looks tired but ready to see the day, eyes clea

The word hangs between them like something that transmits electric shock, because really, they literally both shiver as soon as the word hits.Mommy...Mavis feels it strike first in her chest, then ripple outward, freezing her limbs, stealing the air from her lungs. Her body reacts before her mind does as she steps back instinctively, placing herself fully between Nathan in a very protective manner and the man still kneeling at her door.Lance does not move from his spot on the floor.He stares... At Nathan, at the small hand curled into the fabric of her dress and at the child’s face that's all too familiar, too precise in its resemblance, like a memory sharpened into flesh.His mouth parts slightly, but no sound comes out and he ends up closing it, nothing but a gust of air coming up.For a man who has always controlled rooms, conversations, entire corporations with little more than his presence, the silence utterly disarms him and he's suddenly feeling as though his nakedness is o

Mavis helps Nathan into bed with the motherly patience she has come to perfect over the years, that she'd learnt from staying up long nights and early mornings to take care of her child, and learning exactly how much gentleness a child needs when he is tired but trying very hard not to show it, excited too but sadly has to go to bed...He climbs under the covers without any protests while she holds up the cloth for him to climb under while he also keeps his eyes steadily on her, which already tells her more than he says out loud. Nathan has always been extra cooperative when something is bothering him or when he wants to ask something that's nagging at the back of his mind, as it is his quiet way of processing, of filing thoughts away until he feels safe enough to bring them out again.Ordinarily, he's supposed to argue about going to bed early, saying something like he's been in bed for a whole week at the hospital but now she wants to put him to bed again, but this time, his compli

"Yes!" Nathan responded excitedly to the jab disguised as a question.Lance sets his fork down slowly, a small frown creasing his face.The soft clink against the plate sounds louder than it should in the small dining space, and for a moment, that is the only sound between them. Nathan, oblivious to the shift but sensitive enough to feel it, stops clapping and looks between the two adults with mild confusion.Mavis does not look at Lance.She keeps her attention on her plate, chewing deliberately, jaw tight, as though the food suddenly requires more effort than it did five seconds ago. Her shoulders are squared, posture rigid, the very picture of someone bracing for some sort of physical impact.Lance exhales through his nose, a controlled breath that does nothing to hide the strain in his expression. When he speaks, his voice is calm, but there is an edge beneath it, sharpened by exhaustion and restraint.“That isn’t what I meant,” he says evenly.Mavis finally looks up then, her eye

The drive into Lance’s huge estate is quiet and smooth, the city giving way to wide stretches of green and tall, well-kept trees right at the entrance of the large estate.Black iron gates open automatically, and once they pass through, the world outside feels far away and irrelevant. The driveway curves through orderly lawns and trimmed hedges, everything neat without being showy. When the house comes into view, it is large and solid, built of pale stone with wide windows and clean lines that make it look both modern and long-established.The space around it is vast, open, and carefully maintained, with nothing out of place.Nathan presses his face to the window, openly amazed while he takes all of the sight in, while Mavis sits stiffly, taking it all in with less show of interest like her son but more of unease. As the car slows near the entrance, staff are already waiting there, waiting to receive their visitors and boss.Mavis realizes, with a tightening in her chest, that this is