Chance 10

Chapter 10 

Nathan’s eyes turned red without him even realizing it. These past few weeks, he had been endlessly patient and gen- tle with me. 

Sometimes, after we got home, he would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic, reach for me, and hold me tight as he whispered, “This bed’s giving me trauma. I’m scared you’ll be gone again when I wake up. You owe me emotional damages, you know.” 

Even when he was all over me, he would lean close and murmur against my ear, “Adeline, I love you so much. I’ve loved you for so many years. Do you know how happy I was the day you agreed to that engagement?” 

I grew suspicious. Once I cleared my head, I asked him about it, but his face flushed red, and he refused to say a word. 

But it wasn’t until today, in the flower fields, under the starlit sky and glowing moon, with me nodding and the two of us tangled together in the sweltering heat inside the yurt, that he finally spoke. “The day you moved into the com- pound, I fell for you.” 

I looked up at him. That had been the first day we met and also the day I started liking him. 

“After the SAT, I was going to confess. But I overheard you telling your mom that you were too young and didn’t want a relationship yet. 

“So I thought, maybe I’ll wait until after college. But then I heard you chatting with your friends, saying you’d been secretly in love with someone for nearly ten years. 

“That was the lowest moment of my life. I kept wondering who it could be, desperately hoping it was me. But every time you acted cold and distant around me, I felt like I didn’t stand a chance. 

“When Genevieve confessed to me, I didn’t really want to say yes. But I had been feeling down for so long… I guess I just wanted to get a reaction out of you. And when you didn’t even flinch, I went home drunk and bawled my eyes out. My mom thought something terrible had happened to me.” 

He took my hand and kissed my forehead. 

“And no, I didn’t kiss her because of peer pressure. There were some of your friends there that day, and you hadn’t talked to me in so long. I thought maybe she would tell you and you would care. But I regretted it instantly. I ended up in the hospital from all the guilt. So please, don’t keep dragging that mess back up. You can hit me or yell at me, but just don’t leave. 

“That whole thing about driving to the airport was to pick up the architect for the house. He’s a well-known figure, and it took a long time to persuade her to agree. I didn’t dare tell you ahead of time, and then someone twisted the whole story on me…” 

That was when I remembered the house. But before I could ask, he already caught the look on my face. 

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10:56 

“Think about it. Didn’t you once say you liked the environment over there? I bought the place for you. It’s in your name. And you still thought I was involved with someone else…” 

And I did vaguely remember saying something like that offhand. But I never imagined he would take it so seriously. 

Seeing how pitiful he looked, I softened. I reached out to stroke his hair and was about to comfort him when he turned the tables and asked, “Now it’s my turn. Who’s the person you’ve been in love with for over ten years? Do you still like him?” 

His tone was so jealous and pouty, I couldn’t help but laugh. 

Now it was my turn to soothe him. I kissed him on the lips and rested my head on his shoulder. 

“It’s you. It’s always been you.” 

I clearly saw the tears roll down his cheeks, right before he kissed me fiercely. And just as the next wave of pleasure hit, he whispered in my ear, “Adeline, you can never leave me. You have to love me for the rest of your life.” 

I ruffled his hair and said, “Okay.” 

Two days later, Nathan posted a photo of our marriage certificate on social media, captioned, “I’ve got a wife now. All you demons and clowns can stay the hell away.”