Chapter 19
580words
Olivia's apartment was quiet when I entered. I still had my key—she'd never asked for it back. The place felt temporary, impersonal—so unlike the home we'd shared.
In the bedroom, I found the air vent and retrieved the manila folder. Inside were environmental reports on Westlake from nine years ago, all signed by Thomas Bennett. The final page contained a damning summary:
"Meeting with V. Carter tomorrow to discuss findings. Project must be halted immediately. Public health risk unacceptable."
The date on the note was the day before Thomas Bennett died.
Also in the file was a newspaper clipping about his death, ruled a suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. And a more recent article about a cluster of rare cancers diagnosed in residents of the Westlake development over the past five years.
The evidence wasn't conclusive, but it painted a damning picture. If my father had known about the contamination and proceeded with the development anyway, he'd put hundreds of families at risk. If he'd silenced Thomas Bennett to keep that information quiet...
My phone rang, startling me from these dark thoughts. It was Marcus, informing me that my father had shown up at the hospital, demanding to see Olivia. I instructed him to keep Victor out at all costs and said I was on my way back.
As I reached my car, a dark sedan pulled up alongside me, and the passenger window rolled down.
"Nathan," a familiar voice called. "I need to talk to you."
Rebecca's face was visible in the dim light, her expression tense and fearful.
"I don't have time for this," I said, moving to open my car door.
"It's about Olivia," she said quickly. "And about the baby I'm not actually carrying."
I paused, turning back to her. "What?"
"I lied," she admitted, her voice breaking. "There is no baby. Your father paid me to say there was."
I stared at her, a mixture of relief and anger washing over me. "Get in. You're going to tell me everything. And then you're going to tell Olivia."
As Rebecca got out of her car, I thought about Olivia lying in that hospital bed, how close I'd come to losing her forever. I wouldn't waste this second chance. Whatever it took, I would make things right—for her, for us, for the future we should have had.
Nathan's POV
"He'll destroy me for this," she whispered, more to herself than to me.
As we pulled into the hospital parking garage, Rebecca turned to me. "Nathan, there's something else you should know. About that night, when Olivia miscarried."
I gripped the steering wheel tighter. "What about it?"
"I didn't just find you in the lobby by coincidence. Someone called me, told me you needed help. When I got there, you were barely conscious."
"Who called you?"
She hesitated. "I don't know for certain. But the next day, your father called to thank me for 'taking care of his son.' It seemed... planned."
The implications made my blood run cold. Had my father orchestrated the entire thing? Drugged me, ensured I'd miss Olivia's calls, positioned Rebecca as the villain?
"Did anything happen between us that night?" I asked, needing to hear it again.
"No," she said firmly. "You passed out on my couch. That's all. I swear."
