Chapter 26
583words
My heart shattered at her words. I gathered her carefully into my arms, mindful of her injuries. "I'm so sorry, Liv. So sorry."
She clung to me, her tears soaking my shirt. "I wanted her so much, Nathan. I wanted our family."
"I know," I murmured, stroking her hair. "I wanted that too."
We stayed like that for a long time, holding each other in the darkness, sharing our grief for the child we had lost and the future that had been stolen from us. It was the first time we had truly mourned together, the first time we had allowed ourselves to be vulnerable with each other since that terrible night.
When her tears finally subsided, Olivia pulled back slightly to look at me. "I blamed you," she admitted. "For not being there. For moving on so quickly afterward, throwing yourself into work while I was drowning in grief."
"I didn't know how to help you," I confessed. "I felt so guilty for not being there when you needed me most. Work was... easier than facing that guilt. Than facing your pain and knowing I had failed you."
"You didn't fail me," she said softly. "You were a victim too. We both were."
The absolution in her words was like a balm to a wound I had carried for eight months. "I should have fought harder for us," I said. "I should have seen through the manipulation, should have known something wasn't right."
"When the doctor told me I couldn't have children," she said after a while, her voice small, "it felt like losing our baby all over again. Like losing every baby we might have had."
I tightened my arms around her, wishing I could take away her pain.
She was quiet for so long I thought she might have fallen asleep again. Then she said, "Do you ever think about Lily? About what will happen to her after all this?"
"I understand," I said softly. "Anger is... easier sometimes. Safer than hope."
"Yes," she agreed. "But I don't want to live in anger anymore. I want to try for something better."
I pressed a kiss to her forehead, overwhelmed by her courage. "Whatever you want, Olivia. Whatever you need."
"Right now," she said, her voice steadier, "I need to sleep without nightmares."
"I'll be right here," I promised. "All night."
---
Morning brought a call from Marcus. I took it outside on the deck, not wanting to wake Olivia who had finally fallen into peaceful sleep.
"We found Lily," Marcus said without preamble. "She's safe. We've got her at a secure location with a child psychologist."
Relief washed through me. "How is she?"
"Physically fine. Emotionally..." He hesitated. "She's asking for Dr. Olivia."
I glanced back at the house, thinking of Olivia still asleep inside. "I'll talk to Olivia when she wakes up. Where exactly is Lily?"
"About an hour from your location. I can arrange a meeting if you think it's appropriate."
"Let me discuss it with Olivia first. And Marcus—any sign of my father?"
"He's been making calls, lots of them. Seems agitated. We're monitoring his movements, but he doesn't know where you are. Not yet, anyway."
"Keep it that way," I said. "And send me everything you have on Lily's situation. I want to know exactly what she's been through since she disappeared from the hospital."
