Chapter 11
The last time I saw Nathan wasn’t years down the line, with gray hair and a bittersweet smile.
It was just one month after he walked out of that old house.
The weather had turned chilly, rain drizzling down, the wind cutting through like a knife.
Instead of a somber funeral procession, there were no drums, no ceremonial rites.
Just a handful of people standing in silence, the damp earth swallowing our footsteps.
They told me that after that night, Nathan started drinking himself numb.
Every day, without fail. And when he wasn’t drinking, he was behind the wheel, speeding down the same roads we used to take together.
His liver had always been weak–even back in high school, he could barely handle a drink.
At business dinners, he’d sip just enough to be polite.
At night, he needed sleeping pills to shut his mind off.
And when he woke up, the first thing he did was reach for a bottle, trying to drown himself all over again.
The doctors said he overdosed.
That even in the ER, half–conscious, he kept mumbling my name.
I had his headstone placed near my dad’s.
At least that way, when I visited one, I wouldn’t forget the other.
My vision blurred, but somehow, not a single tear fell.
Was I heartless?
Maybe.
Maybe my heart had just gone completely numb.
His will and final letter arrived a week later.
The lawyer handed me a flash drive, like Nathan had seen the ending coming long before anyone else did.
Back home, I plugged it into my laptop.
And there he was–frail, barely able to sit up in bed, but still smirking like he always did.
21:05
Just a Stand–In?! My Billionaire Hubby’s OTHER Wife…
87.5%
Chapter 11
“Madison, baby, bet you’re crying right now, huh?”
“Haha… cough… I’m messing with you on purpose.”
“Come on, don’t cry. I hated seeing you cry.”
“You always looked like a raccoon when you did… and this is probably the only time I have the guts to say it.”
“One last thing–I double–checked the dates, got a DNA test.”
“Zoe’s baby? Not mine.”
“The company… we built that together.”
“Even after you walked away, I kept your original shares.”
“Between yours and mine, you’ve got majority control over the board.”
“Run it if you want. Sell it if you don’t.”
“It’s yours now.”
Nathan went quiet for a long time.
Then he lifted his head, staring straight into the camera.
“Oh, and don’t be mad, but I looked into that intern you had at your office.”
“Turns out he’s never even dated before. Seems like a decent guy.”
“Looks kinda like me too, don’t you think?”
“Maybe you should give him a shot.”
“I never really got my act together, always slacked off when I was with you… guess I was the one who slipped through the cracks of basic education, huh?”
His voice dropped to a whisper.
“Be happy, Maddie.”
“That’s all I ever wanted for you.”
21:06
