Broken Yet Untouched by Mark Twain 2
Chapter 2
I managed a few hours of light sleep by Veronica’s bedside before Nathaniel’s movements woke me.
He was carefully tending to her catheter bag, with dark circles under his
eyes.
For a moment, I almost reached for the divorce papers, but then he pulled me into an embrace.
“I’m sorry, Vivi. But Estelle helped me through the darkest time. I owe
her.”
I froze.
I knew the story. Years ago, Nathaniel’s family car had gone off a cliff.
A steel rod had pierced both his parents.
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When rescuers arrived, only one could be saved.
They left the choice to their eight-year-old son, Nathaniel.
The consequence of that decision, made in a daze, was a memory that would haunt him for life: the sight of blood gushing from his mother’s chest the moment the steel rod was pulled free.
After that, he could no longer make any choice.
It was the reason I had endured so much.
But…
Then, his voice thick with emotion, Nathaniel whispered, “Estelle was my first love, Vivi. I did care for her, but that’s in the past. You are everything
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to me…”
My heart softened despite myself.
I thought, for a second, there might still be genuine feeling left.
But then my phone buzzed.
I checked it, a message from the private investigator.
The first item was about his exhibition. That day, Nathaniel had publicly stated that everything he had achieved was thanks to the inspiration Estelle gave him.
He had completely forgotten the investors I secured, the venues I booked, the nights I spent drinking until I was sick.
I scrolled down.
4,
On September the day my father died, Nathaniel had promptly booked a flight for a distressed Estelle who’d run a red light, sending her back to her city.
Yet in front of me, he presented himself as utterly crippled by the choice of a flight versus a train, causing me to miss saying goodbye to Dad.
Then, I saw a record of a three-hour phone call between him and Estelle- spanning the entire time I was in difficult labor, and a glaring screenshot of a paternity test.
Patrick Sanford was Nathaniel’s biological son.
There were seventy-two messages in total, each one a piece of evidence.
Together, they dismantled my foolish, one-sided belief that he had ever loved me.
The truth was, he knew how to choose. He just never chose me.
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Chapter 2
18 288 (Vouchers
Sensing the chill in my body, Nathaniel instinctively kissed my forehead.
Then he ventured, cautiously, “Vivi, Ricky has a severe form of congenital leukemia. The fall triggered a crisis. Would you let Nika get tested as a potential donor?
“I promise, once Ricky is better, I’ll devote myself completely to you and Nika.”
The last thread holding me together broke.
“Nathaniel, are you out of your mind? You know how fragile Nika’s health has always been. You want her to donate marrow?”
His eyes were red-rimmed. “Nika’s mind is already limited. What does it matter if her body is a little weaker? But Ricky is bright. With his leukemia cured, think of the future he could have.”
I stared at him, horrified, and pushed him away with all my strength.
He knew our daughter’s condition was my deepest pain.
How could he, the one responsible, say such a thing?
I looked at him coldly. “Don’t even think about it, Nathaniel. We’re getting a divorce.”
He froze, a look of genuine hurt crossing his face, as if the possibility had never occurred to him.
In the silence that followed, Estelle stumbled into the room.
“If Ms. Sherman is so heartless, Nathan, so be it. But if Ricky doesn’t make it, I won’t have any reason to go on living either.
“But… I’m just so scared… He’s bleeding again, and they can’t stop it…”
In that moment, Nathaniel’s expression hardened with a resolve I’d never
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seen before.
Before I could react, I felt a sharp sting in my neck.
As the darkness pulled me under, I heard him whisper, voice trembling with emotion, “I’ll make it up to you both once Ricky gets better.”
He had made his choice again.
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