Chapter 113: Non-existent

JAXON POV

“I’m sorry.”

Nathan’s gaze snapped to me the moment I said that, widening.

“You’re apologizing to me?” He pointed inward to himself, like he couldn’t believe I was speaking to him.

“Yes,” I nodded, unable to bring myself to laugh at his incredulity. “You deserve an apology.”

I could see the why in his expression, so I went on to say.

“I owe Nancy as much of an apology as I owe you. You are her brother, and I shouldn’t have disregarded that fact. You deserved to know what was going on…Heck, I should have told you the moment it began.”

“I crossed a line, and it doesn’t matter how this tale is spun; it doesn’t change the fact that she’s your sister and I shouldn’t have done that.”

He had practically entrusted Nancy to me, and what I did was a betrayal of his trust.

My head wasn’t so high up in the clouds that I couldn’t tell when I’d broken someone’s trust or done something wrong, and when I needed to apologize for my wrongdoings.

And, for Nathan, the right moment was now.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, just putting my sincerity out there.

It was up to him to forgive me or not, just like it had been up to Nancy.

The latter had decided and made her choice; now I needed Nathan to make his.

Silence was what followed between us, and it pressed heavily on my chest as I awaited Nathan’s response to my apology.

He was quiet for a long moment, and then he spoke.

“To be honest, I won’t pretend I liked what happened between the two of you, but I won’t pretend Nancy wasn't in the wrong either. Moreover, it’s clear you both have feelings for each other, so there isn’t much left to say.”

My brows shot up at that.

How did…How did he know that?

It was even stranger that neither my body nor my mind had moved to dispute it. It was a full acceptance.

I already knew I liked Nancy.

Frankly, I knew I loved her, but I hadn’t told anyone yet, not even Nancy herself, so to have Nathan say that was quite stunning.

Fixing my expression, I listened to the rest of what he had to say.

“….It’s safe to say that you have my blessing…”

“Wait, that’s corny,” he chuckled. “Anyway, I won’t oppose the obvious and try to force her away from you.”

“I’m leaving the choice to Nancy.”

Those words should have made me happy, but they only made my heart heavier.

Maybe if Nancy hadn’t broken what we had, I would have been thrilled to hear that.

If all that had happened over the past couple of days hadn’t happened, those words would have sufficed to make me happy.

“We’re done.”

Nancy’s voice rang in my head again, loud and final.

“What? I expected much more than that,” Nathan’s voice cut into my thoughts.

I raised my head only to see that his finger was pointed at my face.

“You don’t look too happy to hear that,” he stated.

“I’m not,” I admitted directly.

Before Nathan’s mind could begin to wander unduly, I explained, “She ended it.”

His brows creased.

“Ended what?”

“Us.”

Saying it made it feel even more real.

I dragged a deep breath through my nostrils. “She’s hurt that I lied to her and kept my identity a secret from her. She also thinks my attempts to control her are my way of trying to control her life…”

“That’s not…” Nathan cut in, but I didn’t let him finish.

“She has every right to feel that way. I did do those things, just not the way she understands them, but I think it’s better this way.”

“You do?” Nathan questioned.

I nodded slowly, not believing myself either.

Still, I said, “It’s better this way.”

“I did what I could to keep her away from the dangers of this world, but she somehow still got roped into it. She might be safer this way.”

“All that matters is keeping her safe,” I added in a quieter tone.

Nathan gave me a look I couldn't decipher, then nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

“It’s up to both of you now.”

I didn’t say anything to that.

What he didn’t know was that it wasn’t up to me anymore. The ball was in Nancy’s court, and she had made her choice, ultimately choosing to break off whatever was between us.

It was ironic that I felt this way when I had been the one who couldn’t bring myself to accept her feelings for me in the first place.

Now, it seemed as though our roles were reversed.

One thing I, however, couldn't deny anymore was how much I loved her. When I thought she was in danger, I nearly went crazy, and even now that I knew the prospects of danger weren't over, I couldn’t sit still.

Not until I was sure she was safe.

“About last night…”

Nathan’s sentence was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Both of our gazes swept to it.

“Come in,” I called out, already knowing who it was

As expected, Orion walked in, and Nathan sat straighter, forgoing what he wanted to say.

I assumed it wasn’t something he was comfortable saying with Orion here.

Orion’s expression immediately hinted at bad news, and just like Nathan had, I sat straighter, already expecting the worst.

“Boss.”

“What is it?” I asked.

He glanced briefly at Nathan and gave a short nod, acknowledging his presence before continuing.

“We checked the bar Nancy mentioned.”

“And?” I pressed, not liking the pause in his statement.

“There’s no record of the waitress.”

My eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

“The management claims no one matching her description works there.” He said.

“We ran through the staff records, surveillance, and questioned everyone there. Nothing came up. It’s like she doesn’t exist.”