Chapter 173 Chapter 173
Nathaniel sat alone in his study that night, staring at the half-empty glass of wine on his desk. The house was quiet, yet his mind wouldn’t stop screaming. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her — Savannah.
Her smile. Her laughter. The way she used to look at him as if he was her whole world.
He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
The memory of the dinner party replayed in his mind — how her eyes had met his across the hall. For a moment, time had stopped. He had felt something he hadn’t felt in years — regret, pain, and something dangerously close to love.
He stood up and walked toward the big window, watching the city lights blink in the distance. “Savannah…” he whispered softly.
His chest tightened.
He remembered the first day they met — in the old art gallery downtown. Savannah had been wearing a yellow sundress, her hair tied in a messy bun, with a little paint on her fingers. She was standing in front of a painting, talking about how beautiful it felt to see emotions on canvas.
He had walked up to her and said, “You talk about art like it’s alive.”
She turned, smiled, and replied, “Isn’t it? Art feels things we’re too scared to say.”
That was the moment he fell for her. Not just for her beauty, but for her heart. She was simple, kind, and full of life — everything he wasn’t.
Nathaniel smiled faintly at the memory, but it quickly faded. His expression turned cold as he remembered how he ruined it all.
He had let pride and his mother’s manipulations control him. He had accused Savannah of things she never did. He had thrown her out like she meant nothing, and the image of her standing in the rain, crying and begging him to believe her, haunted him every night since.
“Why did I do that to you?” he whispered, his voice breaking. “You were the only one who truly loved me.”
He sat back down, resting his elbows on the table, and buried his face in his hands.
The sound of his office door opening startled him. Cassandra’s voice broke the silence. “Nathaniel, are you still awake?”
He quickly straightened up. “Yes, I’m… I’m fine.”
Cassandra walked closer, pretending to be concerned. “You’ve been distant lately. Is it about the dinner party?”
Nathaniel didn’t answer. His silence said it all.
Cassandra folded her arms, her voice sharpening. “You’re thinking about her again, aren’t you?”
He didn’t deny it. He looked her straight in the eyes and said quietly, “She was my wife, Cassandra. I can’t erase her just because you want me to.”
Her lips tightened. “She doesn’t belong in your life anymore. You made your choice.”
Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. “And it was the worst choice of my life.”
Cassandra’s face hardened. “Don’t say that. I’m the one standing beside you now.”
He gave a bitter laugh. “Standing beside me? Or standing between me and the ghost of my past?”
Cassandra glared at him. “You’ll regret saying that.”
Nathaniel didn’t flinch. “I already regret everything.”
She turned sharply and walked out, slamming the door.
The sound echoed through the room, but Nathaniel didn’t move. He just sat there, lost in thought.
He remembered Savannah’s soft voice, the way she used to call him Nate, and how she’d wrap her arms around him after a long day, whispering, “I’ll always be here, no matter what happens.”
He had taken that love for granted. He had replaced it with pride.
Now, as he sat in the emptiness of his mansion, he realized the cruel truth — he could have everything in the world, but without Savannah, it all meant nothing.
Nathaniel leaned back, staring at the ceiling as tears welled in his eyes.
“I wish I could turn back time,” he whispered into the quiet night.
But time didn’t turn back. And Savannah… she had moved on — into another man’s arms, another man’s world, a place where his name no longer belonged.