Nathan sped away as the rain hammered down, blurring the windshield into streaks of silver. His hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly the leather groaned under his grip. He drove as fast as he could—not toward anywhere, but away from everything.
Away from the orphanage.
Away from his mother.
Away from the memories that suffocated him.
Away from the pain he had spent years burying beneath layers of indifference and control.
The woman he had spent his whole life aching for… the woman who left him behind… the woman he hated because he loved her too much—it was all crashing into him at once.
And Celine—
The girl he thought was his safe place—
had unknowingly lit the fuse.
His mind spun, chaotic and loud.
He hated this.
He hated how fast he was unraveling.
He hated how much he still hurt.
Suddenly, Nathan slammed the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. The car skidded slightly before settling, engine humming in the downpour.
His breath shook.
The moment his thoughts drifted to Celine, something inside him cracked wide open.
His chest tightened painfully—so sharp, so visceral—it stole the air from his lungs.
How could she be the one to reopen the wounds he'd spent years trying to forget?
Why did she have to be the one to lead him back to the pain he was running from?
Why did fate have to be so cruel, delivering happiness only to snatch it away?
"Why did I make her cry?" he whispered bitterly, voice trembling.
The memory of her tear-streaked face pierced him. It was unbearable.
He felt betrayed—played, even.
How was he supposed to stand beside her knowing she had ties to the one person he loathed more than anyone?
It wasn't her fault, he knew that… but the hurt was louder than the truth.
He slammed both palms against the steering wheel, a guttural sound breaking free. He leaned back against the headrest, dragged in a harsh breath, and let the suffocating weight settle over him.
He wanted to go back.
He wanted to hold her.
He wanted to apologize, even fall to his knees if it meant she'd forgive him.
But his pride—his trauma—wrapped around him like iron shackles.
Maybe he should never have come back.
Maybe everything between them… was doomed from the start.
Yet the idea of letting her go felt like tearing his own heart out.
Nathan stayed on the side of the road for a long time. Rain pounded against the roof, echoing the heaviness inside him. His eyes drifted to the empty passenger seat—her seat. The place where she laughed, teased him, held his hand.
He reached out and brushed his fingers across the leather.
"I'm sorry…" he whispered to no one.
His vision blurred. Tears—real tears—gathered in his eyes. The kind he hadn't shed since he was a child.
Memories flooded in, uninvited and merciless.
He loved his mom. He always had.
He missed her.
Every day he woke up hoping she would come back for him.
Every night he went to bed disappointed.
His childhood was built on longing—on unfulfilled promises.
He remembered confronting his father, begging for answers.
Why did she leave?
All he got was cold truth: She gave up on you.
The moment Nathan was old enough to leave, he did. Holidays were torture. Conversations about family were landmines. He always found ways to avoid them—smiling, joking, deflecting—anything to hide the hollow ache inside him.
Then Celine entered his life like breath returning to a drowning man.
At first, he told himself he was just helping her. He wasn't supposed to want her. He wasn't supposed to fall.
But he did.
Hard.
Hopelessly.
He fell in love with her laughter, with her gentle heart, with how she saw beauty everywhere—even in him. She became his light, his calm, his anchor.
He would've died for her.
And now?
Now all he could think was that he had hurt her as deeply as he was hurting now.
He dragged his hands over his face.
If he stayed any longer, he truly would die of heartbreak.
This place was cursed for him—this city, his past, these wounds.
It only held suffering, disappointment, and ghosts he wasn't ready to face.
He couldn't blame Celine entirely. She was right—he had never opened up. Never shared his truth. And she had no way of knowing the storm she was walking into.
"What does she even mean to me?" he asked himself aloud.
Everything.
She meant everything.
But was love enough?
Could love defeat decades of hurt?
Could it silence the child inside him who still believed he was unwanted?
He didn't know.
And the fear of not knowing—of failing, of breaking her along with himself—was too much.
His mind spiraled, overwhelmed until there was only one solution he could see:
End it.
Leave everything behind.
Run.
Nathan started the car and grabbed his phone with shaking fingers. He dialed Marv.
"Hey dude," Marv said. "What's up? I thought you were with Celine."
Nathan's voice was calm—too calm. "Marv, I don't ask you for much… but this time I will. This whole setup is over."
"What? Nate, the contract is about to finalize. We just need signatures—HUB already—"
"I don't care," Nathan cut in. "Cancel everything. I'll speak to HUB myself, but the deal is off the table."
The seriousness in Nathan's tone made Marv stop arguing instantly.
"Okay," Marv said softly. "Just… keep me posted when you leave."
Nathan ended the call.
He made one more call—short, polite, final.
Then he drove straight toward The Black Tie Society.
The place where everything began.
Where everything would end.