Chapter 531 Aching Heart
Nathaniel could feel her breath hovering above him, yet he kept his eyes downcast, unable to meet her gaze. His voice carried a note of wounded innocence as he said, "Aurelia, there's truly nothing else."
They had promised each other complete honesty, but in this moment, he was breaking that vow.
Aurelia wasn't so easily fooled. After everything they'd been through, she refused to allow any more misunderstandings or barriers between them. Whatever the issue, it had to be brought into the open.
"Nathaniel, take off your shirt."
She stepped back, standing before him with a tone that brooked no argument—this was a command, not a request.
Nathaniel moistened his lips and let out a low chuckle, still trying to deflect. "I'm injured, so we can't make love. I'm not in the mood anyway—you'll have to be patient."
Aurelia's delicate brows drew together, her patience finally exhausted. "Nathaniel, you know perfectly well that's not what I mean. Stop with the nonsense. Take off your shirt—I need to examine you."
Still, he didn't move.
Growing desperate, Aurelia reached out herself, beginning to unfasten the buttons of his shirt.
Nathaniel drew in a quiet breath, his throat working as he swallowed hard. There was no hiding it now.
The small black buttons came undone one by one under her fingers, gradually exposing his skin to the air. When she reached the fourth button, Aurelia's hands froze, and her composure finally cracked.
There, across his chest, was a sutured wound that hadn't fully healed. Having scars of her own, she could tell this one was perhaps only ten days old.
So he had been seriously injured, and everyone had conspired to keep it from her.
Tears spilled down Aurelia's cheeks, dropping onto his dark trousers like heavy rain. Nathaniel gently took her trembling hands, alarmed by how cold her fingers felt.
"Aurelia, please don't cry."
She was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, gasping between ragged breaths. Her voice, thick with emotion, broke as she asked, "How did this happen? Does it still hurt?"
Now that the truth was out, Nathaniel knew he couldn't hide anything from her anymore. "It was a gunshot wound. At first, I didn't feel a thing—just numbness and cold. The pain didn't hit until we were on the flight home, and then it was unbearable. Once I was in surgery and they put me under, I felt nothing at all. After they removed the bullet, I had a mild fever. When the anesthesia wore off, the pain was excruciating for two days. But now... I'm all right. Really."
Every word tightened Aurelia's chest. A bullet wound in such a place—he was unbelievably lucky to have survived. She couldn't let herself imagine what she would have said to Dorothy and Jacob if he hadn't made it, or how she would have gone on living without him.
Looking at his wound, her heart ached unbearably.
"Nathaniel, are you completely out of your mind?" she choked out through her tears. "You absolute fool."
Deep down, Burry mattered to her, but Nathaniel was everything. If it came down to a choice, she'd let Burry go without a second thought, so long as Nathaniel remained safe.
"Promise me you'll never do anything so reckless again. I don't need you to do such things for me. Do you hear me?"
Nathaniel nodded, obedient as ever, and brushed a soft kiss across her fingers, as if to soothe her. "This was all just a stupid accident—I let my guard down. We'd already gotten Burry out. I was about to get in the car when someone jumped out from behind the hedges. It was my own mistake—no one else's."
Aurelia's hand twitched with the urge to smack him, but she managed to hold herself back, remembering his injuries. "Don't you dare downplay it. No one should ever have to go through something like that."
He gave a sheepish smile. "You're right. No one wants that."
She shot him a fierce look. "You don't have to risk your life to prove anything to me. Haven't you figured that out by now?"
Aurelia might as well have been talking to a brick wall; Nathaniel just nodded along, letting her words wash right over him.
A real relationship was built on equality, not sacrifice. She hated seeing Nathaniel put himself beneath her, risking everything just to make her happy. It broke her heart every time he did. He was the man she'd loved for years—watching him shrink himself for anyone was unbearable. He was meant to stand tall.Nathaniel nodded. "I understand. I'll listen to you. Please don't cry anymore."
Aurelia wiped her tears and continued, "You don't need to do anything to win over my brother or my grandmother either. You don't owe them anything."
Nathaniel pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her slender waist. He'd known this would be her reaction once the truth came out, and now there was no consoling her.
"It's healing well. Please don't cry anymore."
Aurelia cried until she had hiccups. If it hadn't been for Reed's death bringing them to Imperick, she might never have known. She suspected Nathaniel had planned to wait until he was fully recovered, then find an appropriate moment to confess while downplaying the danger he'd faced.
She knew him too well—the man who did everything in silence, keeping everything locked inside. It was that very trait that had caused so many misunderstandings in the past. She'd given up hope of ever changing that aspect of his personality.
As Aurelia gradually calmed down, she resolved to keep a closer eye on him from now on.
"I'm staying here with Dorothy and Jacob for three days to keep you company. After that, you're coming back to Coral Bay with us. Understood?"
Nathaniel hesitated. The question again—but returning now wasn't the right time for him.
When he didn't respond, Aurelia's brow furrowed slightly. "When we go back, I'll move Dorothy and Jacob to your place. We'll live together, and we'll never be separated again."
Nathaniel looked up at her. She was offering him a promise, one he had always longed for, but in his present state, he couldn't bring himself to accept her wholehearted devotion. Any other time, the thought alone would have filled him with so much joy he'd have laughed in his sleep.
"Aurelia, perhaps you should reconsider. Your grandmother—"
"My grandmother is not your concern," Aurelia cut him off. "I'm an adult, and I take responsibility for my own decisions. I'll consider her advice carefully, but I'm telling you now—I have considered it, and I've decided to move in with you. No one can stop me. Unless... you don't want me there?"
Nathaniel swallowed hard, taking her hand and pressing it to his chest, near his wound. He'd dreamed of living with her and Dorothy and Jacob, but now...
"Aurelia, please take the children back to Coral Bay first. Give me some time."
Aurelia stared at him, confused about what he was still hesitating over.
"Nathaniel, I'm only saying this once. If you're not willing, then forget it. I'll keep living at my grandmother's with the children—it's easier having people to wait on me anyway."
To refuse now would be utterly foolish. Though his heart was conflicted, Nathaniel couldn't bear to miss this singular opportunity.
"Aurelia, I accept."
The words came out with difficulty.
Finally, Aurelia felt relief wash over her. "When we go back, I'll take care of you. Don't worry—I'll nurse you back to health."
Nathaniel managed a strained smile. Recovery was never easy, and he had no idea how he'd cope with the coming days under her vigilant care.
Night had settled in. Aurelia helped him tidy the study before guiding him back to the bedroom. This time, Nathaniel didn't argue about sleeping in the guest room.
Unable to shower because of his injury, Nathaniel allowed Aurelia to gently wash him with a cloth. Her heart ached with every touch, and she wondered how he had managed these past days with only Zack—a man too timid to offer real help—tending to him.
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