Chapter 120 Borrowing Flowers
After Katniss put on her clothes, she picked up the phone she had forgotten all night and turned it on. She was stunned. I believe at that moment she must have seen those missed calls.
She stood there holding the phone for a long time, her expression changing constantly. Finally, she placed the phone on the bedside table. Seeing that she didn't call me back at that moment, I knew she wasn't ready to forgive me yet.
After setting down the phone, Katniss started to tidy up our bedding. Normally, Katniss just needed to straighten out the sheets and pillows. My pillow was on the outer side of the bed, while Katniss's pillow was on the inner side. Normally, Katniss would never discover what was under the pillow. Perhaps by chance, or perhaps by fate, today Katniss suddenly had the urge to rearrange the pillows. Just as she picked up her own pillow, she noticed a gift box underneath. A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. Katniss hadn't tidied up the pillows yesterday morning, just making the bed neatly, so it wasn't surprising that she only found the gift box now. At the same time, she couldn't be sure when the gift box had been placed there.
As Katniss pondered, her initially puzzled expression suddenly changed to shock. She seemed to have realized something, and her hand holding the gift box began to tremble slightly. Without any shyness at that moment, she hurried towards Nathan's bedroom. By this time, Nathan had also dressed and was sitting on the bed, waiting. He had planned to leave the bedroom after Katniss went to work. However, he was taken aback and very puzzled when Katniss suddenly burst in.
"Dad, this gift box." Katniss wasn't sure if I had placed the gift box there or if Nathan had. Although she believed it was most likely from me, she still wanted to make sure. What if it was a gift from Nathan? At that moment, Katniss, without any shyness, anxiously entered Nathan's room and directly asked him, but then she suddenly didn't know how to phrase the question.
"What a beautiful gift box. Who gave it to you? Why didn't I see you take it out last night?" Nathan acted surprised, not looking at Katniss but keeping his eyes on the gift box, as if afraid of revealing any flaws. Watching Nathan put on a performance, it felt like a waste for him not to be in acting.
"No, I found it under my pillow this morning."
"This morning? Didn't you find it yesterday morning? When did it appear under your pillow?" Nathan continued to pretend to be puzzled as he questioned Katniss.
"I don't tidy up my pillow every day. I didn't touch it yesterday morning, so I didn't find this gift box at all. Besides, the box is so small that even if I slept on it, I wouldn't have felt it." Katniss seemed to realize something, her face lit up with joy, and the weariness disappeared in an instant.
"It seems Kevin didn't forget your birthday at all. He secretly bought you a gift before leaving and placed it under your pillow for you to discover, wanting to give you a surprise. You must have misunderstood him." Nathan suddenly smiled, explaining along the lines of Katniss's emotions.
"I see." Finally confirming that the gift was left by her husband, Katniss's previously broken heart had completely healed. All that was left was overwhelming gratitude. At that moment, Katniss's excited body began to tremble slightly. After experiencing disappointment and pain, she suddenly discovered the surprise left by her husband this morning, and the emotional fluctuations she endured could be imagined.
Katniss couldn't wait to run back to our bedroom, then closed the door and opened the gift box. As she opened it, her hands trembled throughout. For her, the actual gift didn't matter as long as her husband had thought of her.
Inside the gift box, a black agate bracelet lay quietly, the same one Katniss had admired in the store, priced at nearly $2000. Looking at the bracelet, Katniss couldn't hold back anymore and sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her tears were not of sadness, but of overwhelming emotion.
So, it was the bracelet I had prepared to give Katniss. How did this happen? I fell into deep thought. It turned out that not only I noticed Katniss's interest in the bracelet at the jewelry store that day, but Nathan also noticed. From the moment Katniss finished work last night, I slowly pieced together the chain of events. Nathan always remembered Katniss's birthday and also noticed her fondness for the bracelet. What he didn't know was that I had also noticed the bracelet and that Nathan had secretly bought it to give to Katniss as a birthday gift. Nathan took it out of the drawer this morning, indicating that he had bought the bracelet yesterday or even earlier, waiting to give it to Katniss on her birthday. However, things took an unexpected turn. Perhaps Nathan had planned to give the bracelet to Katniss at the dinner table, but precisely because of my carelessness in forgetting Katniss's birthday, it made Katniss very upset. After Nathan saw Katniss's sad expression due to my forgetfulness, he temporarily abandoned the idea of giving her the bracelet. Imagine this scenario: I forgot Katniss's birthday, she was very upset, and then Nathan took out the birthday gift that would make her happy and surprised. Wouldn't this seem like taking advantage of the situation? It might even seem like he was trying to compete with me for Katniss.
At the dinner table, I noticed a moment of hesitation from Nathan, but at the time, I didn't know what he was thinking and didn't pay much attention. It seems that Nathan was considering whether to take out the bracelet and give it to Katniss. He didn't ponder for long, quickly deciding not to give the bracelet to Katniss on her birthday. After a night of passionate lovemaking, Nathan, due to the conflict between me and Katniss, fell into deep thought. He decided to help repair the relationship between me and Katniss. After some consideration in bed, he came up with the idea of secretly placing the bracelet under Katniss's pillow. Once Katniss discovered it, all he had to do was deny it and put on a brilliant performance. Katniss would surely think I had given her the bracelet as a special birthday surprise, making the joy after the sorrow even more profound.
After crying for a while, Katniss seemed to remember something. She glanced at the wedding photo on the wall, then pursed her lips, lost in thought about how to call me and explain what happened last night. After a moment of contemplation, Katniss made that call to me. After hanging up, she held the bracelet, her face filled with joy and happiness, the fatigue long gone. Finally, Katniss checked the time, realizing it was almost time for work. She put on the bracelet and kept admiring it on her wrist, her love and joy shining in her eyes. Then, Katniss went to work, leaving the house in peace.
After Katniss left, Nathan, dragging his somewhat weary body, walked out of the living room and into the bedroom. He stood there, his expression constantly changing. The gift he bought himself, in the end, he let Kevin take credit for it. Originally, he wanted to use this bracelet to make Katniss happy, symbolizing her efforts and gratitude towards him. However, the end result did not achieve his goal but instead benefited Kevin . Disappointment was written all over Nathan's face. However, when he inadvertently looked up, he saw the family portrait on the living room wall. In the photo, Kevin , Nathan, Katniss, and Simon, the four of us, took a big family photo together. Nathan immersed himself in looking at the photo, and his disappointment slowly transformed into warmth and happiness. A sweet smile appeared on Nathan's face. Yes, as long as the family is harmonious, Kevin and Katniss are affectionate, Simon is growing up healthily, what more could he ask for?
As I was watching the surveillance playback and contemplating, my phone rang again. I thought it was Katniss calling, but when I saw the number, it was actually Nathan. Hesitating for a moment, I answered the call, trying to keep my emotions calm and steady.
"Are you up, Kevin ?" After answering the phone, Nathan's voice sounded normal, but the fatigue in his voice was unmistakable.
"I'm up, just getting ready for work." I replied to Nathan in a flat tone.
"Yesterday was Katniss's birthday. Why didn't you call her? It made her sad for a long time." After a simple greeting, Nathan directly reproached me, although his tone was not harsh.
"I've been too busy lately, I forgot the date. I've been so busy that I don't even know what day of the week it is today."
"I know you're busy, but family comes first, work comes second. Did Katniss call you?" Nathan stopped blaming me directly, but there was a hint of tension in his tone. After all, he had had so many encounters with Katniss, including a passionate night last night. Nathan's tone always carried a hint of guilt.
"Yes, Katniss called me. She said there was a gift under her pillow, and she thought it was a surprise from me. Although I already knew the whole story from the surveillance, I still pretended to be puzzled and asked Nathan.
"You don't need to be surprised. I put the gift there. It's a gift I bought. As an elder, I planned to give it to Katniss as a birthday present on her birthday. After all, Katniss has always been very thrifty, taking care of the house and being very filial to me, especially during my illness. When you got married, I never gave you a decent gift. This time, let me make it up to Katniss on your behalf. However, since you forgot Katniss's birthday yesterday, I didn't dare to take out the gift. If I had, Katniss would have been even more upset with you. Also, the money used to buy the gift was originally from you. I had been saving it up, and it was your money to begin with. Although the item was expensive, it was still considered your purchase. I just helped you with the errand. Please be more careful in the future." Nathan explained on the other end. Although not all of Nathan's words may be entirely true, one thing is certain: his gratitude and care for Katniss are genuine, as well as his guilt towards me.
"Thank you, Dad, for helping me handle this. It was too late when I remembered, and I was just thinking about how to make it right."
"No need to make it right. As long as you don't get caught, that gift is a black agate bracelet, quite expensive. I believe Katniss will be very touched. She won't be angry, but rather delighted. As long as you two are happy, that's all I need. Whether I give her a gift or not doesn't matter. What matters most is the gift from you that Katniss cares about. Alright, go have your meal and head to work. Don't overwork yourself." Nathan explained the situation to me and was about to hang up the phone, perhaps afraid of saying too much.
"Okay, Dad, take care of yourself. Bye."
After hanging up the phone, my heart was filled with mixed emotions, mostly gratitude and joy. I remembered the dream I had this morning, where Nathan and Katniss got married in wedding attire, and now that Nathan's situation had unfolded, I finally felt relieved. Although this incident was just a small matter, it reflected many issues for me.
Firstly, although Nathan is infatuated with Katniss's body and loves her, he ultimately did not choose to possess her love. In his heart, compared to his relationship with me, his sexual relationship with Katniss seemed insignificant. While his sexual encounters with Katniss were intense, it was just the instinct of a male. When a man's sexual desire reaches its peak, he often loses his rationality and behaves differently from usual. However, once the desire subsides, he becomes clear-headed and returns to his natural state. Isn't Nathan's sexual behavior just the instinct of a normal man?
Nathan is currently having an affair with Katniss, but he is only satisfied with the affair and sexual encounters. As for competing with me for his wife, and the wedding with Katniss in the dream, those scenarios will never happen in reality. If it were to happen, Nathan would rather choose to die. The scrutiny of society, ethical morals, condemnation from family and friends, guilt, and self-blame would all be too much to bear. The secretive sexual encounters have already brought Nathan great satisfaction. If one day their relationship affects my relationship with Katniss, I believe Nathan will make the right choice. Today, he transferred the bracelet he originally intended to give to Katniss in my name, passing on the blessing to me, his son. I don't need to say more.
As Nathan said, the money he used to buy things was given by me, and Nathan has already enjoyed my Katniss. All these factors are enough to offset what he did for me, but I still appreciate Nathan. Without what Nathan did for me, Katniss might not have forgiven me so quickly. I know well the coldness Katniss shows when she's upset. She won't stop until she's satisfied, and she is a master of silent treatment. Silent treatment is even more terrifying; sometimes it's more painful than a big argument. Being ignored for ten days or half a month makes you feel worse than death. Just think about the time Katniss ignored Nathan, which tormented him to the point of wanting to commit suicide for relief.
After hanging up the phone, I quickly freshened up and started my day's work. The regret in my heart was finally compensated, and I couldn't help but feel a bit relaxed. After this incident, my relationship with Katniss not only didn't deteriorate but also seemed to have warmed up. All thanks to Nathan. However, thinking back to Nathan and Katniss's passionate night last night, should I be grateful to Nathan or not?
The conflicting feelings in my heart were indescribable. Although I had repeatedly told myself not to care about Nathan and Katniss's affair, every breakthrough in their sexual encounters still caused me some unavoidable pain.
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