105

Natalia felt her heart beating fast, pounding against her ribs as if it wanted to escape.
Nathan's face, so close, so familiar and yet so different, confused her and filled her with such strong emotion that she could barely stand.
That boy she had not seen for so many years... was now a man. And yet his eyes were still the same.
Nathan, breathing heavily, held her hand as if afraid she would disappear at any moment.
His fingers clasped hers tightly, transmitting a warmth that Natalia recognized instantly, a bond that neither time nor distance had been able to break.
“Mom...” he whispered, as if he still found it hard to believe.
Richard took a step toward them, his face contorted with a mixture of anger and despair.
“Natalia... it's really you,” he said incredulously. “I thought... I thought you were dead.”
“Alive and kicking,” Jarek murmured with satisfaction, seeing his daughter so recovered. Richard glared at him.
“Damn you... How could you?” His face reddened with anger. “I spent fifteen damn years of my life in prison because of you. You're a heartless bastard!”
“Richard?” The confusion on Natalia's face was evident. For her, only a few days had passed since she last saw her husband and son Nathan, after little Georgie died.
What had happened?
Richard took a step forward, his legs trembling.
“Natalia, don't believe a word this old man says. He's always manipulated everything,” he moistened his dry lips. “You don't realize it, do you? He made you disappear from my life, he took Nathan away from me, and now he wants to paint me as the monster.”
Jarek, unperturbed, fixed his gaze on him.
“Don't pretend to be the victim, Richard,” his tone of voice was icy, glacial. “You killed my other grandson. And that's something you'll never be able to erase, even if a hundred more lives pass.”
The words fell like a sharp blow in the air. Natalia looked at him in horror, bringing a trembling hand to her mouth.
“What... what are you saying?” she stammered.
Richard frowned, a look of disdain directed at Jarek.
“He's lying. He always lies. Rotten old man!” He turned to Nathan, seeking support. "Nathan, tell me you don't believe this garbage. He's not what he wants you to believe he is!"
The young man closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the past and present collide inside him.
He remembered the times he had wanted to confront his grandfather... and also the scars his father had left on his life.
He also remembered how he had forced him to marry Suzanne, and although he thought he hated him for it, the truth was that he was grateful to him. Suzanne was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he didn't regret her or his babies.
On the other hand... Richard was his father, and he had been in prison, where his character had been poisoned by confinement and being surrounded by trashy people.
Georgie's death... Was it really his fault?
Yes, it had to be. It had to be that way. He couldn't see his grandfather, who had raised him all those years, as a criminal, as the worst kind of scum.
He barely remembered his father, but with his grandfather Jarek... he had had a lifetime of care and memories. Why should things be any different now?
“This is different, Richard,” he murmured, without looking at him. My grandfather may be strict, but you... you've done bad things. Don't think I'm going to believe you just because Mom is alive.
Richard looked at him as if he had been stabbed.
“I knew you were a spineless wimp,” he snapped moodily. “How can you still take that old man's side?”
Nathan held his gaze, now with a firmness he hadn't had in his youth.
“It turns out I know the truth now.”
“You wouldn't know the truth if it hit you in the face,” Richard spat, his voice thick with venom.
Natalia gasped. Throughout this exchange, it seemed as if everyone had forgotten she was there, trying to piece together a puzzle she didn't understand.
“Richard...” she said, barely audibly. “Is... is this our Nathan?”
He looked at her, and for a moment his hardness broke.
“Yes...” he said, his voice lower, as if it were difficult for him to say it. “He's our son, Nat.”
Natalia's confusion grew. She looked again at Nathan, at the man who had his hands firmly on her arms.
It was him... her child. And the young woman looking at him with concern... who was she?
She felt her strength leaving her. Her body swayed, and Nathan, with quick reflexes, caught her before she fell.
“Calm down, Mom... I've got you.”
Jarek came over to help, placing a protective hand on her back, while Suzanne watched with teary eyes and Richard clenched his fists, growing increasingly frustrated.
“Nathan... my Nathan...” Natalia whispered, letting the tears cloud her vision.
Nathan swallowed hard, feeling the air escape him. His mother was alive. Everything he had believed for years... had been a lie.
And although the anger against his grandfather burned inside him, the happiness of having her there overwhelmed everything else.
“Mom...” he repeated, his voice breaking, looking into her eyes. “Mom...”
Tears rolled down his cheeks as his lips trembled. At last he could say it. At last he could feel it.