61

Nathan sat in the clinic waiting room, his gaze fixed on the floor as he awaited his turn for therapy.

Weeks had passed since he decided to seek professional help to confront the overwhelming sense of loss that had haunted him for years.

Dr. Reynolds, his therapist, greeted him with a compassionate smile.

"Nathan, good to see you. How have you been feeling this week?"

He sighed, feeling the weight of his thoughts and actions like a heavy wall on his back.

"Not much better, honestly. I keep thinking about what happened with Suzanne and my son, and what happened with my mother and my brother."

The therapist nodded empathetically, understanding his situation.

"We'll address what happened with your wife and son later. As for what happened years ago..." She sighed, sitting beside him. "You have to understand it wasn't your fault. You were just a child who couldn't do anything."

Nathan lowered his gaze, battling the guilt he had carried for so long.

"I know, but I can't help feeling like I could have done something."

"Nathan, it's important to give yourself the chance to heal," the therapist reminded him. "Your mother was ill, and you can't bear the responsibility for her illness. Your brother wouldn't want you to keep blaming yourself for something that was completely out of your hands."

"And about my wife? That was my fault..."

"How could you have known? You weren't familiar with her health condition; it could have happened with or without you," explained Dr. Reynolds.

"But the thing is, I was there. My grandfather blames me, and he's right. I'm worthless," he lamented.

"You can't keep carrying that guilt, or dwell on what might have been. You need to let go of that to have a future, Nathan," Dr. Reynolds reassured him with a calming smile.

After several sessions, Nathan began to feel somewhat relieved. Although revisiting the past still caused him pain, he knew it was a necessary step forward.

Nathan continued to wrestle with his own internal demons, but he found some comfort in the progress he was making.

Each session brought him closer to accepting that, although he had lost much in the past, he still had a future ahead of him, and that gave him strength even though sometimes he felt it wasn't enough.

Meanwhile, far away, Suzanne was in the delivery room, surrounded by doctors and nurses supporting her through the process of giving birth to twins.

The atmosphere was tense with anticipation.

"Come on, Suzanne, you're doing great!" cheered the midwife as she supervised the delivery.

Suzanne, with a mix of pain and excitement, squeezed Jarek Strong's hand.

"I can't believe it's finally happening," she spoke with a choked voice, overwhelmed.

Old Strong was in the same situation, his great-grandchildren were about to be born, and he wouldn't miss it, as had happened with Nathan's birth.

"All because of Charlotte, she left with that damn man and denied me my grandfather's rights. Suzanne is doing what my daughter didn't," he thought with a smile.

He smiled at Suzanne tenderly, excited about the babies' arrival.

"You're doing amazing, honey. We'll have them with us soon."

Between contractions and shallow breaths, Suzanne found the strength to speak.

"I never thought we'd make it here after everything we've been through. None of this would be possible without you, Jarek."

"I know, but we're in this together. And these babies... I know they would be proud of you. I know you'll be the best mother in the world," the old man said with a soft, comforting voice.

After hours of labor, the twins were finally born: a boy and a girl.

Suzanne and Jarek looked at each other with tears in their eyes as they held the little ones in their arms and showered them with affection.

...

Nathan was in his office, surrounded by monitors displaying images captured by security cameras.

His expression turned grim as he identified the masked figure who had been behind the recent attacks on his companies. The figure seemed strangely familiar to him.

In a fit of anger and confusion, Nathan grabbed the phone and dialed his grandfather's number, Jarek Strong.

Jarek was still abroad caring for Suzanne's twins, and he frowned when he saw the caller ID; it had been a while since he had spoken to his grandson.

After a tense moment, Jarek answered the call.

"Nathan, what's going on? I wasn't expecting your call," Jarek said.

"It was you!" Nathan accused with restrained anger. "How could you attack your own companies, grandfather? I have evidence, I know it's you behind all of this."

Jarek responded with a cold, unruffled voice. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Nathan."

"Don't play innocent," Nathan threatened, his tone thick with pent-up resentment. "I will uncover the truth, and you won't get away with this, Jarek Strong."

Jarek snorted in annoyance.

"I've always done my best for you, Nathan. I've strived to give you the best. Do you really think I would ruin my legacy over something like this?"

"I tried my best too, and I never lived up to your expectations, did I?" Nathan murmured bitterly. "Even when I followed in your footsteps, it was never enough for you."

There was a brief silence before Jarek spoke again, his tone calculatedly cold.

"I was pleased with your choice of Suzanne as your wife. But not with how you treated her. Now you're facing the consequences."

"Are you going to keep blaming me for that for the rest of my life?" Nathan shouted, his voice laden with pain and desperation. "I already have enough to deal with."

"You know perhaps what happened was for the best," Jarek said without hesitation, his words hitting Nathan like a punch.

"How can it be for the best?" Nathan exclaimed, feeling like his world was crumbling. "I've lost even the will to live, Jarek."

The old man momentarily moved the phone away from his ear, as if his grandson's tone was too painful to hear.

"Enough, Nathan," Jarek finally said, his voice resonating with authority and finality. "It wasn't me who carried out the attacks."

"I don't believe you," Nathan retorted, but the old man continued wearily:

"If I stayed out of your marriage, it wasn't just to give you a chance to make things right."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked, furrowing his brow.

"Your father... he's back," Jarek answered harshly.