He took a step back from her.
“You’re not my mother. You’re a monster.”
For the first time, Patricia’s face showed real emotion. Anger. Hot, burning anger.
“How dare you?”
she said, her voice low and dangerous.
“After everything I’ve done for you, after all the sacrifices I’ve made, this is how you thank me?”
“Sacrifices?”
Nathan laughed, but it was a bitter, broken sound.
“What sacrifices? You got exactly what you wanted. You got rid of Evelyn. You controlled my life. You turned me into your perfect son.”
“Yes, I did!”
Patricia shouted.
“Because you were too stupid to see what was good for you! You were going to waste your life on that girl! Someone had to save you from yourself!”
“I didn’t need saving,”
Nathan said quietly.
“I needed my wife. I needed my family. And you took that from me.”
He turned to walk away.
“Where are you going?”
Patricia asked. Nathan looked back at her.
“Away from you. Forever.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,”
Patricia said.
“You’re upset right now, but you’ll calm down. You’ll see that I was right. You always do.”
“No,”
Nathan said.
“I won’t. Because for the first time in my life, I’m seeing clearly. And what I see is that you’re not the person I thought you were. You never were.”
“Nathan.”
Patricia started.
“I’m going to take care of Evelyn and Lucas,”
Nathan interrupted.
“I’m going to make sure they have everything they need. Everything you tried to take from them.”
Patricia’s eyes flashed with anger.
“You will do no such thing! That woman is a liar. That child probably isn’t even yours.”
“He is mine,”
Nathan said with certainty.
“I know he is. And I’m going to be his father, whether you like it or not.”
“If you do this,”
Patricia said slowly,
“if you choose them over me, there will be consequences.”
“Are you threatening me now?”
Nathan asked.
“Just like you threatened Evelyn?”
“I’m warning you,”
Patricia said.
“I have power in this city. Connections. Money. I can make life very difficult for you and your little family.”
Nathan felt something cold settle in his chest. No fear. Something else. Determination.
“Then I guess we’re going to war,”
he said quietly. Patricia’s face went pale.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do,”
Nathan said.
“You tried to bury the truth, but the truth doesn’t stay buried forever. And neither will what you did.”
“What are you going to do?”
Patricia asked. For the first time, Nathan heard something new in his voice. Worry. Maybe even fear.
“I’m going to tell everyone,”
Nathan said.
“Everyone. About what you did. About how you faked Evelyn’s death. About how you threatened her. About how you kept me from my son.”
“No one will believe you,”
Patricia said quickly.
“It’s my word against hers. And I’m Patricia Cole. I have a reputation. She’s nobody.”
“Maybe,”
Nathan said.
“But I’m going to try anyway, because it’s the right thing to do.”
He walked to the door.
“If you leave now,”
Patricia called after him.
“don’t bother coming back. You’ll be nothing to me. No son of mine.”
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