His Knees 24
C Chapter 24
He froze, shock and hurt registering on his face as he processed my words. He hadn't expected me to choose Issca. His eyes softened, a flicker of sadness flashing across them, but I didn't care anymore. Issca didn't wait for further confrontation. Gently but firmly, he lifted me in his arms, careful of my injuries, and carried me away. As we left, Nathan's forlorn figure remained frozen in place, a man realizing too late what he had lost.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
At the hospital, Issca stayed by my side, ensuring I was bandaged and taken care of. His presence was calming, a stark contrast to the whirlwind of emotions Nathan had left in his wake. As the nurses cleaned my wounds, Issca held my hand, offering quiet reassurance. "You're safe now," he whispered. And for the first time in a long while, I believed it.
In the weeks that followed, the fallout from Sienna's downfall reverberated through every social circle. Her face was permanently disfigured, ruining any chance she had of returning to the spotlight. She became a laughingstock, her fame crumbled along with her career. Without her looks, she was nothing in the entertainment industry, and the weight of her debts soon led her to bankruptcy. No one would touch her now, and she had no one left to blame but herself.
As for Nathan, he had become a spectacle of his own. Every day, like clockwork, he stood outside my apartment, waiting for hours in the Chapter 24
hopes that I might speak to him. He was pitiful, the once confident man now reduced to a shadow of his former self. His desperation was visible to everyone, and the same people who had once envied our
relationship now gossiped about his fall from grace.
But I never spoke to him. Even when our paths crossed at the office, I walked past him without a glance. The Johnson Group had given my company work, and I did it because it was what we deserved, nothing more. Nathan's presence, hovering in the background, meant nothing to me now. He was just a man I used to know.
One night, I was working late in my office when the door burst open. Nathan stumbled in, reeking of alcohol, his appearance disheveled. His hair was a mess, his clothes wrinkled, and his once sharp eyes were bloodshot. The handsome, composed Nathan I once knew was gone, replaced by this broken man.
"Doris," he slurred, his voice thick with desperation. "I was wrong... I know Sienna lied to me. I'll never see her again, I swear. I'll make her pay for everything she's done."
I leaned back in my chair, staring at him coldly. "I already know all of that, Nathan. Sienna's finished. She's bankrupt, blacklisted, and barely scraping by. But none of this matters to me anymore."
His face crumpled as he realized how far gone I was from him. "Doris, please..." Tears welled in his eyes as he begged, his voice cracking. "Are you abandoning me? I'm begging you... don't leave me. I'll do anything. Just tell me what to do. I'll fix this."