Chapter 528

Harrison moved aside, pushing the door wider.

"Come in," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Nathaniel crossed the threshold. They stood frozen in the living room, the air thick with unspoken words and years of unresolved tension.

Harrison was the first to break the silence, her tone icy. "Mr. Falcon, what brings you here?"

The deliberate use of his surname erected an invisible wall between them, a clear boundary she refused to let him cross.

Nathaniel closed the distance between them in one determined stride. "Harrison, don't shut me out like this. All this time, I never realized it was you. I've spent years searching."

A slow, knowing nod. "I'm aware. I know everything now."

His hands lifted, settling gently on her shoulders. "Give me another chance. We've wasted too many years already—I can't lose you again."

She shoved him back, her voice steel.

"It's too late for chances! I gave you plenty—when we divorced, when Isabella and I were taken, even when I lay bleeding on that operating table after losing our child. Every single time I needed you, you chose her over me. Again and again, until I learned to survive without you. I don't need you anymore."

Nathaniel's chest constricted as if crushed by an iron vise, each word a blade twisting deeper. "Harrison, please... I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry—"

The apology spilled out, inadequate and hollow.

"I swore I'd give you a home, a life. Instead, I abandoned you in that village, left you alone for years. When I was in that coma, you came to me—and I didn't even recognize you. I hurt you, betrayed you, all for Isabella... I know what I've done."

His eyes burned, unshed tears glistening.

"Just imagining what you endured alone... It destroys me. The guilt is unbearable. I hate myself for it. I'll never forgive myself. This is all my fault. Every second of your pain—my fault."

Harrison trembled, lips pressed into a thin line, but she refused to speak.

"But Harrison, I... I mistook her for you. All these years, I believed Isabella was the girl I'd promised to protect. It wasn't deliberate, I swear. Can't you stop punishing me for an honest mistake?

"We don't have forever. I don't want to waste another day without you. Please. One more chance. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. A home, a future—anything you want. Just don't walk away."

He surged forward, crushing her against his chest.

His arms locked around her like iron, his face buried in her hair as if he could fuse their bodies together, erase every moment they'd spent apart.

He couldn't let go. Not again.

This embrace was decades overdue.

Tears streaked Harrison's cheeks. This man—the one she'd loved beyond reason—held her like she was his only salvation. And God help her, she'd ached for this. For him.

She knew the truth. He'd never forgotten her. Every kindness he'd shown Isabella was meant for her—a promise kept to the wrong woman.

But...

A tearful, broken smile curved her lips. "Nathaniel... it's too late. All of it."