Chapter 34

Pov: Jules

I was standing in the doorway, stepping back into the room, Nathan following behind me and closing the door. My fingers tightened around the edge of the envelope sitting on my desk. It felt heavier now, like its contents were screaming at me to do something—say something. But what the hell was I supposed to say?

Ah, Dylan Wilder. I should've guessed. You're Clara and Robert's kid, aren't you?

His words replayed in my head like a broken record, each syllable slicing deeper into my nerves.

My stomach churned. What if Nathan thought I was part of this? What if he blamed me? What if he hated me? Panic clawed at my chest.

Nathan's jaw was tight, his eyes sharp as they flicked between me and the envelope on the desk.

"What just happened?" he asked, his voice low and clipped. "How does my dad know you?"

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My throat felt like it had closed up entirely. How the hell was I supposed to explain this?

Nathan's brows pulled together, his expression shifting from concerned to frustrated. "Jules," he said, his tone sharper now. "I'm not messing around. What's going on? What aren't you telling me?"

"I..." My voice wavered, and I looked away, gripping the edge of the desk like it might keep me grounded. "I don't know how to..."

"You've been acting weird for days," Nathan snapped, cutting me off. "And now my dad just shows up? Just tell me!"

Tears welled up in my eyes, and my chest heaved as I struggled to breathe. My vision blurred, and my whole body felt like it was collapsing in on itself. My hands shook uncontrollably, and I gripped the desk to stop myself from falling apart completely. "I... I didn't know—I..." My words came out in fragments, each one more useless than the last. My chest felt like it was being crushed under the weight of everything I couldn't say, and I could barely pull in a breath.

Nathan's expression softened instantly. He stepped forward, his hands cupping my face as he gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Hey, hey," he said softly, his thumbs brushing away the hot streaks running down my skin. "Look at me, Jules. You're not alone in this. Breathe with me, okay? Just focus on my voice." His tone was low, steady, like he was trying to anchor me back to reality. He held my gaze, his eyes warm and unwavering, a stark contrast to the chaos in my chest. "You're okay. I'm here. Whatever this is, we'll deal with it together."

For a moment, it was like the room shrank to just the two of us. His touch steadied me, his hands lingering just a little longer than necessary, like he didn't want to let go. "I trust you," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "You can trust me too." I wanted to believe him, but the panic clawing at my chest was relentless.

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to calm the storm raging inside me. His hands lingered on my face for a moment longer, warm and reassuring, before he let them drop. A few shaky breaths later, I managed to unclench my fingers from the desk and pick up the envelope. My hands trembled as I held it out to him, but the way his fingers brushed mine when he took it made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I could handle this.

"This," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "This is what I've been trying to figure out."

Nathan frowned, taking the envelope and sitting on the edge of his bed as he opened it. His eyes scanned the papers inside, and I could see the moment recognition hit him. His face paled, and his jaw tightened.

"What the fuck is this?" he muttered, flipping through the documents. "These are my dad's company records. Why the hell are your parents' names all over them?"

I swallowed hard, forcing the words out. "I found it when I was orginizing. My mom must've put it in with my insurance papers by mistake. At first, I didn't think much of it, but then I saw the names..."

Nathan's gaze snapped to mine. "And you didn't think to tell me?"

"I was scared," I admitted, my voice cracking. "I didn't know how you'd react. And then your dad showed up and..." I trailed off, motioning helplessly.

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "My dad always said people turned on him," he said, his voice quieter now. "But I didn't think..." He paused, staring at the papers in his hands.

I stepped closer, my stomach in knots. "Nathan, it's fraud," I said softly. His gaze snapped to mine, confusion etched across his face.

"What?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It was all over the articles I found online. Your dad started a massive real estate scheme. He scammend investors, faked numbers... it's why he left." I said, my voice trembling. "He ran because of this."

The words seemed to hang in the air, heavier than anything else. He looked up at me, his face pale, a mixture of confusion and disbelief etched into his features. "This is why he left? He didn't leave for another woman? He fucking ran?"

I nodded slowly, my throat tightening. "That's what it looks like."

Nathan's jaw clenched, and he sat down heavily on the bed, the papers still clutched in his hands. "He made us think he just walked away."

I shook my head, tears threatening to spill over. "I swear, Nathan, I didn't know any of this. Online it said that my parents didn't do anything wrong. They testified against him before he ran."

Nathan's eyes narrowed, and he held up a folded piece of paper from the envelope. "What's this?"

"It's a note," I said, my voice barely audible. "In my mom's handwriting."

He unfolded it, his brows furrowing as he read aloud. "'D—We've done what we can to minimize your exposure, but this is the last time we intervene. Handle it.'" He looked up at me, confusion and anger flickering across his face. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know," I said, shaking my head. "In the articles about the fraud, it said they didn't do anything wrong. But this..." I motioned to the note. "It sounds like they were covering for him. Why would they help him if they were innocent?"

Nathan sat back, holding the note like it was a bomb about to go off. "Maybe they didn't know the full story, just a small piece." he muttered. "Maybe they thought they were helping with something else."

"My mom's a lawyer," I said bitterly. "She doesn't do 'small.' She knew exactly what was going on. But why didn't they tell me? Why hide it?"

Nathan's expression darkened, and he shook his head. "Because they didn't want you to know. Same reason my dad told me he left for another woman when I was nine. They wanted to bury it."

The weight of his words settled between us, heavy and suffocating. I hugged myself, my nails digging into my arms. "My parents chose this school for me," I said softly, my voice barely audible. "They said it was the best option, but now I'm starting to wonder... why here?"

Nathan's gaze locked onto mine, his voice steady and determined. "It's not a coincidence. Someone wanted this to happen." His hand brushed against mine, lingering for a second longer than it needed to, and the contact sent a small, grounding jolt through me. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. Together."

"If my parents find out we're looking into this..." I started, my voice trembling.

Nathan cut me off, his expression hardening. "Fuck them. We deserve to know the truth."

I felt a flicker of something I couldn't quite name. Relief? Hope? I didn't know. But as I looked at Nathan, I knew one thing for sure—I wasn't alone in this anymore.

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A/N

I'm not 100% happy with this chapter but whatever, I hope you liked it! Didn't end this one on a big cliffhanger HAHAHA. It felt cruel to do that a 3rd time XD

I should've been doing homework... whatever.

Anyways I love you all and don't forget to vote! <3