Chapter 19: Secrets Hidden in Plain Sight

The echo of Nathaniel's footsteps faded as the elevator doors closed, leaving Arabella frozen in the hallway. Her heart pounded like a war drum in her chest, each beat a reminder of the storm brewing inside her. She clutched the strap of her bag tightly, her knuckles white as she tried to regain control of her breathing.

Why was Nathaniel at the hospital? Why did he look so concerned when he saw her? And most importantly—had he heard anything? Had he seen the baby?

Arabella pushed open the door to her room and slipped inside, her mind a whirlwind of questions. Elina looked up from where she was seated beside Liam's bed, her expression instantly changing to concern.

"What's wrong?" Elina asked, standing quickly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Arabella tried to force a smile. "Worse," she muttered, setting her bag down. "Nathaniel was here."

Elina's eyes widened in shock. "What? Here? As in, at the hospital?"

Arabella nodded, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. "I was coming back from the doctor's office. He was getting into the elevator. We saw each other. He didn't say much... but I saw the way he looked at me, Elina. Like he was suspicious."

Elina sat down beside her, her face serious. "Do you think he suspects anything? About Liam?"

"I don't know," Arabella whispered, looking over at her son. "I tried to stay calm. I didn't let anything slip, but he's not stupid. What if he puts the pieces together? What if he comes back?"

Elina sighed, brushing Arabella's hair gently behind her ear. "You've come too far to break down now, Bella. You've protected Liam for five years. You can do it again. Besides, maybe it's time you stop running. He deserves to know—"

"No," Arabella cut in sharply. "Not yet. Not until I know for sure he can be trusted. He's still the same Nathaniel King who betrayed me once. Who abandoned me for power, for control. Until I know he's not the man he used to be, Liam remains my secret."

The room fell into a heavy silence, broken only by the soft beeping of the heart monitor attached to Liam's tiny wrist. Elina nodded, understanding but not entirely agreeing.

"Alright," she said. "But promise me something—if things get out of hand, you'll tell him the truth. Liam deserves a father, Bella. And maybe... maybe Nathaniel deserves a second chance."

Arabella didn't answer. She simply reached for her son's small hand and held it tightly, anchoring herself in his warmth, in his love. That night, she barely slept.

---

The following morning was quiet. Too quiet. Arabella kept checking her phone, half-expecting a message from Nathaniel or an unexpected knock at the door. But nothing came.

She tried to distract herself by focusing on Liam's recovery. He was stronger today, smiling more, asking questions about the machines around him.

"Mama," he said, tugging at her sleeve, "when can we go home?"

"Soon, sweetheart," Arabella replied, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "The doctors just want to make sure you're all better."

He nodded, then frowned thoughtfully. "Mama, who was that man yesterday?"

Arabella's heart skipped a beat. "What man?"

"The one with the dark coat. He looked at me and smiled before he left. He looked like the man in your picture."

Arabella's blood ran cold. Nathaniel had seen him.

She forced a calm tone. "Just someone Mama used to know, honey. Don't worry about him."

But she was worried. Deeply.

---

That afternoon, Arabella went downstairs to the hospital's billing department. She needed to sort out the remaining balance. But as she walked past the reception area, her footsteps halted.

Standing there, as if fate had summoned him, was Nathaniel.

He was talking to a nurse, his expression calm but firm, and Arabella could see the unmistakable look of determination in his eyes. Before she could turn away, he saw her.

Their eyes met. The air between them snapped like a tight wire.

He excused himself from the nurse and walked toward her.

"Arabella," he said, his voice low and steady.

"Nathaniel," she replied, standing her ground. "What are you doing here?"

"I think you know," he said, stopping in front of her. "I saw the child. At first I didn't believe it, but now... I can't stop thinking about it."

Her heart pounded.

"He looks like me," Nathaniel continued. "He has my eyes, Arabella. And I know that look on your face—that fear. I've seen it before."

Arabella's voice cracked. "You're mistaken."

"Am I?" he challenged, his tone sharper now. "Then tell me the truth. Is he mine?"

Arabella's throat tightened. The walls she'd spent years building around her secret were crumbling fast.

"I said, you're mistaken," she repeated, turning away.

Nathaniel reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. "Don't lie to me, Arabella. Not about something like this."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she jerked her hand free. "You don't get to ask me that. Not after everything. You left me, Nathaniel. You chose your company, your empire, over me. Over us."

Nathaniel looked stricken, as if her words had physically hit him. "If I had known—"

"You didn't want to know," she snapped. "You never gave me the chance."

The tension between them was suffocating. Passersby were beginning to glance in their direction. Arabella took a step back, forcing calm into her voice.

"This isn't the place for this conversation."

"Then let's go somewhere else," Nathaniel said. "Please. Just talk to me."

Arabella hesitated, then finally nodded. "Fine. Tonight. But if you ever go near my son without my permission again, you'll regret it."

Nathaniel gave a solemn nod. "Understood."

---

That evening, they met at a quiet café on the outskirts of the city. It was private, the kind of place where emotions could be spilled without fear of judgment.

Arabella arrived first. Her hands trembled slightly as she stirred her coffee. When Nathaniel entered, the room seemed to shrink.

He sat across from her, eyes searching her face.

"I didn't come to fight," he said. "I just want the truth."

Arabella sighed, defeated. "His name is Liam. He's five years old. He's your son."

The words hung in the air like a thunderclap. Nathaniel looked stunned, like someone had knocked the wind out of him.

"He's mine," he whispered.

"Yes," Arabella said. "And I kept him a secret because I was afraid. You left me, Nathaniel. You made it clear that I was just a part of a past you wanted to forget. I couldn't risk you doing the same to Liam."

Nathaniel ran a hand through his hair, guilt clouding his features. "I was a fool. I thought pushing you away would protect you from my world. But I see now... I only destroyed what we had."

Arabella wiped a tear from her cheek. "It's too late for apologies."

"Maybe," he said quietly. "But not too late to be a father."

They sat in silence for a long time, two broken people trying to make sense of the wreckage between them.

"I don't know if I can forgive you," Arabella said. "But Liam deserves to know you. If you truly want to be in his life, you'll have to prove it."

"I will," Nathaniel vowed. "Whatever it takes."

Arabella stared at the closed door long after Nathaniel had left, her fingers trembling slightly as they hovered over the edge of the envelope. The room, once filled with their intense energy, now felt oppressively quiet. She walked slowly to the vanity, sat down, and finally opened the envelope.

Inside was a document—one that looked official. It bore the King Corporation seal and detailed a list of properties and shares… with her name written in the beneficiary line. Her heart dropped.

What is this? Why is he giving me this?

Suddenly, the idea of Nathaniel's involvement in her life wasn't just about revenge or responsibility anymore. It was deeper—more complicated.

As Arabella tried to make sense of it all, her phone buzzed. It was Elina.

> "Are you okay? I just saw the news."

News? Arabella quickly turned on the television and flipped to a business channel.

There it was—Nathaniel King, photographed leaving a private gala, with reporters speculating on his relationship with a mysterious woman. The blurred image in the corner was unmistakably Arabella.

Her hands flew to her mouth.

"Elina," she whispered into the phone, "they've found out. Someone's already linking me to him."

> "You need to stay low. Come to my place tonight. We'll figure out what to do next."

Arabella nodded, forgetting Elina couldn't see her.

"I'll be there soon."

She quickly packed a small bag, grabbing only essentials for her and Liam, who was peacefully asleep. Her eyes drifted back to the envelope on the bed—still open, heavy with meaning.

She left it.

---

Elina's apartment was dimly lit, cozy, and smelled of jasmine. Arabella sank into the couch while Liam curled beside her.

Elina poured her a cup of tea and sat opposite her, her brows drawn together.

"You need to tell me everything, Bella. From the beginning."

Arabella hesitated, but the silence in the room urged her forward.

"I didn't want to believe it," she began softly, "but Nathaniel isn't just someone from my past. He's Liam's father."

Elina blinked. "You're sure?"

Arabella nodded, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I ran away before he knew I was pregnant. And now… now he's back. And somehow he knows Liam is his."

Elina exhaled sharply. "That explains the sudden generosity. But Bella, if this goes public, it won't be just gossip. It'll be war."

"I know," Arabella murmured. "And the worst part? I don't even know what he truly wants from me."

---

The next morning, Arabella left Liam with Elina and headed to a small café downtown. She had arranged to meet with someone who had called her late the night before—an anonymous tipster who claimed to have information about Nathaniel's past.

She wasn't sure if it was a trap. But something told her she had to go.

The man arrived ten minutes late, wearing a hoodie and sunglasses. He sat across from her, glancing around nervously.

"You're Arabella, right?"

"Yes. And you said you had information?"

The man slid a flash drive across the table.

"What's this?"

"Proof," he said flatly. "Nathaniel's connection to your father's downfall."

Arabella's heart stopped. "What?"

"I worked for the firm that buried the investigation. Nathaniel King was one of the investors who pulled strings. Your father's company was sabotaged. It wasn't a market crash—it was engineered."

Arabella's blood turned cold. Her hand trembled as she clutched the flash drive.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because people like him always get away with everything. And you? You deserve to know the truth."

Without another word, the man stood and vanished into the street.

Arabella sat frozen, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. If what he said was true—if Nathaniel was responsible for her father's ruin—then everything she felt for him now was built on betrayal.

She left the café in a daze, heading straight for Elina's apartment.

---

Back at Elina's, Arabella plugged in the flash drive. Together, they opened the files.

Emails. Financial records. Hidden bank transfers.

Arabella couldn't breathe.

Nathaniel's name was there, buried under pseudonyms and shell companies, but it was clear. He hadn't acted alone, but he was a part of it.

All those years ago… he had helped destroy her family.

Her eyes welled up, and her fingers clenched into fists.

"I trusted him," she whispered.

Elina placed a gentle hand on her arm. "You still can't be sure what his motives were."

"I have to confront him," Arabella said quietly. "I have to know the truth."

---

That evening, Arabella returned to the King mansion. Nathaniel was in his study, reviewing documents when she entered. He looked up, surprised—but not displeased.

"You came back," he said.

"I saw something today," she said, voice shaking. "Something that changes everything."

Nathaniel's smile faded.

"I need to know," she continued, stepping closer. "Did you have anything to do with my father's company collapse?"

Nathaniel stood slowly, his jaw tightening. "Arabella…"

"Don't lie to me," she snapped, throwing the flash drive onto the table.

He stared at it, then at her. A long silence stretched between them.

"I didn't know," he finally said. "At least, not at first. I was young. I was one of many investors. I didn't realize what was happening behind the scenes until it was too late."

"But you didn't stop it," she said bitterly. "You let it happen."

"I tried to fix it later. I bought the remaining assets. I set up trust funds. I tried to trace the damage back and undo what I could—"

"But never told me?" she cut in, eyes blazing. "Never apologized? You just waltzed back into my life like you were the hero!"

Nathaniel stepped closer, his eyes intense. "I didn't know how to tell you. I wanted to protect you. And Liam."

Arabella's heart twisted at the mention of her son.

"You can't protect me from the truth," she said, her voice quieter now, broken. "And you certainly can't protect me from the pain you caused."

Nathaniel's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Arabella. I truly am. But I'm not giving up on us. On Liam. You're the only thing that's ever mattered."

Arabella shook her head, backing away.

"I need time."

And with that, she turned and walked out, not knowing if her heart was more shattered from the past… or from the man she wasn't sure she could ever trust again.

---