Hey everyone! So I just finished this chapter and I'm posting it now. This story's almost coming to an end. I sort of have planned out where I want to go with it, I just haven't written it down yet. There will probably only be a few more chapters and then the story will be done. I'll let you guys know more about that later. Anyways, Enjoy!

Chapter 21

Have you ever wished you could live an instance over again?

…

Today was a cold day. The wind was fierce and whipping, cutting anything in its path and ruining the finely sculpted beauty that nature had provided. It was almost like an enemy, trying to destroy anything good in the world, and break down the things known as people's "havens."

Nathan lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling while brooding over his troubles, until he heard a knock on his door. His head popped up before he answered a quick "come in," and lay back down.

Lucas walked through the door, took one look at Nathan, and sighed.

"Nathan, there is a woman here who has requested to talk with you," Lucas said, his voice resigned.

Nathan said nothing; he just continued to lay there with an indifferent look on his face.

"Nathan, did you hear me? There is a woman here wanting to speak with you."

Still, he said nothing.

"Will you grow the fuck up!" Lucas screamed, annoyed beyond reason at how selfish Nathan was being. "There are other things more important in the world than you feeling sorry for yourself. Did you ever consider that Haley is hurting just as much as you are?"

Nathan's body jerked up and he let Lucas see his infuriated expression. "Do not mention her name to me again. She's the one who betrayed me. She's a deceitful bitch who deserves any and all of the pain she receives."

"How can you even say that?" Lucas asked, disbelieving. "She loves you, and you love her. If you opened your eyes and really searched for the right answers, you would see that she didn't betray you."

"The evidence that she did betray me is pretty damn solid, Lucas. And why the hell are you defending her?" Nathan said, springing off the bed and stalking towards Lucas. "I mean, I know she's a slut, but I didn't think you'd go as far as to get in on the action."

Lucas' fist connected with Nathan's before he had any time to react and he bounded backwards.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that," Lucas roared. "If I hear you say anything like that about her ever again I'm going to make you regret it."

Lucas walked to the door, grabbed the handle, and turned back to look at Nathan. Then he laughed. Nathan stared at him, confused and angry at the same time.

"What the hell is so damn funny?" Nathan demanded.

Lucas shook his head, and then gathered himself. "I was just thinking about how you should start practicing."

"Practicing what?"

"Getting down on your knees. You'll have to get good at begging if you ever want a shot at winning Haley back when you find out the truth. I hope she makes you work for it."

…

"Hi, I'm Nathan. How can I help you?"

Nathan stood in the foyer of his house in front of a woman he'd never met before. He was still annoyed from his talk with Lucas, mostly because of the uncertain feelings that were now planted in his head.

The woman looked up, her brown eyes tired and anxious. There was something familiar about her, but Nathan couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"There is something of grave importance that I wish to discuss with you," the woman spoke quietly in a small, timid voice. She looked so fragile, and Nathan felt a strange surge of pity towards whatever had caused her to be like this.

"Okay, would you like to go somewhere more private?" Nathan asked politely, noticing the way the woman kept glancing around nervously.

"Yes, please."

Nathan let her into a closed room and shut the door behind them.

"What is it you'd like to talk about?"

"Are you the son of Dan Scott?" the woman blurted, then looked down hurriedly, embarrassed.

"Yes," Nathan said stiffly. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

The lady flinched at his icy tone, but that didn't stop her from continuing. "Your father has recently decided to meddle in matters that concern me, and I'm pretty sure you have a hand in them."

"Look, my father's an ass, there's no denying that, but that has nothing to do with me. If that is all you wished to talk about then I'm afraid I—"

"Did you know my husband beats me?"

Nathan looked taken aback by the arbitrary statement. He blinked once before he gave her a quizzical look.

"Well, he does. Did you also know that my daughter would do anything for me? Yes, she would. She loves me dearly, as I love her."

Nathan just continued to stare at the woman as if she lost her mind. He felt sorry for her, but he had no idea why she would be telling him this.

"She would do anything for me," the woman repeated. "So when my husband and your father trapped her into doing something horrible—something she was terrified of doing—she did it anyway to protect me."

Nathan began to feel a burning in the pit of his stomach, like acid, only worse. "What is it she had to do? And how did it protect you?"

"She had to take the child of a man, and if she didn't, she was told that I would be beaten worse than ever before. And because she loves me, she did just that."

Nathan stayed frozen, his mind refusing to believe that any of this was true. But it all made sense, the way Haley had kept saying that she had no choice, the tears she had wept when she was raping him, and the inexplicable inclination that she was a genuinely good person.

"Oh god," Nathan rasped, his throat feeling like sandpaper. His stomach was in knots and he felt nauseous.

"Oh, no," he moaned, guilt and regret slicing through him like a thousand knives. Visions of Haley begging him not to chain her, begging for his forgiveness, begging him to trust her and believe her floated through his head. "What have I done?"

"Ahh," he roared, pain searing through his body, his heart, like no other. He had to make this right. He had to fix this.

…

Haley lay in her room, staring out the window at the trees bending from the biting wind. Her tears were cold as they streamed down her cheeks. She felt empty and lonely, then she looked down at the kicking baby growing inside her and a small smile graced her mouth.

"How are you doing today, sweetie?" Haley cooed. "I'll bet you can't wait to come out so I can stare at your beautiful eyes and play with you."

"He'll have beautiful brown eyes just like you," said a gentle voice from the doorway.

Haley's head snapped up to find Nathan's eyes staring tenderly at her. She was confused at first until her voice turned frosty. "What do you want Nathan?"

He flinched, his eyes showing his pain before he spoke to her softly. "You're mother's here to see you."

"What?" Haley asked, jumping up with a disbelieving yet joyful expression. She tried to run past Nathan to reach the door, but he stepped in front of her.

"Haley," Nathan whispered, his voice catching at the end. Their eyes connected, and Haley felt her stomach clench.

"Haley," Nathan repeated, "we need to talk."

"About what, Nathan?" Haley snapped. "I think we've exchanged enough harsh words already. What else is there to talk about?"

"How about the fact that your father threatened to beat your mother if you didn't cooperate with his plan?"

"H-how do you know about that?" Haley whispered in surprise.

"She told me. I can't believe you didn't tell me," Nathan said, frustrated.

"Are you serious!" Haley exploded. "When would I have had the chance? How could you even ask me that? 'Don't give me any of your worthless excuses.' Yes, I believe those were your very words."

Nathan winced. "It wouldn't have mattered then. I didn't trust you. But it definitely would have made a difference now."

"And why is that? Because all of a sudden you have such great trust in what I say now? Come on, Nathan. You've never trusted me. If you had, we wouldn't be fighting like this in the first place."

"Haley—"

But she cut him off before he could say anything else. "It doesn't matter now, Nathan. None of it matters now."

"You're right. None of it matters. The only thing that does matter is your forgiveness. Can you forgive me?"

Haley stared at him for a moment before she shrugged indifferently. "Sure. All is forgiven. Can I go see my mother now?"

"Damn it, Haley! I'm asking you to be serious. We need to move on from this so we can get married and start a family. I need you to—"

"I won't marry you," Haley quietly interrupted him.

"Haley you have to marry me!" Nathan all but screamed. He looked desperate.

Their eyes met and Haley sighed. "Nathan, I meant it when I said I forgive you, but did you honestly think that everything would be all smiles from here on out. In case you're forgetting, I stole this child from you."

"Haley, I've already forgave you for that. All I want now is to make you happy and—"

Haley held her hands up to stop him. He stared at her confused. "If you really want to make me happy, you'll let me go. After everything we've been through, I think you owe me at least that much."

"Haley, please stay," Nathan begged in a whisper. "Please. I need you. I'm lost without you in my life. Please, I…"

Haley looked firmly into his frantic eyes. Her heart broke at the pleading look on his face before she spoke to him decisively. "Let me go, Nathan."

He stared at her for what seems like an eternity before he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Haley waited for the relief to come that he was finally setting her free, but all she got were tears and a hollow hole where Nathan used to be in her heart.

Please review!!
Love,
Sadie