AN: Previous disclaimer stands true.
Hi there...remember me? I feel horrible for how long it's taken me to get more of this story uploaded and out to all of you. I'm sure I've lost readers because of that and I'm sorry about. As true with other writers out there, sometimes real life takes over the focus of everything. That's the case with my situation. I don't want to bore anyone with nitty gritty details other than I needed to take some time to focus on myself and my family. It seems the dust has settled from the storm I've been in for the last few months.
This story will be finished...no worries there. It's probably going to take me longer than expected but it will be completed.
Many thanks to all of you still reading the story and those that have written a review. I can't tell you how great it was to have those uplifting comments during this difficult time.
I hope the wait was worth it...
~~~ "I'm Never Alone, I'm Alone All the Time" ~~~
* Chapter Thirty- Eight*
Hours earlier Haley had stormed out of Peyton's office and flew right out of the building in anger. She hoped the fresh air would help her managed to catch her breath as she felt an anxiety attack start to set in. She hated to admit to anyone including herself that it was still difficult for her to take deep breaths since her accident. She couldn't seem to get her bearings as her mind continued to race with the new information she'd just received. As she carefully climbed into Nathan's car, she couldn't help but feel her world was crumbling around her. She'd spent a few minutes just sitting in the car not sure where she even wanted to go. She held her smartphone in her hands and looked down at it desperately. She wanted to talk to someone, to get some help and support but didn't know who she could call. She had managed to keep her tears at bay while in Peyton's presence but alone in the car they started to fall which only angered Haley more.
Her fingers worked quickly as she opened up her favorite contact list on her phone. Her eyes moved over her sister's name and then stopped for a moment on Chris' name and finally settled on Nathan. Her index finger hovered over his name refusing to tap it. Peyton had backed her into a corner and single handedly taken away her entire support system. There was no way she could really tell anyone what was going on without in turn hurting every one of them. In utter frustration she shut her phone off completely and tossed it into the passenger seat. As she shoved the car key into the ignition, she recognized the feeling in the pit of her stomach and realized she was truly alone with no one to save her.
She had thought about going back to her house thinking being in the comfort of her own home and belongings might help her feel better. A second later she disregarded the idea as her home was no longer a safe place for her to be after Damien had left those photographs on her bed. He'd taken that away from her. She could have just gone for a drive to clear her head however just being in the car had created enough anxiety for Haley after her accident she was surprised she managed to drive herself to Peyton's office in the first place. She was still dealing with the trauma of the accident herself. Feeling trapped with truly nowhere else to go she headed back to Nathan's house not knowing what else to do or if he'd even be home.
Haley confirmed the house was still empty when she entered through the door from the garage. She carefully hung up the car keys where she'd found them earlier. Next thing she knew, she found herself aimlessly wandering around Nathan's empty house for what reason she did not know. She glanced around at his belongings as she had many times before. Haley's eyes were drawn to a new picture frame hung up on the wall in the hallway. How had she not noticed it before? Her heart warmed as she studied the photograph of her and Nathan taken a month or so ago. His strong arms were wrapped around her tiny frame as he hugged her from behind letting his head rest on her shoulder tenderly. Haley smiled at first sight of it however soon bit her lip to stop herself from crying yet again. She just might lose him…
A while later, Nathan let himself into the house and set his keys down on the island counter in the kitchen. He quickly looked around the entry way for any sign of Haley but found none. The entire drive back he found himself trying to fight off the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach not knowing where Haley would be or what he would even say to her when he found her.
"Hales?" He called out and then froze in place as he waited hopefully for an answer.
Haley looked up with surprise from the notebook she'd been scribbling in for the last hour or so at the sound of Nathan's voice calling to her. She'd somehow managed to absorb herself completely in the writing process as she desperately tried to make sense of what she was feeling and thinking. Normally she would have called her sister by now for advice but the topic was too sensitive for Quinn. Haley refused to add any stress to her sister especially after all she'd put her through after her accident. She wouldn't forgive herself if something happened to Quinn and Clay's unborn child. And then there was the matter of Chris Keller. He'd been her "go to" for so many years when she needed support, advice, a creative outlet or just someone to talk to. It killed her inside to think of what would happen to Chris and their relationship if she refused to break things off with Nathan. Secretly she feared lasting effects on her friendship with Chris if it got that far. Haley saw no way to confess the ultimatum to Nathan without hurting him which was the last thing she wanted to do. He'd put his career 2nd without hesitation when she needed support after her accident and went against the direction of his sports agent. He took the expensive fine and hit to his basketball stats by taking time off to help her recover. How could she now put this on him? Having no one to confide in, Haley turned to the only outlet she felt she had left. She tucked her guitar underneath her arm carefully taking care not to bump her ribs and she quickly finished jotting down the chord progression she'd just worked out.
"In here!" Haley finally called out without really looking up from her notes to see whether Nathan had even entered the room yet completely engrossed in the song she was writing. She strummed her guitar as she quickly worked out the next chord progression. She quietly sang the lyrics to herself as she finalized the timing.
Nathan made his way to his bedroom after hearing her sweet voice and stood in the doorway. He let his body lean against the door frame while he studied the woman who owned his heart. The same heart that ached with what his father had done to her. The room was faintly lit with only the bedside lamp to illuminating the room and Haley sat in the middle of his large bed.
'God my girl's hot' he thought to himself as she literally took his breath away.
He immediately noticed the serious look on her face as she quickly scribbled on the paper in front of her. He was partly glad the room was dark however knowing it would only be a matter of time before she noticed the evidence from his earlier fight across his face.
"Hey you…." Nathan finally spoke after studying her for a few moments before he made his presence known. He watched her play something on her guitar only pausing to add to her notes. There was so much he wanted to say to her but he couldn't bring himself to speak again. His heart felt heavy as he went over the information he'd overheard between Peyton and Dan earlier. Haley had a major decision to make and he knew either way she decided someone would get hurt. The last thing he wanted was for the woman he loved to be in pain. But then again, he was silently terrified as to what she would finally decide to do.
"Yeah…sorry I was just working something out…" Haley muttered without looking up at him making reference to her writing a song. Nathan took advantage of the situation and moved into his closet to discard his jacket and shoes. He remerged with a fresh set of clothing in his hands.
"I'm gonna take a quick shower. I'll be out in a minute." He declared and quickly slipped into the bathroom closing the door without waiting for her response. Suddenly he felt the need to wash away the events of the evening.
Once Haley heard the door latch closed, she lifted her head and stared over at the closed door. She'd been thankful he'd gone to take a shower giving her a few more minutes to pull herself together. The weight in her heart worsened the moment she heard him call her name. Trying her best to present a strong front, she wanted to hide what was truly going on in her head. She had however underestimated the effect just being in Nathan's presence would have over her.
A few minutes later she heard the shower shut off and the bathroom door swung open just as Haley moved off the bed to put her guitar back in the case.
"Don't stop on account of me." He said.
Haley closed her eyes as the scent of his body wash crept into her nostrils. The corners of her mouth turned up without even realizing she was doing it.
"It's ok I'm actually done for now anyway." She answered and then turned to the corner of the room where she stashed her guitar.
"How was your meeting with Peyton? What was so important you had to go running at her beck and call?" Nathan asked hoping his tone of voice didn't sound as angry as he felt inside when he asked. Haley's body froze for a second and he watched as her shoulders tensed up. Her eyes widened with surprise to Nathan's direct question. She was silently grateful her back was facing him so she could hide her reaction from him.
"It was alright…you know same old thing with her. Nothing I can't handle… where did you go off to earlier?" She asked Nathan completely changing the subject. She bent over to adjust her guitar case once more trying to find something to do with her hands to justify keeping her back to him a little longer.
Nathan shook his head in disbelief in response to Haley's response to his question. He half expected her to tell him everything but hadn't prepared himself for the possibility she'd tell him nothing. Haley took a shallow breath to center herself before she willed herself to turn around to finally face Nathan.
"I just had something to take care of with Lucas that's all." Nathan answered knowing it was a bit vague. Two could play that game.
Haley stepped closer to Nathan and he knew when he heard her gasp for air she'd now noticed his face.
"Oh my God! What happened to you?" She cried out as she raced over to touch his face.
He turned his head slightly as her finger tips connected to his cheek. She took in the small cut above his eye and with concerned eyes she assessed the rest of his face.
"It's nothing Hales. I'm fine." Nathan declared finally as he looked into her worried eyes.
"Nothing? Like hell it is….Nathan how did this happen?" She questioned again this time she let her eyes stare him down. All he did was shake his head dismissing her question and pull her body into his. He tightly wrapped his arms around her body.
"I'm fine Hales don't worry about it. Trust me, I barely feel the pain from my face." He offered hoping she'd accept his reasoning. He felt her body shake slightly as she took a breath and then let out no doubt a frustrated sigh slowly.
"You leave with your face completely intact and then come home with cuts and marks on your face! And you want me to believe it's nothing and you're fine?" She shot back with doubt in her voice.
Nathan couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between him and his father but also what he'd discovered about Haley's contract. He knew she was carrying the major decision around and judging from her physical demeanor, it was killing her inside as she weighed out her options. There was one way he could make the decision easier for her but didn't think he could bring himself to follow through with walking away from Haley James forever. But maybe if it was the only thing he could do to save her.
"I just…I just don't want to get into it tonight. We can talk about it tomorrow if you want I promise. Could we just take tonight for us and shut out the rest of the world? Even if it ends up just being for tonight. The world will be there in the morning." Nathan pleaded knowing he was being somewhat selfish. It wouldn't change the terms of Haley's contract or his with Dan for that matter. But what harm would there be in taking an escape from reality for a few hours. It may be all they have left together depending on what Haley decided to do.
Haley's body shifted within his grasp as she felt herself let go a bit. She carefully waited a few moments before she agreed to his request.
"That's exactly what I need right now. How did you do that?" She asked as she pulled her body back a bit so she could look up into his eyes.
Nathan forced a small smile and answered honestly, "I could just feel it. I love you Haley James."
Haley blinked away the tears that had formed in hers as she gazed up at the man who'd completely stolen her heart. She tenderly reached up and pressed her lips against his. Nathan's hands moved up her back and soon he was cradling her face in his hands. Haley quickly deepened their kiss and pulled his body closer to hers. Suddenly she let go of her reservations and let her emotions take complete control over her. Haley took a step backwards as she pulled Nathan with her. Once the back of her legs hit the side of the mattress, she finally broke their kiss. She began to unbutton her blouse not taking her eyes off of Nathan while she worked.
"Hales…..we should stop before… you're supposed to still be….. taking it easy…we can't…I don't want to hurt…" Nathan tried to reason with her as she managed to kiss him in between his words. She slowly discarded her blouse leaving just her camisole and tossed it on the floor by their feet. Her hands moved to the hem of his t-shirt and tried to pull it off.
"Hales…stop. We don't have to do this yet. I might hurt you." He pleaded with her concerned she was rushing her recovery.
Haley's hand reached up and cupped Nathan's cheek. She grazed her thumb lightly over the reddened area by Nathan's eye as her forehead wrinkled with concern. She studied the marks on his face and her heart ached knowing he was hurt but also that he'd refused to tell her how or why. She internally scolded herself knowing she was no better than him seeing as she too was keeping a secret from him.
"Nathan please….trust me being with you isn't going to hurt me tonight. I love you Nathan Scott and I need to be with you….tonight." Haley nearly begged without breaking their eye contact. He looked back at her and couldn't help but fear what if this just might be their last night together. Both were uncertain what morning would bring. In one swift move, he ripped his t-shirt up and over his head. Haley took the cue and slowly moved to lay down on his bed. Well, their bed for the night at least
Nathan took great care as he slowly eased her camisole tank top up and over her head. He left a trail of kisses down her neck pausing carefully to avoid the areas of her body that were still bandaged. He felt shivers run through his body when she ran her fingertips through his buzzed hair while he left a soft kiss on her side. Nathan found himself faintly tracing over the bruises on both her sides with his fingers. He tried his best to hide his shock from her on his face before he finally spoke, "You must be in constant pain…"
Haley caught his eyes when his eyes finally worked their way up her battered body to her face.
"It's not so bad anymore." Haley answered too quickly for his liking.
His face fell slightly as he replied, "Hales, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wish it had been me instead of you…it should have been….I can't…..the thought of you paying for…." But stopped himself before he finished his statement.
Haley guided Nathan's face closer to hers and then said, "Shhh, just stop…that's all over now….Make love to me Nathan."
He hesitated for a moment but soon closed the gap and kissed her lips passionately. They spent the next few hours expressing their love and desire to one another. This time together felt completely different. There wasn't a need to hurry one another. They each took turns showering the other one with love. Nathan took great care to ensure Haley wasn't physically hurt in the process of their love making. Once they finally satisfied their desires, they settled into the bed and Nathan quickly drifted off to sleep. They clung to each other praying morning wouldn't come so they could remain together in that moment forever.
A ray of sunlight managed to sneak in between a gap in the curtain shining directly over Nathan's face. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced over to see Haley's side of the bed was empty. He propped himself up on his elbows and gently rubbed the sleep out of his eye before he glanced at the clock beside his bed. 5:53am. He looked around his room but found no immediate signs of Haley anywhere. He climbed out of bed and pulled his boxers on followed by a pair of gym shorts. He dug a clean t-shirt out of his dresser after walking past his empty bathroom.
"Hales?" Nathan called out as he made out of his room walking towards his living room. He looked around only to find the room empty without any sign of her. Feeling slightly alarmed, he went into the kitchen to find his iPhone. He turned it on and as he tried to wait patiently as it loaded. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the door to his backyard patio a jar. His bare feet padded along the ceramic tile as he walked towards the door. He slowly pushed the door open to reveal Haley sitting back on a lounging chair clutching a coffee mug with her hands. She had the throw blanket from his living room couch wrapped around her shoulders. Nathan paused a moment noting she was dressed in a pair of denim jeans with a hole in her right knee and an oversized plain t-shirt. Her hair hung loosely on her shoulders as she moved her face up towards the sunlight. Her eyes were closed as she took in the warmth radiating from the rising sun.
"Hey."
Haley's eyes shot open and her head turned towards the voice. She saw Nathan standing in the doorway gazing at her. She instantly wondered how long he'd been there watching her.
"What are you doing out here?" He asked as he moved to sit on the chair next to hers.
She took a sip of her hot tea before she answered, "I just couldn't sleep so I thought I'd watch the sunrise."
Nathan's eyebrows rose before he stated, "How long have you been out here?"
"I finally got out of bed giving up on the idea of sleep a little before 5 I think. Then I wandered out here." Haley confessed with a small sigh. He noticed a far off look in her eyes as she kept her stare focused on the trees in his yard. Nathan thought the sinking feeling in his gut would be less when he woke but the moment he saw her he there was only one way to make it go away.
She snuck a glance at him as he settled into the chair next to hers and noted he seemed a bit preoccupied himself. She felt him toss and turn the night before as he laid next to her which definitely was different from his normal sleeping self. On any other night, the moment his head hit the pillow he could be out for the night within a few minutes for the night.
"You're up early yourself…got an early work out or a meeting with Dan this morning?" She finally asked trying to gain some sort of courage to have a real conversation with him. She desperately wanted the feeling in the pit of her stomach to go away. She struggled with actually being present in the moment with him.
Nathan shook his head no but offered nothing else as he looked up from the ground he'd been studying. He caught her eyes and held her gaze closely feeling he couldn't hold back any longer. She deserved the truth from him before she made her final decision. That is unless he was already too late.
"Hales…there's uhh there's something I wanna talk to you about." Nathan started his voice wavered slightly as he spoke. His right hand came up and found its way to the back of his head as he rubbed it nervously as he spoke.
Haley stared back at him with surprise from the tone of his voice. His face looked troubled and his posture mirrored the exact same emotion. Did he know about the pending decision she still needed to make? He couldn't possibly know could he? Nathan shifted his body so he was seated on the end of his chair. He rested his elbows on his knees and his head slowly fell into his hands. She watched him closely and saw how uncomfortable he seemed while he'd yet to actually confess anything to her.
"Nathan….what is is? Talk to me…" She finally called out to him.
His head popped up and found her eyes instantly with his. He took in the look on her face in that moment. He'd spent the previous night trying to commit everything about her to memory for fear soon she might be gone from his life. For he knew the moment, he confessed to her the person behind her accident, Damien West coming back into her life, the scandalous photographs resurfacing, and Peyton's blackmail angle was none other than his own father, their relationship would change forever. There was no going back.
Nathan let out a small sigh before he spoke again, "I don't even know where to start. Everything is just so fucked up right now. What's happened with your career..and the band and Peyton. It's just…I uhh…it's all because of me. I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything that's happened to you because of your involvement with me."
Haley's brow wrinkled with confusion, "Because of you? What are you even talking about? Nathan, none of that stuff is your fault. The stuff with Damien was before we even met. Believe me, everything that's happening to me right now weighs solely on my shoulders not yours. There's uhhh something I feel I need to tell you I just don't know how."
Nathan blinked hard back at Haley as he studied her eyes that had filled with tears. He watched as she fought them from falling down her cheeks. She moved her body to set the cup she'd been clenching in her hands on the table next to her. She winced slightly when she stretched her body a little too far for comfort reminding her of her limits. Haley looked back at Nathan suddenly all words escaped her and she was speechless.
"You can talk to me Hales…tell me what's going on?" Nathan asked.
It took a few more moments before she finally replied to him, "About my meeting last night with Peyton. There was more to it then I alluded to when you asked me about it. Quite a bit more actually, so much so it's kept me up all night replaying it over and over again in my mind. It wasn't a surprise Peyton hated my relationship with you from the very beginning. I just thought if I kept my worlds separate that I could balance my obligations to the band and the label all while keeping up with my relationship with you. That way everyone would get what they wanted from me and be happy. But I just….I can't do that anymore. Something's gotta give."
Haley paused as she tried to gather herself before she spoke again. She refused to break down into a full out crying session over this. It made her feel weak and out of control even more than she already did. She didn't want him to see her cry.
"My contract with Peyton and the label was revised after the damage control that was required from the aftermath of my relationship with Damien. I can't believe how stupid I was not to look into the new details fully but I was such a mess back then. I literally was on the verge of an emotional breakdown and trusted the label to look out for me. I should've known better! Once again the smart girl is really stupid!" Haley exclaimed with emotion.
Nathan reached forward and grabbed her hands in his, "Shhh you are not stupid Haley. The label should have had taken care of you. How were you supposed to know?"
"But I am Nathan! I signed something I had no business signing without reading the fine print. Now I'm forced to deal with the consequences of my stupid mistake. Peyton's given me an impossible ultimatum and backed me completely into a corner. I don't know what to do. She's manipulated the situation so much that I could lose everything that matters to me. She's found a legal way to get me to break things off with you."
Haley's heart fell as she uttered the words to him. Nathan's reaction to the news didn't seem as shocked as Haley figured they would be.
"Did you hear me Nathan? Peyton is threatening to take the band and all of my music credits away from me if I stay with you." Haley repeated thinking maybe Nathan didn't fully understand all she had at stake. She studied his face and again saw a stoic reaction instead of the anger she expected.
"Haley I already know." He replied quietly knowing it was now his turn to confess.
Haley's eyes widened with surprise as she pulled her hands away from his in shock. "What do you mean you know? This just happened last night Nathan. How could you possibly know about this? No one knows…not Quinn or Chris. I haven't told anyone."
"I found out about it from Dan….and from his conversation with Peyton last night. Apparently your manager and my father have been working together for quite some time to break us up." Nathan answered.
He took the pause in the conversation as his opening to continue, "I've already told you how Dan's handled my career way back from my high school basketball days to when I had my accident. Something shifted in him after my mom died and he's never been the same man. It was Dan who dug up information about you and discovered your relationship with Damien. He went as far as paying Damien off to resurface just to mess with you in hopes it would create problems for us."
"Wwwhhhat?" Haley muttered in utter shock.
Nathan didn't bother answering her but continued recalling the story before he lost his nerve, "He hired a private investigator to follow you to get as much dirt as he could on you. Hell he even had one follow me to help his cause. The tracking device on your car was planted by Dan not Peyton. That sick son of a bitch even installed them on my cars. The photos from Damien were all Dan's idea. When he showed up at the club the night of your accident…he was trying to arrange for the two you to be seen together by the paparazzi thinking I would break up with you then. Dan went as far as paying off the paparazzi to wait outside for a guaranteed money shot that night."
Haley's hand flew up and covered her mouth as she listened in sheer disbelief from what Nathan had just confessed. Suddenly she felt sick to her stomach as she took in the latest information.
"How could he…." Haley started to say but trailed off not know what else to say.
"I didn't want to believe my own father would go this far. That was hard enough to take but to hear it all from that punk Damien West.."
"What do you mean you heard it from Damien? Nathan, what did you do?" She questioned harshly.
"I couldn't stand by and do nothing Haley! That's not who I am. If someone hurts you, you better believe I'm going to stand up for you and hurt them back. I'm going to fight for you!" He shot back at her.
"Your face?" Haley whispered now putting two and two together.
Nathan let out an evil chuckle and quickly answered, "Please, that little weasel never even had a chance to swing at me. Lucas stopped me before I did any serious damage to him even though he deserved far more pain than I caused him for everything he put you through. Damien was the one who told me about Dan's involvement and what he'd done to you. Then Dan used the tracking device to find my car at Peyton's studio and he headed over there thinking it was me. But you'd taken my car. I tried to call you to warn you Dan was coming to the studio but your phone was off."
"I turned it off after I left Peyton's when she told me what I had to do."
"Well, I headed over to the studio not knowing if you were still there and I didn't want you to face Dan alone. All I could think about was getting to you before he did but it turns out I was too late. When I got there you were already gone but I went inside anyway. I needed to see for myself if what Damien told me about Dan was true."
Haley jumped in and asked, "What did Damien tell you?"
Nathan took a moment to take a deep breath before he answered, "Damien told me Dan and Peyton were working together to break us up. I heard everything last night between them. From Peyton knowing all about Dan's deal with Damien, the photographs, and finally your car accident." He paused again as he swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly felt dry.
"The accident was because of me Haley. Dan hired the paparazzi to get a shot of you and Damien that night and they did whatever they could to get it. Don't you see Haley! You wouldn't have been in that accident if it wasn't for me and my Dad. All of this happened to you because of me! He wanted to make damn sure we'd break up one way or another." Nathan stated in one breath now feeling completely deflated.
They sat in silence for a few minutes and just looked at one another. The sun now filled the entire backyard and it was clear to see the lasting effects of Nathan's fight with Dan and Haley's sleepless night were displayed across both their faces.
"I thought you said Damien did get the chance to hit you. Who did that to your face?" Haley finally asked after she looked over the marks on his face once more.
"Dan and I had a little difference of opinion after I walked into Peyton's office to confront them both." He admitted.
"Oh my God! Your own father did this to you? He hit you?! I just can't picture ever physically harming my own child." Haley remarked in disbelief.
"Well, my dad has always been physical with me for as long as I can remember. When I finally started fighting back and getting in between him and my mom when they were fighting, he didn't like that. I held my own pretty good last night just fine and got the last blow believe me."
"Pretty good? Look at your face Nathan." Haley pointed out.
"Just forget about it Haley. It won't happen again because I fired Dan last night. My new agent will be issuing a press release today to announce it officially thus ending my ties to Dan for good. I'm finally free from him holding stuff over me to get me to do whatever he wants me to." Nathan declared feeling a small sense of pleasure.
Haley's face fell a bit after Nathan confirmed the news about Dan before she replied, "Just because you ended your professional relationship with Dan it still doesn't change the fact he's still your father."
Nathan shook his head as he add, "No Haley, I'm done with Dan and all his bull shit! I've cut all ties with him and as far as I'm concerned I don't have a father anymore."
"Nathan you don't mean that?"
Nathan's eyes darken as he snapped back, "Like hell I do! All the shit he's pulled over the years on me, my horrible childhood, how he treated my mom…and then what he did to you. He did all of that just so I would end up alone so he could continue to control me and run to the bank to cash his checks. No more!"
Haley looked back at Nathan studying the lines on his face taking note the harshness of it all. It was evident the anger that still consumed him, she then decided not to press the subject any further. They sat in silence for a few minutes both processing the information exchange between one another.
"So what are you going to do? Peyton is waiting for your answer this morning." Nathan stated out of nowhere.
Haley felt her stomach drop as Nathan spoke. "I don't know. Either way I'm going to hurt someone I love. There is no easy solution for me here." She looked up and his eyes instantly met hers. He could see the tears she was fighting to hold back with everything left in her. His heart broke a little more as he watched her eyes. It was then he knew what he had to do. The only thing he could do to help take away her hurt and guilt.
Nathan slowly cleared his throat before he finally spoke, "Go back to Peyton and the band Hales. Everything you've sacrificed for your career is worth something. I can't let you throw it all away just to be with me. Trust me I'm not worth losing that much. All of this started because of me, I should be the one to finish it."
Haley's breath caught in her chest and she literally felt her heart crack. She watched Nathan as he struggled to speak without choking up.
"Not worth it? Nathan what are you saying?"
"It's true Haley. It'll be easier this way."
"Easier on who Nathan? I can't believe you're so willing to throw away everything we had together! Like I never meant anything at all!" Haley cried out.
Nathan forced himself to look away once he heard a sob escape her beautiful mouth. He sprung up from the chair he'd been seated in now needing to move his body.
"You think this is easy!" He shot back taking a step away from her.
Those few steps felt like miles to Haley as she watched him move.
"Nathan?"
Nathan looked back at Haley and said, "I'm doing this for you Haley. How can you not see that?" And with that Nathan walked away.
Please leave me a review! Thanks :)