2:15
Hi.
Hi.
We gave each other a fist bump.
“Worried?”
“Yeah.”
“Tomorrow’s an important day. I need to pull myself together. I have to be ready.”
“Exactly,” Hades said, patting my shoulder.
Mushu kissed me on the cheek.
We walked in silence.
Then the wolves began to appear, coming out from different sides, surrounding me.
I dropped down, bracing myself on one knee.
Something was wrong.
The wolves howled.
They had brought sad news.
The alpha came closer and rubbed his nose against my shoulder.
I smiled.
“What happened, my friend?”
The wolves howled again.
I lifted my eyes to the sky.
The stars.
A smile spread across my face before I could stop it.
I thought about how much the boys love the stars… and space.
Boys love the stars.
I lowered my head
and touched the ground.
The earth is my source.
When I touch it, the pain fades.
The wolves howled again.
But this time it was different.
Louder.
More anxious.
“Easy… easy, boys.”
And then I saw Nate.
At the end of the path.
Tears started running down my face.
“No. Nate, no.”
“Damn it… don’t.”
I started backing away, trying to leave, trying to run.
Nate collapsed.
“Oh my God.”
The wolves howled.
Tears were streaming down my face.
I ran to him.
“Nate! Damn it, Nate!”
He gave me a weak smile.
I looked around.
No one.
God… how am I supposed to carry him?
Nate was unconscious.
Damn it.
My brain was giving orders, but I couldn’t hear them.
I dragged Nate as best as I could.
Finally the estate appeared ahead.
I started running.
“Help! Help! Help!”
Mike and the guys lifted Nate and carried him upstairs to the bedroom.
Inside the estate I can’t afford to relax.
I pulled my hair back.
Come on, Nazokat. Pull yourself together.
My brain switched into command mode.
I'm back in control.
Focus on breathing.
Nate is breathing calmly and slowly. Everything is fine.
His nervous system is probably calm.
Before he passed out, he saw me.
That means he knows he’s safe.
Good.
“Sebastian.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Call Sam. Immediately.”
“Of course, Miss.”
I sat down beside Nate and stroked his hair.
Tears started treacherously falling.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Carefully, I began undressing him.
Jonathan held my hand.
“Help me change his clothes.”
He nodded.
I froze in horror.
Nate had become so thin.
I cried out in horror.
“Oh my God.”
Jonathan pulled me into an embrace, and I cried, almost howling from the pain.
Nate.
Magnificent, beautiful Nate.
A shark.
A predator.
Now he looked more like a skeleton.
Just a body.
That strength was gone.
I tried to pull myself together.
But how…
God, how…

6:16
I’m standing in the dining room,
wiping my tears,
trying to breathe.
Any minute now Sam will come out and tell us what’s going on with Nate.
The children are here, refusing to leave their father’s side.
Roman was pulled out of the academy.
Everyone is here.
Everyone is with their father.
“Miss.”
“Sebastian.”
Before he could answer, Caleb burst into the room,
furious as hell.
“What the hell is he doing here?!”
“Do not speak to me like that! Calm down immediately!”
Caleb rubbed the bridge of his nose and clenched his jaw.
I got angry.
“Asshole! Can’t you see I’m crying, damn it? That I’m not okay, you bastard? Or did you only notice that Nate is here?!”
Caleb froze.
Then immediately softened.
“I’m sorry, my dear.
I’m sorry.”
I shoved him.
“Go to hell!”
“Go to hell, Caleb. What the hell is wrong with you? First thing you thought about was yourself! Again about yourself, Caleb!”
He raised his hands in surrender.
“My dear, I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”
Caleb fell to his knees.
“Please forgive me.”
I softened.
He got back to his feet.
“My dear… what happened?”
I started crying again.
“I don’t know… I don’t know.
I don’t know.”
I kept crying and crying.
I couldn’t stop.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with Nate.
Oh my God… I’m so worried about him.
I’m so worried.”
Caleb hugged me.
“Everything will be alright, my dear. Everything will work out.”
I nodded.
Caleb gently wiped my tears.
I smiled.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
He kissed the top of my head.
I exhaled.
Thank God I won’t have to pull Caleb away.
“Caleb… I don’t know what condition Nate is in. Please… not this right now.”
Caleb clenched his fists.
But he nodded.
I gently opened his fist.
“Don’t do that, Caleb.”
“Nate went through very hard times with me. We have children together. He isn’t a stranger to me, Caleb.”
I paused.
“He has no one except us, Caleb. He’s completely alone. I can’t do that to him. I have to be there.”
Caleb reluctantly agreed.
“My dear… imagine if this happened to you and I told you to get out. Caleb, imagine someone erasing you from their life in a single second. Suddenly you have no family, no world. Everything collapses. You mean nothing to that person anymore.”
A tear rolled down Caleb’s face.
I hugged him.
“Alright. I have to go.”
I ran upstairs.
“Sam.”
Sam smiled.
“Everything’s fine. It looks more like nervous exhaustion.”
The room started spinning.
Everyone in the room was blaming me.
Even if they didn’t mean to.
As if what happened to Nate was my fault.
My legs gave out and I fainted.

I came back to my senses.
And immediately smiled.
“Hi.”
“Hi, kitten.”
Tears started running down my face.
“Nate.”
He took my hand.
“Hi.”
I covered my face with my hands.
“Oh my God, Nate…”
Nate suddenly sat up, and the needle painfully dug into his arm.
The IV stand nearly toppled over.
Nurses rushed into the room.
Nate raised his hand, signaling that everything was fine.
They started preparing a new IV.
Nate took my hand.
“Kitten.”
He gently wiped my tears.
I completely fell apart.
Nate hugged me, and I cried.
And cried.
Everything inside me was breaking from the pain.
I sobbed without stopping.
“Nate…
Oh my God, Nate…”
“I’m here. Everything’s fine.
Everything’s fine, my dear.”
“I’ll pull myself together.”
“Nate, what happened?
Was it because of work?”
He shook his head.
“I see.
How’s work?” I tried to change the subject.
Nate shook his head again.
“You’re not a firefighter anymore?”
“No.”
I smirked.
“Back to business then. The shark’s back in business.”
He smiled.
My heart tightened.
How many times my heart had died from that smile…
how many times I had forgotten how to breathe because of it.
My whole life flashed before my eyes.
How I was giving birth, and Nate was trying to stay conscious so he wouldn’t pass out.
How I ran away.
How I kept escaping.
How Roman and the twins celebrated their birthdays.
All the photos where Nate and I were together.
I burst into tears.
And Nate hugged me again.
I cried, and then I realized Nate was crying too.
“I love you, kitten.”
“Nate…” I choked on my tears.
“I can’t do this.
I can’t, Nate.
Please don’t pressure me.”
He apologized immediately.
“Nate, you are my family. I love you. But I can’t. Please… don’t.”
Nate nodded.
“Can I?”
“Of course.”
He hugged me again.
And I blossomed.

Morning.

Breakfast wasn’t easy for anyone.
Two open enemies at the same table.
Nate and Caleb.
Caleb was on his best behavior.
Not a sound from him.
Nate, on the other hand, looked completely at ease.
He was back in his own house.
Children around him.
A disturbing thought crossed my mind.
What if Nate had arranged all of this from the very beginning?
But I pushed it away.
He couldn’t have.
He wouldn’t have done that to me.
In any case, right now he’s with his family, and I can keep an eye on him to make sure he’s alright.