Rejected: A love story

Chapter 173: A connection

His fingers stayed there, touching the skin behind her ear. It was a soft touch, but it felt like fire. Nathan leaned in just an inch more. He was so close that Viktoria could feel the heat coming off him. His eyes dropped to her lips, and for a second, the whole world outside that kitchen didn’t exist. There was no Nikolai, no fake photos, and no scary men in the woods. There was just the two of them and a memory that was trying to force its way back to life.

Viktoria’s heart was beating against her ribs like a trapped bird. She knew she should pull away. She knew she should say something to break the spell, but her body wouldn’t move. She felt like she was drowning in his gaze, and she didn’t want to be saved. Nathan’s breath hitched, and he tilted his head, his face drifting closer until their lips were almost touching.

"Mummy?"

The small, sleepy voice from the doorway was like a bucket of ice water.

They both jumped back so fast that Nathan’s chair scraped loudly against the stone floor. Viktoria scrambled to her feet, her face burning with heat and shame. She turned toward the door, her hands shaking as she smoothed down her sweater.

Mateo was standing there, rubbing his eyes with one hand and clutching his stuffed wolf with the other. He looked tiny and confused in the big, dark kitchen.

"Mateo! Baby, why are you awake?" Viktoria asked, her voice sounding breathless and high. She rushed over to him and scooped him up, holding him tight against her chest. She used his small body as a shield between her and Nathan.

"I had a bad dream," the boy whispered, burying his face in her neck. "The house was making loud noises. I wanted you."

Viktoria felt a massive wave of guilt wash over her. While her son was scared and alone upstairs, she was in the kitchen almost kissing a man who wasn’t his father. She looked over her shoulder at Nathan.

Nathan was standing by the table, his chest heaving. He looked completely shattered. He was staring at Mateo; at the little boy who looked so much like him, yet reminded him that she belonged to someone else. The clear-headedness he had a moment ago was gone, replaced by a look of deep, raw pain.

"I... I should go," Nathan muttered, not looking her in the eye. He grabbed the first-aid kit from the table, his hands fumbling with it. "Take him back to bed, Viktoria. Lock the door like I told you."

He didn’t wait for her to answer. He turned and walked out of the kitchen, his footsteps heavy and fast.

Viktoria stood in the middle of the room, rocking Mateo back and forth. She could still feel the Nathan’s fingers on her ear. She looked down at her palm—the glass was gone, and a small bandage was now covering the cut. He had taken care of her.

"Mummy, you’re shaking," Mateo murmured into her shoulder.

"I’m okay, love," she lied, her voice cracking. "I’m just cold. Let’s go back upstairs."

She carried him up the stairs, but her mind was a mess. Every step she took felt like she was walking further away from the life she knew in Russia and closer to a truth that terrified her. She tucked Mateo back into the small bed and sat beside him, watching the door.

She thought about Nikolai—his smile, the way he treated her like a queen. But when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Nathan’s face, and all she could hear was that one word.

Cupcake

Mateo eventually fell back into a deep sleep, but Viktoria couldn’t even think about closing her eyes. She sat on the edge of the bed, her mind spinning. Every corner of this house felt like it was trying to tell her a secret.

She looked at the small nightstand next to the bed. It was old wood, painted a soft white. On a whim, she pulled at the small drawer. It was stuck at first, but with a firm tug, it slid open. Inside, tucked under a yellowed lace cloth, was a velvet box.

She picked it up. The velvet was dusty and faded, but when she snapped the lid open, the jewelry inside sparkled in the dim light. It was a complete set; a necklace, earrings, and a bracelet made of delicate silver and small, clear stones that looked like stars.

She didn’t just see the jewelry. She felt it. A flash of a memory hit her: a she saw a man’s face. his face full of nerves and excitement, clicking the clasp of that very necklace around her neck.

"I’ve never had any memory flash before now, what’s the connection? Could I be Fiona?" She asked no one in particular.

A soft knock on the door made her jump. She didn’t have time to hide the box before the door creaked open. Nathan was standing there. He had changed into a clean shirt, he looked sober, but his eyes were filled with a deep sadness.

He stopped when he saw what was in her hands. He didn’t look angry; he just looked tired.

"I forgot I put those in there," he said, his voice very quiet. He walked into the room, keeping his distance from the bed where Mateo was sleeping. "I gave that set to Fiona on her twentieth birthday. It was the first expensive thing I ever bought her. She cried and..." He trailed off.

Viktoria looked down at the stones. Her chest felt like it was being squeezed. "She must have been so happy," she whispered.

"She was," Nathan said, leaning against the wall. "She wore throughout that day and kept touching the necklace every five minutes just to make sure it was still there. It was the best day of my life."

He looked at the floor, his shoulders dropping. "Now it’s just more metal in a box. Just like everything else in this house."

Viktoria saw the raw pain on his face, and for the first time, she didn’t care about being "Viktoria" or "Nikolai’s wife." She just saw a man who was drowning in his own grief. She stood up and walked over to him.

Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest.

Nathan froze. His whole body went stiff as a board. For a few seconds, he didn’t move, and Viktoria thought she had made a mistake. But then, he let out a long, shaky breath that sounded like a sob. He folded his arms around her, pulling her so tight it was almost hard to breathe. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his body trembling.

They stood there in the dark, quiet room, just holding each other. Just two people trying to find a bit of peace in the middle of a storm.

Viktoria rubbed his back, her eyes wet with tears. "It’s okay, Nathan," she murmured. "It’s okay."

Nathan didn’t say anything. He just held her tighter, as if he was afraid that if he let go, she would vanish.