Chapter 14 The Family War #3
That was a different question.
Nathaniel walked into the bedroom.
Evan's side of the room was untouched.
A sweater was draped over the chair.
A book sat on the bedside table.
There was a glass of water beside the bed.
Small evidence of his absence.
Nathaniel sat on the edge of the mattress.
He could still remember Evan lying there one night, laughing at something Nathaniel had said.
He remembered waking to find Evan asleep with one hand resting protectively over his stomach.
He remembered thinking that this room had never felt like home before.
Now it felt enormous.
Nathaniel picked up Evan's sweater.
He held it for a moment before putting it back.
He wouldn't turn absence into possession.
Evan wasn't something that had been taken from him.
Evan was a person who had chosen to leave temporarily.
There was a difference.
Nathaniel understood that now.
The next morning, he didn't go into the office immediately.
He sat at the kitchen table with coffee he barely touched.
He reread Evan's note.
Then he took out a sheet of paper.
He started writing.
Evan,
I won't ask you to come home before you're ready.
He stopped.
Then continued.
I won't use the baby to convince you.
I won't use money.
I won't use your fear.
I won't use my position.
I won't ask anyone to pressure you.
He paused again.
I only want you to know that none of the consequences of loving you are things I blame you for.
Nathaniel stared at the sentence.
He wrote again.
My career is mine.
My choices are mine.
My relationship with your father is mine.
And loving you is mine.
He stopped.
That last line mattered.
He continued.
You don't have to carry responsibility for every consequence of my choices. I chose you knowing there would be consequences. I would make the same choice again.
Nathaniel set down the pen.
He read the letter from beginning to end.
It wasn't a demand.
It wasn't an argument.
It wasn't a plea designed to make Evan feel guilty.
It was simply the truth.
Nathaniel folded the paper.
Then he realized something.
He couldn't mail it without knowing where Evan was.
He could send a message.
He picked up his phone.
He typed slowly.
I received your note. I won't pressure you to come back. Take whatever time you need. I love you, and that hasn't changed. When you're ready, I want to talk—not to convince you of anything, but to make sure you know the truth about what I choose.
He read it several times.
Then sent it.
The message showed as delivered.
Nathaniel put the phone down.
He waited.
Nothing happened.
He didn't send another message.
Instead, he called his assistant.
"I need something."
"Of course."
"I want you to find out where Evan is."
There was a pause.
"Do you want the location?"
"Yes."
"Should I contact him?"
"No."
"Should I send anyone?"
"No."
"Then what do you need the information for?"
Nathaniel looked out the window.
"Because I need to know he's safe."
The assistant hesitated.
"I understand."
"But don't follow him."
"Understood."
"And don't interfere with whatever he's doing."
"Of course."
Nathaniel ended the call.
He knew there was a difference between knowing someone was safe and controlling where they went.
He would respect that line.
A few hours later, his assistant sent him a message confirming that Evan was safe.
Nothing more.
Nathaniel deleted the message after reading it.
He didn't need details.
He only needed to know Evan was all right.
For the rest of the day, Nathaniel worked.
He attended meetings.
He answered calls.
He dealt with the growing media attention.
He reviewed contracts.
He spoke to his board.
He did everything expected of him.
But beneath every conversation was the same thought.
Evan.
By evening, Nathaniel returned home.
The house was still quiet.
He walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.
He didn't know how long Evan would stay away.
A day.
A week.
Longer.
Nathaniel couldn't guarantee that Evan would return.
That was the hardest part.
But love was never supposed to be a guarantee.
It was a choice.
And Nathaniel had already made his.
He would not chase Evan with pressure.
He would not make his pregnancy a chain.
He would not ask Evan to sacrifice his independence to prove his love.
If Evan needed space, Nathaniel would give it.
If Evan needed answers, Nathaniel would give them.
And if Evan needed to hear the truth, Nathaniel would find him and tell him.
Not because Evan belonged to him.
Because Evan mattered to him.
Nathaniel looked at the empty place beside him.
"I love you," he whispered into the quiet room.
He didn't know if Evan could hear him.
That didn't matter.
The words were true.
Nathaniel stood.
He picked up his coat.
He was going to find Evan.
But not to bring him home.
Not to demand an answer.
Not to make him choose.
He was going to find the man he loved and tell him one simple truth.
Evan did not have to lose himself to be loved by Nathaniel.
And Nathaniel would rather give him the freedom to walk away than keep him through fear.
That was what choosing Evan really meant.
Even when choosing him meant letting him go.
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