Heiress' Househusband is a Secret Billionaire - Chapter 146

Chapter 146: She Was Selfish, Utterly Despicable
The world seemed to come to a stop for Nathaniel.

The breeze ceased blowing, the flowers ceased dancing and the Earth ceased orbiting.

That was what Nathaniel felt right now.

Elsie’s words froze Nathaniel, his eyes flung open in surprise. As if blood was drained from his body, his face was as pale as a white sheet. Cold sweat immediately broke on his back.

“W-wait… A daughter? We have… a daughter? You mean… the child from before?”

An invisible rope seemed to strangle Nathanie’s throat, leaving him to speak incoherently. Fresh waves of tears rushed to his eyes, rendering his sight blurrier than earlier.

Nathaniel’s questions, weaved with doubts, struck Elsie’s heart. Blinking, she stared at him blankly as she didn’t envision this kind of reaction from him.

“…why do you sound surprised?” Elsie asked, her tone cautious. Her brows furrowed slightly while her green eyes narrowed, “Did you think I wouldn’t mention our child when we met?”

Elsie continued staring at Nathaniel, finding it strange to hear such questions from him. At the same time, she briefly recalled the e-mails he had replied to her before.

Elsie noticed that Nathaniel didn’t ask even the slightest question about their child—the one she kept hidden from him until now. Still, she assumed he would rather ask her once they met.

But… it didn’t seem so.

Struggling to breathe because of the throbbing pain in his heart, Nathaniel’s eyes eventually regained some clarity. His lips trembled, still making it hard for him to speak but, he forced himself to.

“D-didn’t you… did you not… miscarry when you… ran away?”

Nathaniel vividly remembered the traces of blood left behind by Elsie. Deep, dark red—the image haunted his nights.

All this time, Nathaniel thought the blood came from Elsie’s possible injuries, or worse, from a miscarriage because of the attack. He believed that was one of the reasons why she chose to hide even after years.

But… They had a daughter? Was the child really born safely?

Nathaniel’s new questions baffled Elsie. Countless thoughts clashed in her mind as her eyes widened, all screaming at her, wanting to be heard dominantly.

“Niel… you… You thought I miscarried… before?”

Elsie opened her mouth, her voice was barely a whisper. Her heart beat so fast she could hear it buzzing in her ears.

That was the only thing Nathaniel had been saying. From the evident shock on his face upon learning about their child, Elsie believed he wasn’t faking his surprise.

“…yes. All this time… I thought you miscarried. I saw the blood… in our home before.”

A single stiff nod from Nathaniel, followed by his verbal reply confirmed Elsie’s doubt. Realizing the truth, another wave of remorse hit the shore of her heart.

This… how could this be?

If he was convinced that she lost their child during the attack that forced her to flee, wouldn’t this mean… he was subjected to heavy guilt?

Elsie’s gut twisted at the horrifying thought. Her eyes remained on Nathaniel but, her sight suddenly became a blur.

Nathaniel unknowingly stood up, his entire body shaking with fear, “Elsie… Elsie… Your questions… do you mean you didn’t lose the child? You didn’t miscarry before?”

Nathaniel’s voice trembled more than before. He almost couldn’t hear his own voice from the loud ringing of his heavily pounded heart.

Was she telling him the truth?

Was she?

“Niel, I… I didn’t lose our child…” Elsie shook her head, her wavy locks framing her face on the verge of tears, “The blood was mine but… she’s safe… She was safe.”

Thud.

Nathaniel fell back on his chair, the metal legs left a sharp screeching echo. The realization numbed him, rendering him motionless before the dam of his eyes broke.

Elsie lowered her face, unable to look at Nathaniel’s teary face. Immense guilt prodded into her heart, reminding her how much she had caused this man pain.

“N-Niel, I’m sorry… I’m sorry… You… you blamed yourself this entire time because… you thought I lost our child?”

Nathaniel neither nodded nor answered verbally. More tears rushed down from his eyes, leaving clear streaks on his face.

Their child was safe.

Their child was safe.

Their child was safe!

Nathaniel unconsciously repeated the same words in his mind as if he was afraid the truth was a lie if he didn’t do so. He blinked slowly, zeroing his blurry gaze on Elsie.

Remorse. It was so evidently clear on her face.

“Elsie…” Nathaniel called his beloved’s name, he slowly rose to his feet as he asked the very question he held himself back before, “May I hug you?”

In the beginning, he refrained from touching her, knowing he had lost the right to do so.

But… all this revelation heightened his sense of desperation to feel her warmth. He could no longer stop himself from hiding his yearning.

Elsie rubbed her teary eyes. She stared at Nathaniel, trying to find traces of anger or disappointment in his tear-glazed brown eyes.

“I have broken your heart…” Elsie began, a faint smile lacing her lips, “I have also deceived you, and yet… you still want to hug me?”

Despite it not being intentional, Elsie admitted her action had deluded Nathaniel. She hid the existence of their child from him for years, leading him to think of the worst.

She was selfish, utterly despicable.

Nathaniel took a few slow steps to Elsie. He paused right before her. His eyes bore into her teary face.

“…doesn’t matter. It never matters to me…”

Nathaniel’s admittance pricked Elsie’s heart with the daggers of self-loathing. She had expected their first meeting might be laden with tears but, not in this way.

Elsie shook her head. Still remaining on his seat, she clenched her hands tightly, her nails dug deep into her palms.

If she followed the whispers of her heart, to reach out to him earlier, his suffering wouldn’t be prolonged for years.

Realizing how cruelly she had subjected him to self-torment, she was too ashamed to face him now. This was entirely different from what she expected.

“I made you hate yourself… Because I hid our child, you thought… she was… dead. Why… aren’t you angry with me?”

Elsie knew this was a grave misunderstanding between her and Nathaniel but… his reaction told her there were not even traces of wrath simmered within him.

“Because…” Nathaniel choked, his lips shaking, “All that matters is… you’re safe. Both you and our child.”

Before Elsie could react, Nathaniel had already enveloped her in his arms. Her tears began seeping into his shirt like how his tears left traces on her shoulder.