Sadly Engaged

~Chapter 15~

(Nathaniel's point of view)

"Your a fucking bastard you know that!" I yelled into the abyss of black, "We had a fucking deal!" I had been yelling for what seemed to be hours, and I was beyond pissed. I had no doubt in my mind that this was the work of the man on the phone, he double crossed me.

I clenched my hand which was handcuffed and chained to a wall, tugging on the chains trying to break free. The room was musty and dark, with no way of seeing what was lurking in the shadows. Just imaging what Emily was feeling after I had been so cruel to her all day. I had been played like a fiddle, this was their plan all along.

To keep chipping away at that beautiful woman's confidence and light, to make her bend to the person on the phone's will. A growl ripped from my throat as I continuously yanked on the chains that bond me. She didn't deserve any of this after all the pain in her life, I needed to get back to her and tell her everything.

I needed to tell her who I was and why I had left her both times, they were never by my own choice. I looked at the chains more closely trying to figure out the best way to get them off of me, their silver flickering in the low light.

"There's no escaping, not until they get what they want." My head jerked towards the voice that danced in the shadows, it was warm and gentle... much like Emily's. I heard some shuffling until a woman came through the light, sitting down in front of my holding a piece of bread.

Her hair was a bright red that was wild and untamed, her eyes were a stormy gray filled with defiance. She held herself with dignity even though she had uttered such words of hopelessness, her eyes focused on me watching closely with a critical eye.

"You were with my daughter." She said with assurance not asking but just stating it, she raised her eyebrows slightly. "The moment you came to France they moved me here."

"How did you know-" I went to ask her about how she knew about my traveling with Emily, but she interrupted me before I could get out the words.

"They brought you here." She didn't have any chains on her like I had, her hand traveled up and pet my head fondly, "I heard the deal you tried to make."

I grimaced realizing how much of a failure I must have looked to her, I had failed to protect her daughter and I had been cussing to the wind. I closed my eyes not wanting to see her, hoping that maybe she could understand one day.

"You have no idea how much that means to me, but these men would never let us stay in my baby girl's life." She put her hand on my cheek and my eyes snapped open just in time to see a single shining tear run down her face.

"You love her." Another statement came from her lips with such confidence in her thoughts, I simply nodded my head looking down at the ground where my hands were.

"Did you really think you could stay next to her without truly being with her?" I let out a sigh shaking my head sadly, eventually I would break and need to be with her once more. I had gone for so long without her yet the moment she entered my life she became my world.

"I love her with every fiber of my being Ms. Winston," I began with watching her smile at me like a mother would to her son, "If I knew you two were together and happy I would have given everything I have in this life up."

"To find a man in this life who would give everything up is rare." She pulled her hand away from my cheek, more tears threatening her stormy eyes.

"That doesn't make it any less true, even if she doesn't feel the same." I felt something wet run down my cheek, and I closed my eyes trying to keep my emotions in cheek.