Page 118 of For the Love of Art

“I wanted to see you. I needed to see you.”

I bit my lip as I considered what to do. I grabbed a Post-it and wrote my new address on it before handing it to Don.

“Come by tomorrow evening. I’m normally home by six.”

Don looked grateful as he stood up and took the note. “I’ll be there at six on the dot.”

He smiled weakly at me, then left my office.

I leaned back in my chair and looked at the wall that separated my office from Nathan’s. I wondered how much he had heard or if he’d given me the space I needed to figure things out with Don. I blew out a breath, then stood up. I knew I had to talk to him eventually.

Communication.I kept reminding myself of Frankie’s words.

I knocked on Nathan’s door and waited.

“Come in,” he said in his business tone.

I opened the door, and he looked up.

“Hey,” I said as I slipped in and closed the door.

He smiled as he stood up. He did up his suit jacket as he walked over to me. He took my face in his hands and kissed me deeply.

“How did it go?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I’m okay.”

Nathan pulled back a little, his brows coming together. “Did he say something upsetting?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, you might say it was upsetting.”

Nathan dropped his hands from my face and took a step back. “Isla, what happened?”

If you want to escape the patterns of the past, you need to talk to Nathan.

“I didn’t sign the papers,” I admitted.

“You didn’t–” Nathan ran his hand over his face. “Why not?”

“He didn’t want me to,” I said.

Nathan’s throat worked as his expression changed, trying to take in what I was saying.

I looked down at my hands and picked at a nail. “He told me he still loves me.”

“Do you–” Nathan’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “Do you love him?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. The hesitation was enough for Nathan.

“I see,” he said softly. “Okay.”

He walked back around his desk and sat down.

“Fifteen years, Nathan,” I said. “It’s hard to just walk away and not hear him out.”

“I thought that’s what today was,” he argued. “He was going to come here, and you two would say the final things that needed to be said, and then you’d be divorced.”

“Oh my God, Nathan. You can’t simplify a complex thing just because you want me.” Tears sprung to my eyes.