Chapter 161
~ Navine ~
I’d seen Nathaniel speaking to Hailey through the CCTV feed and had felt a sharp, unexpected sting of hurt settle somewhere beneath my ribs as soon as I recognized their body language. It was more than slight, far more than I wanted to admit to myself, but I wasn’t ready to examine that particular feeling too closely, not when acknowledging it would mean confronting truths I’d been carefully avoiding.
From my office, I watched as Nathaniel approached her in the parking garage, his posture familiar and practiced, and I saw him offer something—most likely a ride, knowing my brother’s standard moves and the way he positioned himself as helpful and attentive when it suited him. I watched Hailey barely acknowledge him, her movements hurried and distracted, before she r
