The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel Chapter 176

Not Divided.

“Mommy, why are you and Daddy always on a trip without us?” Sebastian asked, frowning.

Serena almost cried upon hearing her son.

Sebastian had no idea she had just been through hell.

“Don’t worry, Baby,” she said. “When I get back, your dad and I will take you on a vacation.”

She felt like she needed to get away after what she had been through. And judging by the quiet look on her father’s face, he did not have any objections, even to the thought of being with Nathaniel.

“Mommy, you okay?” Alisa asked, her brows meeting as she studied Serena carefully through the screen.

Serena forced a smile.

Alisa was always so observant. She could easily tell when something was wrong. She may not connect with others as much, but for the people Alisa cared about, she was very perceptive.

“I’m fine,” Serena replied. “I just missed you, Ali. And Bastin too.”

Nathaniel sat beside her, rubbed her arms, and smiled at Alisa. “Don’t worry about Mommy. I’m taking care of her.”

Alisa smiled. “Okay, Daddy.”

After the kids, Alice took over, bringing the tablet somewhere more private. From there, Xavier came into view.

“God, I’m so glad you are safe,” Alice said. “Who had you kidnapped, Serena? Who?”

Serena turned to Nathaniel.

Yesterday, Nathaniel insisted that Victor’s name be a secret for now. It was safer for everyone that way. He also did not want his mother’s blood pressure to rise should she discover Victor was still alive and had escaped prison over the last four years. Lastly, Nathaniel wanted to lure out whoever had helped Victor.

“We captured the men who took Serena, but we believe there is a mastermind,” Nathaniel explained. “The kidnappers are being interrogated at the military camp.”

Through the video call, Serena could see her best friend trembling. Alice shifted her gaze to Nathaniel and pleaded, “Nathan, you have to make them pay! Only you can give Serena justice! Real justice!”

“I swear, I’ll make them pay — every one of their accomplices,” Nathaniel answered firmly.

Alice broke down completely after that. Xavier had to take over. While Alice cried in his arms, he turned to Serena. “You don’t know how relieved I am — we are.”

Behind Xavier, Alice’s parents were there, including Landon.

They expressed words of gratitude, knowing Serena had been saved.

Bianca paused and looked down. A tear finally rolled down her cheek. “I guess we made the right choice in reconnecting with your grandfather. He may have abandoned your father, but he is trying to make amends.”

Nathaniel was silent for a moment. When Serena turned to him, he said, “Yes, he is trying his best. I won’t ignore that.”

It was in the way they spoke that Serena realized something quiet but profound — that even the deepest wounds were not beyond healing. Time did not erase the past, but it softened it. The same went for her and Nathaniel. What was once broken did not have to define them forever.

Right now, they stood side by side, facing the same enemy — the very man who had once torn them apart. But this time, they were not divided. They were one.

The call eventually ended. Now, with Serena’s family gathered in one place, they had to plan.

Over a late breakfast in Serena’s hospital suite, Sterling asked, “Are we really not going to tell anybody that we have Victor in custody? Not even the Hartleys? Not even… my brother?”

Serena noticed Nathaniel’s grip on his coffee cup tighten. His brows met.

“Especially not your brother," Nathaniel replied. "He was the reason Serena got kidnapped in the first place.”

“What makes you think Melvin is involved in this?” Sterling asked seriously.

“I’m not saying he is,” Nathaniel answered. “I’m saying he made a mistake, and he deserves every bit of doubt — from me, from you—”

Nathaniel turned to Serena. “From Serena too.”