The second choice who became his first

Kim’s Party

Chapter 17

The Party

Chapter 16

Nathalie’s POV

Today was Kim’s party.

And knowing my sister, it was never going to be a simple family gathering.

Kim was the definition of extra. She wanted everything to be grand, elegant, and unforgettable. It was a strict family banquet, and she had practically invited the entire family.

A few days before the party, she had sent me thousands of gowns to choose from.

And when I thought that was enough, she went ahead and sent Stephanie Wilton, the nation’s most famous stylist, to dress me.

I couldn’t even complain.

Kim was Kim.

After Stephanie was finally done with me, I stared at myself in the mirror.

My gown fit perfectly, and my hair and makeup were flawless.

I placed my hand gently over my stomach.

My twins were growing quickly, and somehow, pregnancy had given me a glow I couldn’t explain.

A driver arrived shortly afterward to pick me up.

When I arrived at the venue, I immediately understood why Kim had gone all out.

The mansion was breathtaking.

The lights illuminated the beautiful garden, while soft music played in the background. Laughter filled the air as family members moved around, greeting one another.

It seemed like Kim had literally invited the entire family.

I stepped inside and looked around.

Most of my siblings were already there.

Mom and Dad were there too, along with some of my uncles, aunts, cousins, and in-laws.

“Nathalieeeeeee!”

I heard someone scream.

I immediately knew who it was.

“Sam!”

She ran toward me, and I laughed as she pulled me into a hug.

Erica and Royce joined us shortly after.

Erica pulled back and dramatically sniffed the air.

“Hmmmm, sis, you smell so divine.”

I giggled.

“It must be because you’re expecting twins!”

I laughed.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Come on, guys!” Kim suddenly complained from behind us. “Is it Nathalie’s party or mine? Literally, you guys are leaving me here! Oh my God, I don’t even know what to say anymore.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Kim was such a drama queen.

I went around greeting the rest of my cousins, aunts, and uncles before finally sitting beside my family.

My sister-in-law, Mavis, immediately looked at me from head to toe.

“Oh my God, sister-in-law! You look so, so, so gorgeous.”

She placed a hand over her chest dramatically.

“I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy glow or what, but now I feel like I need to get pregnant again.”

I blushed.

“Stop it, Mavis.”

Everyone laughed.

Benjamin, Eric’s husband, leaned forward.

“Hey, sis. How are our little champs doing?”

I smiled and rubbed my stomach.

“They’re doing great.”

“Please, you guys should stop bothering my sister,” Sam interrupted. “Can’t you see the girl is almost ready to explode?”

We all burst into laughter.

I looked around.

“Where are my nieces and nephews?”

Royce shook his head.

“This is a grown-up party. Of course, no kids are allowed here.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“But someone already brought a kid here, right, Lia?”

Thaddeus immediately laughed.

The entire table erupted into laughter.

For a while, I forgot about everything.

I forgot about Zachary.

I forgot about Ivanka.

I forgot about the arguments, the videos, the rumors, and the endless questions about my marriage.

For a moment, I was simply Nathalie.

A daughter.

A sister.

A cousin.

A woman surrounded by people who loved her.

But deep down, there was one thing I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Zachary.

Ever since he had taken me to my prenatal appointment, something inside me had changed.

The way he had insisted on taking me.

The way he had held my hand when we saw our babies on the ultrasound.

The way he had looked at the screen when Mrs. Louisa Adams told us we were expecting twins.

And then, after the appointment, he had hugged me.

I had allowed myself to hope.

Maybe that was the beginning of something.

Maybe he was finally getting closer to me.

Maybe he was finally starting to love me.

Maybe he wasn’t just staying because I was carrying his children.

For the first time in a long time, I thought perhaps I had a real chance with my husband.

And that tiny bit of hope had made me happy.

But now…

The mansion doors suddenly opened.

And the room became strangely quiet.

I looked toward the entrance.

My smile disappeared.

Zachary had arrived.

And he wasn’t alone.

Ivanka was beside him.

My heart stopped.

The little hope I had been holding onto shattered instantly.

I stared at them together.

After everything that had happened at the hospital, after the way I had held his hand and believed we were finally becoming closer, this was what I walked into.

Maybe I had misunderstood everything.

Maybe taking me to my prenatal appointment meant nothing to him.

Maybe the hug meant nothing.

Maybe the way he had looked at our twins meant nothing.

Maybe I had been foolish enough to believe that one beautiful moment meant he was finally falling in love with me.

For years, I had tried to be the perfect wife.

The perfect woman.

I had loved Zachary with everything I had, even when I knew a part of his heart still belonged to someone else.

Ivanka.

His first love.

The woman he had never truly forgotten.

I had always wondered if Zachary looked at me and actually saw me…

Or if he only saw the cousin of the woman he had lost.

And now she was standing beside him.

Zachary noticed me.

“Nathalie.”

His voice sounded surprised.

I looked at him, trying desperately to hide the pain in my eyes.

“You came with her?”

He hesitated.

“It’s not what you think.”

I gave him a sad smile.

“Isn’t that always what people say when they know they’ve hurt someone?”

The atmosphere around us became tense.

Everyone had gone quiet.

Ivanka looked at me calmly.

“Nathalie, don’t misunderstand. Zachary and I were only catching up.”

Catching up.

Those words felt heavier than they should have.

I looked at Zachary.

“Do you know what hurts the most?”

He said nothing.

“It’s not that Ivanka came back.”

My voice trembled.

“It’s that after the other day, I actually thought things were changing between us.”

His expression shifted.

“I thought…”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“I thought when you took me to my prenatal appointment, it meant we were getting closer.”

He stared at me.

“I thought maybe you were finally starting to love me.”

Silence.

“And I was so stupid because I allowed myself to believe that.”

“Nathalie…”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“Let me finish.”

For years, I had swallowed my pain.

Tonight, I couldn’t do it anymore.

“I became your wife. I became the mother of your children. I stood beside you when things were difficult.”

I placed a hand over my stomach.

“I’m carrying your twins, Zachary.”

His expression changed.

“But somehow, I still feel like I’m not enough.”

“Nathalie, that’s not true.”

“Then what is true?”

He fell silent.

Tears filled my eyes.

“I’ve spent so much time trying to convince myself that you would eventually love me.”

My voice cracked.

“But I think I’ve finally realized something.”

I looked directly into his eyes.

“I was never the woman you truly chose.”

The words hit him hard.

His face fell.

For the first time, I saw something in his eyes that looked like regret.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

I smiled faintly through my tears.

“I waited so long for those words.”

I wiped away a tear.

“But I don’t want an apology anymore.”

I took a step backward.

“I want a love where I don’t have to compete with someone’s past.”

“Nathalie, wait.”

He stepped toward me.

I stopped.

For a moment, I almost turned around.

Almost.

But I couldn’t keep doing this to myself.

I took a deep breath.

Then I walked away.

I barely made it a few steps before I heard Royce’s chair scrape against the floor.

“Zachary!”

I stopped.

Royce walked toward him, his face filled with anger.

“You’ve done enough.”

“Royce, stay out of this,” Zachary warned.

“Stay out of it?” Royce scoffed. “That’s my sister you just broke in front of everyone.”

Before anyone could stop him, Royce swung his fist and punched Zachary across the face.

A gasp escaped the room.

“Royce!” Mom shouted.

Zachary stumbled backward, touching the corner of his mouth.

Royce pointed at him.

“She’s pregnant with your twins, and you still have the nerve to bring another woman into a family banquet and hurt her like this?”

“Royce, enough!” Dad ordered.

Royce glared at Zachary for another moment before stepping back.

I couldn’t stay there anymore.

I quickly walked toward the garden.

“Nathalie!”

I heard Sam behind me.

Erica and Kim followed her immediately.

I walked until I reached a quiet corner of the garden, away from the music and everyone else.

The moment I stopped, the tears I’d been fighting finally fell.

Sam wrapped her arms around me.

“Oh, sis…”

I broke down against her shoulder.

“I thought he was changing.”

Erica gently rubbed my back.

“We know.”

“I thought taking me to the hospital meant something.”

My voice trembled.

“I thought he was finally starting to love me.”

Kim wiped away my tears.

“Don’t blame yourself for hoping, Nathalie.”

“But I feel so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid,” Sam said firmly. “You loved your husband. There is nothing stupid about that.”

Erica nodded.

“And you don’t have to compete with Ivanka. Never.”

I covered my face as more tears escaped.

“I just wanted him to choose me.”

Kim pulled me into another hug.

“He should have chosen you a long time ago.”

The three of them stayed beside me.

Nobody told me to stop crying.

Nobody told me to forgive him.

They simply held me while I cried.

For the first time that evening, I allowed myself to feel everything.

The hurt.

The disappointment.

The heartbreak.

And somewhere deep inside, I knew something had changed.

I still loved Zachary.

But maybe loving him didn’t mean I had to keep hurting myself.