After I Died for Justice, He Chased Me for Years

Chapter 4

Jillian's mind was a total mess. Nathan's question echoed over and over in her head on a loop.

"What if the remaining fugitives from the Taylor Group find out you're an undercover agent?"

And now? Nathan had personally brought the biggest fugitive of the Taylor Group right through the front door.

He knew exactly how much danger this put her in, yet he'd done it anyway.

It was the middle of sweltering summer, but Jillian felt ice-cold all over; her heart had gone half cold.

She stared at Nathan, mouthed at him silently. "Why?"

Nathan's tone was casual, like he'd done nothing out of the ordinary. "We ran background checks. Nina never took part in any of the Taylor Group's business. Don't judge her through tinted glasses just because her last name is Taylor."

Jillian froze solid on the spot.

She'd spent six years undercover. No one knew better than her just how much weight Nina's words carried in the Taylor organization.

How could their investigation have missed it? There was no way Nina wasn't involved in the Taylor Group's criminal activities.

Her chest burned like it was filled with hot coals. She scribbled furiously on a piece of paper. "What you found isn't necessarily the whole truth."

Nathan glanced at the note, his face instantly darkening with cold anger. "I was the one who led the entire Taylor case investigation. What other truth could there possibly be?"

Jillian's breath caught in her throat. She tried desperately to explain, but not a single sound would come out of her mouth.

The tension in the room thickened by the second, heavy enough to cut with a knife.

Nina tugged gently at Nathan's sleeve, her voice small and careful. "Doesn't Jillian like me?"

"Don't worry about her."

Nathan brushed past Jillian without a second glance, sat down at the dining table, and called out softly, "Nina, come eat."

His tone was warm and gentle—softer than anything Jillian had heard from him since she'd come back from her undercover mission.

Nina sat right up next to him, leaning in to murmur, "Is Jillian mad because you brought me home without telling her? You should go explain to her. The Taylor estate got seized; that's why you let me stay here temporarily..."

"This is my house. I don't owe her any explanations," Nathan cut her off.

The two of them chattered back and forth, so close and cozy they looked exactly like a couple head over heels in love.

Jillian stood off to the side, her face drained of all color. She felt like she was drowning in bitter disappointment.

Glancing down at the shattered bowl on the floor, she thought she could see the future of her relationship with Nathan staring back at her—broken into a million tiny, irreparable pieces.

She knelt down, picked up every last shard of the broken bowl, then sat down to eat in total silence.

That night, they arranged for Nina to sleep in the living room, while Nathan took the study.

Jillian tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep no matter how hard she tried. Finally, she decided to go talk to Nathan once more.

She got up, wrote down everything she wanted to say on a note, then tapped lightly on the study door. Knock, knock.

"Come in."

At the sound of Nathan's voice, Jillian pushed the door open, set the note she had written down in front of him. It said: "Nathan, Nina might not be as simple as she appears."

Nathan stared at the words, his brows pinching together in a deep frown. "Do you have any proof of that?"

Jillian shook her head. "Not yet."

"Then drop the bias." Nathan's voice was as cold as a block of ice. He crumpled up the note and tossed it directly into the trash can.

Jillian stared at Nathan, stunned and disbelieving. "So that's really what you think of me?"

Nathan's face stayed perfectly blank, no hint of softening in his tone. "We've been apart for so long I've forgotten what kind of person you even are."

That single word—forgotten—felt like a red-hot knife being driven straight through her heart, a sharp, searing pain that knocked the wind right out of her.

She had no memory of how she stumbled out of the study. The next thing she knew, sunlight was streaming through the windows, and dawn had broken.

She dragged herself out of bed in a daze, and only noticed Nina was gone when she stepped into the living room.

She put together breakfast quietly, then headed to the study to call Nathan to eat.

But just as she reached the study door, Nina's soft voice drifted out from inside. "So you two haven't been together for six whole years?"

"Mm." Nathan's response was cold and clipped, no warmth to it at all.

Nina spoke again, her tone curious and probing. "But you two don't even act like a couple, honestly. Do you actually still have feelings for Jillian?"

Jillian froze, holding her breath so tight her lungs burned. Her hand, frozen mid-raise to knock, trembled so badly she could barely hold it still.

The next second, Nathan's voice cut through the silence. "Even if there are no feelings left, I have to take care of Jillian. It's my responsibility."

That single word—responsibility—slammed into her like a sledgehammer to the head. Her ears rang, and her legs almost buckled beneath her.

Before she could even process what he'd just said, the door was wrenched open from the inside.

Jillian's eyes locked directly with Nathan's, right there on the other side of the doorframe.