Hidden Passion
Chapter 32

Lillian was more than shocked and it was evident in her eyes. What was he talking about? Well, she knew what he was talking about, but how did he find out? Nathaniel forced a smile. "You don't have to take that seriously. I just wanted to lighten the tense mood a little."

Lillian shook her head. She should just tell him the truth. "No, it's okay. I'm actually-"

He palmed his face and looked down. "I can't believe she fooled me. I don't even know how possible that is. She even had the inscription. The one I wrote on Lillian's hands years ago." "She has the inscription?"

He nodded. "That only left me with one clue. However that happened, she had seen the real Lillian and the inscription. I don't even know what to think about her. Now, she will come see me tomorrow and I-I," he halted and sighed. "She didn't know that you knew?" She watched him nod his head. "Why?"

"If I were to confront her with that, I would not be able get the information on who was backing her up and I need to know that." He sat up and faced her on her seat, looking at her in the eyes and smiled.

Lillian found herself smiling. "What is wrong with you? Why are you suddenly smiling?"

"That's because I suddenly realized how much I missed you," he confided. He never planned on telling her that, but it slipped before he could control himself. But it would be a coward act to take that back. He could only scratch the back of his neck as the thought of the rude Lillian replying crossed his mind.

"You" Lillian was saying.

"Aren't you going to ask me the reason I could not recognize you?" He asked and turned serious. He held her eyes as she smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine, Nath. I don't care if I have to introduce myself to you every time I see you for you to recognize me. I can tolerate that. What I cannot bring myself to endure is seeing someone deceiving you." She brought a hand to his cheek and caressed it.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how you are going to take this. I don't want to hurt you, but there's no way you'll find out about this and not get hurt," she pointed out.

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Promise me that you won't flare up. You must stay calm," she uttered as he nodded. "Nester is behind all this."

Silence screamed around them for a moment that almost lasted forever. He could not say a word as he processed what he just heard. By the time he found his words, he could not help but laugh. "I am very sorry. I don't know why I keep hearing things wrong recently. You won't believe I thought you said Nester was responsible for it."

Lillian was not surprised. He trusted his assistant and would have never thought she would be capable of doing such to him. She said nothing but did not stray her eyes away from his.

His smile dissipated. "Wait, you're saying that she was responsible for how Linda got into this house and pretended to be the woman I had been looking for?" Lillian said nothing.

"I am not doubting you, but I don't believe what you just said."

"Your words are contradictory."

"I just can't bring myself to believe that she could do that. She could not. I trust her. Look, she found her. Well, who she found was the wrong person, but-"

"Listen to this," she said and played the voice record she had done at her office when Nester was talking.

Throughout the duration of the recording, he kept opening and closing his mouth in awe. He could not even bring himself to say a word. He only gestured with his hand for her to stop playing the audio.

Lillian sighed for the umpteenth time as she stopped the recording. "Nath, I am not doing this to mar the relationship you have with your assistant, believe me, but I think you should know the truth. I can't just sit back and watch someone deceive you," she explained.

"Why?" He asked without meeting her eyes.

"Why what?" She was a little bit confused. Why was he asking him why?

"Why did she go to you? Why did she tell you these? Why would she find me an imposter? Why is she doing this to me? Why?"

Lillian became uncomfortable and it was caused only by his second why. She was not ready to tell him the truth about her identity anymore. She was afraid if he could get more shocked than he already was, his illness would act up and things would go out of hand.

"Uhm... I... I... don't know?" Why would that end up being a question? That wasn't good.

Nathaniel looked up at her and expressed his ire. "Now that I think deeply about it, there's only one person who deceived me."

Lillian clasped her palms together and laced her fingers into one another. "Who?" "You."

"What? Me? How?"

"You're asking me how? For real?" He rose to his feet and placed a palm on his forehead out of frustration. "You think I would not figure out that you are the Lillian I'd been looking for?"

Lillian rose to her feet with her jaw on the floor. "I don't get..."

"You don't get it!" He shouted. "You have known from the very beginning that we were childhood friends, but you kept quiet. You didn't tell me anything. Why?" His voice was laced with ire and hurt, and his expression gave it off. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Nath, I can explain. It's not as you think. Please, listen to me," she pleaded.

"Listen to you? Are you kidding? Why must I listen to you? You deceived me, Lillian."

She got closer and tried to hold him, but he jerked his hand away and stepped back. "Please, Nath."

"Oh, my!" He felt his world spinning as he began to stagger from one point to another. He held his head as he screamed in pain.

"Nath? What is wrong with you? Nath?"

"Ah!" He groaned and before he knew it, he had collapsed on the floor.