Chapter 14 - THE REASON HE CHOSE ME
Nico had known my name before we met.
That was what Margaret's letter revealed.
Three years earlier, he had been searching for Daniel Bennett's daughter.
Not because he wanted romance.
Not because he believed in fate.
Because he thought I might know where my father hid the financial evidence.
My hands began shaking.
I remembered our first meeting.
A bookstore in Manhattan.
Rain against the windows.
Nico standing near the history section.
He'd smiled when I dropped my coffee.
Helped me pick up my books.
Asked whether I believed people could change.
At the time, it felt like destiny.
Now I wondered whether it had been planned.
I called him.
He answered immediately.
“Hannah?”
“Did you know who I was before we met?”
Silence.
I closed my eyes.
“Nico.”
“Yes.”
The word hurt.
I swallowed.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
He took a breath.
“Because I approached you for the wrong reason.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“So everything was fake?”
“No.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he whispered:
“You shouldn't have to believe anything without evidence.”
I sat down.
For the first time, Nico wasn't asking me to trust him blindly.
He continued.
“I wanted to find your father. I thought you might know something.”
“And then?”
“I met you.”
My throat tightened.
“You knew my favorite books because you'd investigated me?”
“At first, yes.”
I covered my mouth.
The betrayal felt fresh.
Nico's voice broke.
“But the first time you laughed at my terrible joke, I forgot why I'd approached you.”
I closed my eyes.
“That doesn't erase what you did.”
“I know.”
“You let me believe we met by chance.”
“Yes.”
“And when you finally loved me, you still chose lies.”
His breathing became uneven.
“Yes.”
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then I whispered:
“I'm not ready to forgive you.”
Nico's answer came quietly.
“I understand.”
I ended the call.
Then I cried.
Not because I wanted him back.
But because the truth was finally complete.
The man I'd loved had approached me for selfish reasons.
Then fallen in love.
Then lied to keep me.
Then hurt me so badly that I left.
And now he was learning what honesty cost.
Weeks passed.
Nico didn't call.
Didn't send flowers.
Didn't appear outside my apartment.
He respected my request for distance.
Instead, I learned about his changes through public records and mutual acquaintances.
He continued cooperating with investigators.
Worked with legal counsel to dismantle the criminal parts of his organization.
And established independent oversight for the charitable funds connected to Margaret's evidence.
He also began attending counseling.
Not because I demanded it.
Because he finally understood he needed help becoming someone different.
One afternoon, Isabella contacted me.
She invited me to lunch.
We sat in a small café near Central Park.
She was warm.
Funny.
Completely unimpressed by her brother's reputation.
After lunch, she looked at me.
“Hannah, Nico asked me something.”
My heart tightened.
“What?”
“He wanted to know whether he should keep hoping.”
I looked toward the window.
“And what did you tell him?”
Isabella smiled sadly.
“That hope isn't a debt someone else owes him.”
I nodded.
“That was a good answer.”
She reached across the table.
Then said something that stayed with me.
“You don't have to choose him. But you also don't have to make your future a punishment for your past.”
I looked at her.
For the first time, I realized I had been so focused on escaping Nico that I hadn't asked myself what I actually wanted next.
That evening, I stood beside my apartment window.
Then picked up my phone.
I typed one message.
Would you like to have coffee next week?
I stared at it.
Then pressed send.
Nico replied three minutes later.
Only if that's what you want.
I smiled faintly.
Then typed:
May you like
It is.
And for the first time, the decision felt entirely mine.
