He Crossed the Ocean for Her, Never 90 Miles for Me Chapter 05

He Crossed the Ocean for Her, Never 90 Miles for Me Chapter 05

Nathaniel Sterling stepped inside, and the room fell silent.

He stopped in front of me without asking a single question. He simply brushed away the tear at the

corner of my eye with his thumb.

I took his hand and turned back toward the table.

“Mrs. Mercer, this is Nathaniel. We’re together. We met on a trip to Melbourne and stayed in touch

afterward.”

Everyone remembered that trip.

It was the graduation trip Julian and I had planned together. I had booked the flights and the hotel

myself.

The day before we were supposed to leave, Julian told me something had come up at work and he

couldn’t go.

So I went alone.

I watched the sun set over the Twelve Apostles and took countless photos around Victoria.

For the first time in my life, I didn’t send Julian a single one.

Mrs. Mercer stepped forward, visibly delighted.

“Well, aren’t you handsome! What does your family do?”

Nathaniel took a business card from his wallet and handed it to her.

“Mrs. Mercer, it’s nice to meet you. My family runs a small business. I’m sorry I came

empty-handed on such short notice. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

Mrs. Mercer glanced down at the card.

Her whole face brightened.

“Sterling Group? Oh! That’s wonderful!”

Julian’s expression hardened instantly.

His eyes locked on me.

“Leah, since when did you get so good at putting on a show? Did you hire someone just for this?”

I met his gaze.

For the first time, I didn’t look away.

“I don’t need to fake who I’m with. Mind your own business. We’re just family, remember?”

Julian went completely still.

Something in his expression broke.

Maybe it hit him because he’d spent years trying to make me see him as nothing more than family, and I’d never once gone along with it.

Conversation slowly picked up around the table again.

Nathaniel pulled me into the seat beside him and started serving food onto my plate from the shared dishes until it was piled high.

“Eat. Get some food in you first.”

I turned to look at him.

The year before, in Melbourne, he had burned a steak so badly that the whole place smelled

scorched.

I gave him half of my instant noodles.

Back then, I had no idea who he was. I only knew that two strangers sharing a bowl of noodles in a city far from home could actually be kind of nice.

Later, Nathaniel told me he was serious about the marriage our families had been discussing.

At the time, I was still trapped in Julian’s orbit, unable to pull myself free. I also wanted to give my

father an answer, so I said yes.

Now, watching Nathaniel peel a shrimp and set it on my plate felt more meaningful than any

promise.

Across from us, Julian had gotten to his feet at some point.

His face looked strained.

“Mom, we’re leaving.”

He caught Caroline by the arm and pulled hard enough to make her stumble.

She yanked herself free and hurried over to Mrs. Mercer.

Her smile was gentle and sincere.

“Mrs. Mercer, I heard you’ve been getting dizzy lately. A friend brought these sleep patches back from Japan. Maybe they’ll help you rest.”

Mrs. Mercer looked at her for a moment, then sighed and accepted them.

Caroline turned to me.

Just like the first time we met, she wrapped me in a hug.

“Leah, I’m really glad I met you. I hope you’re always happy.”

Then she leaned closer and lowered her voice.

“Julian was out of line today. I’m sorry on his behalf. Once things settle down, he can come

apologize to you himself. You’ve been through enough.”

My eyes burned.

I hugged her back.

“I hope you and Julian have a long, happy life together.”

I paused.

“At the very least, I hope you’re happy.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Julian standing a few feet away.

His expression was strange-confused, almost panicked.

I looked away.

Nathaniel said a polite goodbye to Mrs. Mercer, took my hand, and led me outside.

Once we were in the car, he looked over at me.

“You okay?”

I leaned against the window.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m glad it’s all out in the open.”

The city slid past outside.

A bakery went by with a CLOSED FOR THE DAY sign hanging in the window.

It reminded me of something from years ago.

I had once waited outside Julian’s office for three hours.

When he finally came out, he frowned at me.

“Why are you here again?”

I went home that night and came down with a high fever.

In my dreams, I kept seeing him walking away from me. No matter how many times I called his

name, he never turned around.

“Loving Julian was exhausting.”

Nathaniel listened without interrupting.

“At first, I kept trying because I didn’t want to disappoint Mrs. Mercer. She was so good to me. She’s treated me like her own daughter since I was little.”

“Then… after a while, it just became a habit. I kept thinking that if I tried a little harder, kept chasing a little longer, eventually he would turn around and see me.”

I took a breath.

“It all feels pretty pointless now.”

Nathaniel was quiet for a few seconds.

Then he leaned over, wrapped his arms around me, and gently smoothed a hand over my hair.

“It’s okay. You’ve always been worth it.”

I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, all I wanted was to sleep.