Asher’s face went pale when he saw the picture. He looked at me, clearly troubled.
“This isn’t Nadine,” he said quietly. “The woman in this picture is Isabelle Haines. Livia’s mom.”
“Isabelle Haines? Why does she look like Nadine?” I asked, feeling a rush of confusion.
Asher shook his head. “I don’t know. But Isabelle has a history of causing trouble. She must be behind this framing. She’s been trying to stir up problems for a while.”
I stumbled back, my anger and regret overwhelming me. I had let Nadine leave because of my rage. I couldn’t believe I let my anger cloud my judgment.
“Livia’s mother? That’s your daughter, right?” I asked, stepping further into the house.
“Yes, Logan,” Asher said, pointing to a couch. “Please, sit down.”
I sank into the couch, sweating despite the air conditioning. My mind raced as I tried to process everything.
Asher looked at me, concerned. “What’s wrong, Logan? Is Nadine okay? I hope you haven’t done anything stupid because of this picture.”
I couldn’t see his gaze. His intense stare felt like it was drilling into me, judging me. “Can you please stop?” I snapped, frustrated.
Asher’s anger flared. “You stop! What have you done with Nadine?”
I could see how much he cared about her, which only made me feel more ashamed.
I lowered my eyes, unable to admit my mistakes.
Asher’s anger didn’t let up. “Logan, if you’ve hurt her, I swear-”
“What made you think I’ve done something wrong this time?” I asked defensively.
He shook his head. “With you, Logan, nothing can be sure. You have a way of making her feel less, and I don’t blame her if she’s frustrated.”
Asher was my only friend who wasn’t afraid to call me out, so I wasn’t surprised by his bluntness.
“What have you done this time?” Asher asked again since I wasn’t ready to admit it.
I struggled to find the right words, but they wouldn’t come.
“What have you done, Logan? I’m sorry for being harsh, but Nadine doesn’t deserve the way you’ve treated her.”
“I sent her away,” I finally admitted.
Asher looked at me in disbelief, leaning in as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Did I just hear you right? You sent her away?”
“Please, don’t make me feel worse than I already do,” I pleaded. “I don’t know what came over me. I was angry when I saw the picture and let my anger take over.”
“Where is she now?” Asher asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know. I sent her away before I realized the picture wasn’t of Nadine.”
Asher clapped his hands together in disbelief. “Wow, Logan. Just wow.”
“I messed up,” I cut him off, my voice breaking. “I thought she was cheating on me. I didn’t check the facts before I acted, and now I’m trying to fix it. I’ve got to find her and apologize.”
Asher’s expression softened a bit, though he still looked worried. “You need to find her quickly.”
“Please, Asher, stop this. Don’t make me feel worse than I already do. Can you tell me why Isabelle looks so much like Nadine? I thought they were just twins.”
Asher sighed deeply. “I guess there’s something you don’t know. Isabelle and I had a one-night stand. She left the next day without a trace. I tried to find her, but it’s hard to search for someone you don’t even know the name of.”
He paused, then continued. “A year later, a baby was left at my doorstep with a note about that night. It hit me that this was a result of my reckless night with Isabelle.”
“As for Livia, even though she looks like Isabelle, I had a DNA test done. It confirmed she’s my child, with a 99. 9% match. But Isabelle refused to have anything to do with me or Lyvia. So, I took responsibility for her.”
Asher continued, his voice filled with sadness. “When Livia was dying from cancer, she made a wish for me to find her mother. I had decided not to bother her, but I wanted to respect my daughter’s last wish.”
He paused, gathering his thoughts. “I hired a private investigator to find Isabelle. They tracked down the picture on your phone from one of the cameras in the room where we had our one-night stand.”
Asher’s face was grim. “It turns out Isabelle is a socialite, surrounded by many men. She made it clear that having a child wasn’t something she wanted and refused to have anything to do with me or Livia.”
He looked down, clearly pained. “It hurt me deeply that I couldn’t fulfill Livia’s wish and that her mother rejected her completely.”
Asher’s face was filled with regret. “I tried my best to be there for Livia, even though Isabelle wanted nothing to do with us. It was tough, knowing that the woman I had a brief past with was not only causing trouble but also turning her back on her child.”
He sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping. “I wish I had more answers, but Isabelle has always been trouble. Now, with this picture, it’s clear she’s still causing chaos.”
“I messed up, Asher. I was so angry about the picture that I didn’t see the truth. I let my emotions get the better of me and pushed Nadine away.”
“You need to make things right, Logan. Nadine doesn’t deserve what you’ve put her through. She’s been through enough.”
“I’m sorry, man. I didn’t know you went through all that,” I said, finally finding my voice.
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past,” Asher said, nodding in agreement.
I suddenly remembered the time Nadine passed out at the pool while she was talking to Asher. I asked him, “Does Nadine know about this?”
He nodded slowly.
“What the hell? And you didn’t tell me?” I shouted, feeling the anger rise.
I recalled how Nadine had tried to say something when I showed her the picture, but I had been too blinded by rage to listen.
“That’s why she fainted at the pool when I showed her the picture.”
“Damn you, Asher! You should have told me.”
He defended himself quietly, “I wanted to explain, but you were so angry, you wouldn’t let me.”
I felt overwhelmed with regret. I had been so consumed by my anger that I missed what was happening.
I let my emotions lead me to make decisions I now deeply regret. I pushed away the one person who cared about me.
I knew I had a long road ahead to fix what I had done. But first, I needed to find Nadine.
As I closed my eyes, I was lost for words.
I realized how much I had taken Asher for granted. He had always been there for me, even when I pushed him away or acted recklessly.
I had hurt Nadine deeply, and I hoped that if I explained everything and showed her how sorry I was, she might give me another chance.
But it wouldn’t be easy. I had to prove that I had learned from my mistakes and that I was willing to do whatever it took to make amends.
As if he could read my thoughts, Asher finally asked, “Do you know where Nadine is?”
I slowly shook my head, but what he said next made me look at him in surprise. “You seem to know me well,” I said, wondering how he could read me so easily.