Nathan looked at Alice as she walked down a beautifully adorned aisle in the garden of a country club, and he thought about running away. He didn’t want to marry her. Not really. But Alice’s father, Mr. Salisbury, was influential in the Seattle banking world, and he forced this marriage on him.

Nathan had gotten a job at one of Mr. Salisbury’s banks and wanted to work his way up. Alice had seen him one day and fell in love with him at first sight. Nathan refused her advances due to many reasons from his past, but one day, her father threatened him: he either date his daughter or say goodbye to his job in the business.

Nathan also knew he probably would not get another job anywhere in the country. That’s just how influential the man was in this business. So he agreed to date Alice, and although his heart wasn’t in it, they started a relationship.

And now, he was getting married. Alice wasn’t a bad person, and he was sure she had no idea about her father’s actions. But he still didn’t feel like he loved her. It was a whole mess, and there was an entire congregation of people in Seattle watching him marry her. But he was going to make the best of it, even if he had to hide a huge part of himself.

“Mr. Salisbury, I need to tell you something. There’s a reason why I was reluctant to date Alice despite how great she is,” he began.

The ceremony continued, and the minister suddenly uttered, “If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

That’s when Nathan glanced at the end of the aisle and saw an old woman holding a toddler in her arms. His jaw almost fell to the floor, and Alice saw her too.

“Who is that Nathan?” she asked softly. But he didn’t answer. He couldn’t think. He only ran. Once he reached the entrance, Nathan grabbed the older woman and took her outside.

“What are you doing here? I told you!” Nathan yelled at the woman.

“You’re wrong for doing this! You can’t just hide this child!” the woman yelled at him.

“Janet, this is important. I could lose everything if the truth gets out, and now, I might not have a choice!”

“So you’re marrying that girl for money?” Janet asked in disdain, holding the toddler tightly in her arms as Nathan raced away from the cars following him.

“I told you to tell this girl about the baby. There’s nothing wrong with that. Are you ashamed of your past?” Janet yelled, getting emotional.

“I’m not ashamed of my past, Janet. I’m ashamed that I couldn’t protect my girlfriend, and she died. You know I loved your daughter like no one else, and I’m not over that. I love our child, and now I’m stuck in this situation that I can’t get out of!” Nathan stated, tears gathering in his eyes.

Suddenly, two cars cornered him, and he had to hit the brakes rapidly. Fortunately, nothing happened, and everyone was safe. But Mr. Salisbury had caught up with him, and it was time to face the music.

“What do you think you’re doing, Nathan? I thought we understood each other,” Mr. Salisbury said ominously when they all got out of the car. His goons surrounded Nathan, and there was no escape. “You just left my daughter at the altar and ran off with an old woman. What’s going on?”

“This better be good or else I might go ahead and ruin your future,” the man threatened.

“Please. Listen to me. I lost my girlfriend, Kelly, three years ago. She died in childbirth, and this is our daughter, Marina. Janet is Kelly’s mother who has been helping me take care of the child. I tried to explain things before, but I don’t talk about this often,” Nathan stopped for a second. “It’s too painful still.”

Mr. Salisbury stared at Nathan and looked towards Janet and the toddler still inside the car. “Is this true? Does Alice know?”

“It’s true, but I didn’t have the heart to tell Alice. I felt so much pressure,” Nathan started and stopped when he realized he was accusing Mr. Salisbury right now.

The older man pursed his lips and rocked on his shoes for a second. “Listen, Nathan. I realize I might have been forceful. But Alice fell head over heels for you, and I thought you were a nice young man who wouldn’t take advantage of my daughter. I’m sorry for pressuring you about this. I raised my daughter on my own after my wife died, and I can respect your situation. I wish I knew about it sooner,” he finally uttered. “I’m sorry for my attitude. But maybe you should tell Alice the truth.”

“I didn’t know how to do it. I wasn’t ready for a relationship either,” Nathan continued, feeling helpless despite telling the powerful man this truth.

“I won’t get in your personal life anymore. And I will not threaten your job again. All I ask right now is that you tell Alice the truth and give her a chance. She might surprise you. I thought you guys would surely fall in love, but I realize now that my methods were a little… extreme,” Mr. Salisbury said and laughed awkwardly. “I’ll arrange for you to meet Alice near the country club.”

Nathan agreed and met Alice in a coffee shop next to the country club. She had been crying, and he apologized for just running away. Then he told her the entire truth, from Kelly to his Marina.

“I didn’t know how. It’s been a painful three years for me. I didn’t want to make you unhappy,” Nathan began, and he finally confessed about Mr. Salisbury’s threats. Alice couldn’t believe her father would do something like that and apologized for it.

“I know you have no idea, Alice. You’re a wonderful woman, but I just wasn’t ready to date anyone,” he soothed her, seeing how distraught she got after the shocking reveal.

“It’s terrible what my father did,” she said, tears in her eyes.

“He was worried about you. That’s what he told me just now. I can understand the need to protect your child. Forgive him. He’s just a powerful man who doesn’t know how to make you happy,” Nathan said, pacifying her.

“Of course.”

Nathan later introduced Alice to Janet and little Marina. They saw each other often, and Nathan finally felt free. Alice was great with his daughter, and eventually, they started dating for real. Janet loved her too.

Several months later, Nathan realized that he was in love with Alice and wanted to marry her for real. He also moved up at work without any influence from Mr. Salisbury, and everything was right in his world.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don’t interfere in your child’s relationships. Mr. Salisbury threatened Nathan, and the truth came out and broke Alice’s heart. It’s never alright to mess with your child’s love life. It never ends well.
• Don’t hide your past from your partners. If Nathan had told Alice the truth earlier, they might have fallen in love for real and built their lives together sooner.

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