Emma’s Door
Two days later, Nathan stood outside Emma’s apartment above the laundromat.
For the first time in years, he was nervous.
He’d faced billionaires, judges, investors, and furious unions. But standing in front of Emma’s chipped blue door, his hand shook.
He knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Emma stood there in a faded sweater, eyes widening in shock.
“Nathan?”
He swallowed.
“Hello, Emma.”
Her expression hardened almost instantly.
“What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”
From inside the apartment, a small voice asked, “Mom, who is it?”
Nathan’s chest tightened.
Emma glanced over her shoulder. “Go finish your puzzle, boys.”
Then she stepped into the hallway and pulled the door shut behind her.
Her voice dropped. “You can’t just show up here after all these years.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Nathan nodded slowly. “No. Maybe I don’t. But I’m trying to.”
Emma crossed her arms. “Why now?”
Nathan glanced at the door, then back at her.
“I saw you at Russo’s Bakery.”
Her expression changed.
Shame flickered across her face, and that hurt Nathan more than anger would have.
“You followed me?”
“No. I was there by chance.”
Emma looked away.
Nathan’s voice softened. “Are they mine?”
The hallway went completely still.
Emma closed her eyes.
When she opened them, they held years Nathan hadn’t lived through with her.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Nathan gripped the stair railing.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emma’s laugh was quiet and bitter.
“I tried.”
Those three words hit harder than any accusation could have.
She went on. “I came to your office. I called. I sent a letter. Your mother sent it back unopened.”
Nathan’s face went cold.
“My mother?”
Emma nodded. “She told me you’d moved on. She said if I came near you again, you’d think I was trying to trap you.”
Nathan could barely get words out.
“Emma…”
“No.” Her voice trembled now. “You don’t get to say my name like an apology is enough. I raised them alone. I got them through fevers alone. I answered their questions alone. I told them their father was far away because I refused to let them feel unwanted.”
Nathan’s eyes burned.
“I didn’t know.”
“But you chose not to know,” she said.
And he had no answer for that.
