Chapter 76

ROBERT'S POV

I was taken aback by Nate's request, my mind racing with thoughts of how to respond. I deliberated on how to tell him the truth - that Ariana and I were separated, and I wasn't sure I could ask her if Nate could live with her. Yes, she loved Nate and he was her nephew but it wasn't that simple. I was shell-shocked, unsure of how to navigate this conversation.

"Nate, buddy, it's not that simple," I began, trying to sound calm and reassuring. "Ariana is not your legal guardian, and we're...separated."

Nate's face scrunched up in protest. "But she's my aunt, Dad! And I miss her. I feel like she would make me feel better."

Nate was just a child. What was I thinking? I could never make him understand the complexities of these things. I sighed deeply and stood up, I was tired and even beginning to fall asleep on my feet. With Nate here, the whole thing with Odette had even escaped my mind but just now, my body was starting to remember that I had had a trying day.

I sighed again