Chapter 17

Nathan sat on the couch in his living room, his mind racing with thoughts of Alice. He couldn't help but feel nervous about what her answerwould be when he proposed to her about adopting her children and marrying her. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and he was already in love with her and the thought of building a life together with her and her children made hisheart race with excitement.

As he sat there, lost in thought, he suddenly heard a knock at the door. He got up, walked to the door, and saw that it was Lydia, his ex-girlfriend. A feeling of annoyance crept up on him as he thought about how Lydia always seemed to show up at the worst possible moments.

"Hi, Nathan," Lydia said as she gave him a sly smile, "I was just passing by and thought I'd say hello."

Nathan was taken aback by her boldness, but he remained polite. "Lydia, it's good to see you. How have you been?"

She shrugged and said, "Oh, you know, the usual. I was just thinking about old times and tho