Chapter 214 A Hefty Price to Pay

"Who said we ever needed a shield?" Elijah replied calmly. Nathan's smirk fell away at once. He frowned, staring Elijah down. "What's that supposed to mean?" Elijah didn't respond right away. His gaze toward Nathan brimmed with quiet sympathy. Seeing it, Nathan's fists clenched, and he shouted, "Don't look at me like that! The one thing I hate most is pity!" "I just find it tragic. Your mother's been deceiving you like a fool all these years," Elijah said plainly. "That's not true!" Nathan shouted back. He shot to his feet, his eyes red with fury. "Don't you dare insult my mother!" he growled. "She interfered with my parents' marriage, forced my dad to get drunk, got pregnant, and came to provoke my mom, nearly driving her to her death," Elijah said evenly. Each word clashed violently with the version of events Nathan had grown up believing. His vision blurred with unshed tears. "That can't be… How could she lie to me?" Elijah continued, "You've always wondered why you grew u