Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 14

Natalia couldn’t stand hanging around them, and frankly, she wasn’t even fond of the name Evangeline Schafer. As long as they stopped giving her a hard time, she’d be perfectly content to stay out of their sight forever.

It wasn’t until three years ago, when her mother had a nasty car accident and needed cash for surgery, that she found herself reluctantly knocking on Patrick’s door. That was the moment. Natalia saw Patrick’s true colors — cold and indifferent. Since then, she had severed all ties with the Schafers. Only occasionally would she catch a glimpse of Eveleen’s name on TV or Twitter.

Eveleen had made her debut abroad four years prior. Though she hadn't returned home in all that time, her beauty had earned her some recognition back home, even landing her the endearing title of “nation’s first love.”

Dragging herself home, Natalia collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep. In her dream, she was back on that beach.

The winter seaside was harsh, with fierce winds howling. The windows of the beachfront villa rattled violently in the gusts. Eveleen was in a rage over a lost bracelet, demanding Natalia find it for her.

Natalia had seen the bracelet before—a delicate diamond piece engraved with a nickname “Evi‘.

It was a birthday gift from Patrick to Eveleen, and she'd taken many photos with it. It was indeed a pity it was lost, but Natalia didn’t search for it.

Venturing out into the pitch—-dark night amid the storm was tantamount to signing your own death warrant. Eveleen’s shouts echoed through the villa. Patrick summoned Natalia to his study. “I hear your mother just landed a decent job recently. Is that true?”

Even though Natalia was naive back then, she instantly grasped the veiled threat in his words. She asked him, “What did you want with me today? To celebrate my birthday, or to send me to my death?”

Patrick’s expression darkened instantly.

Natalia didn’t bother with further words; she simply headed downstairs to the beach. Her stepdad Graham was always drowning in booze, leaving her mother to shoulder all the

expenses.

Lucinda often gave her mother a hard time too. It was only recently that her mother found a decent job. Not wanting to see her mother unemployed again, Natalia compromised.

What she didn’t expect was to encounter that boy again on the beach. She wanted to ask why he didn’t come to find her. She wanted to know if he still remembered her, but his cold gaze and unfamiliar eyes seemed to say it all.

That day, she swallowed all her words.

Even years later, when they had been together for three, Natalia never brought up the past.

Waking up the next morning, her phone was silent—no callback from Hamilton.

Gathering her strength, Natalia prepared herself for the office. Upon arrival, Tess rushed over with a conspiratorial air. “What's up? Some juicy gossip?”

The office was always buzzing with the latest scoop. Natalia gave Tess a playful smile.

Tess nodded and said, “Boss, have you ever seen Mr. Fowler’s old flame?”

Natalia paused, surprised that the story of Hamilton’s first love had spread through the office so quickly.

“What about it?” she feigned ignorance.

“The whole office is talking about it. Didn’t you hear? She’s just come back from overseas.”

Natalia forced a smile and said, “I hadn’t heard about Mr. Fowler having a first love. | thought he was heartless.”

Tess wagged a finger. “I heard they were close to marriage, but then she went abroad, and the wedding got postponed. Maybe that’s why Mr. Fowler’s been single all these years—waiting for

his first love to return.” Natalia’s smile faltered, “Really? And who is Mr. Fowler’s first love?”

Tess shook her head, “No clue, Mr. Fowler keeps it under wraps. But | saw on Twitter this morning that his first love is back, and he was spotted escorting her late at night. Next thing you know, the tweets disappeared—probably pulled by Mr. Fowler himself. But the word's out.”

So Hamilton was called away by his first love last night?

Pain clenched Natalia’s heart. Her hand instinctively rested on her abdomen.

If Hamilton's first love had indeed returned, was it time for her to leave? Did it mean she could now leave and have this baby? Lost in thought, Natalia didn’t hear Tess’s next words.

“Boss?”

Natalia snapped back to reality and said, “Let’s focus on work, no more gossip. You don’t want Mr. Fowler to catch you and give you a hard time.”

Tess stuck out her tongue and returned to her desk Natalia forced herself to focus on her tasks until lunch when Tess came knocking, “Boss, Mr. Fowler wants to see you.”

Hamilton's office door was alar. Approaching, Natalia caught the soft tones of Hamilton’s voice on a call. She had never known him to be so tender.

The executive assistant approached and said, “Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Fowler said you can go right In.”

Composing hersell, Natalia nodded and pushed open the door.

“If you're tired, rest. Stop running around. Gotta go, busy here,” Hamilton ended the call, loosened his tie, and glanced at Natalia. He set his phone aside, his eyes locking onto hers. “You called last night. Something up?”

Natalia met his gaze, her mind made up. She wouldn't tell Hamilton about the baby. Once he reconciled with his first love, she could leave. Then she could have the child.

“Just feeling a bit under the weather.” Hamilton chuckled lightly, “Here | thought you missed me too much to let me go.”

Natalia paused for a moment and said, “I can handle it. Don’t worry.”

“Good to know you've got your head on straight, Ms. Jenkins,” he said before asking. “What seems to be the problem?” “Do you really care?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

After her question, Hamilton’s expression turned dark. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were on the brink of losing his temper. But, to Natalia’s surprise, he didn’t blow up. He just let out a derisive chuckle.

“Ms. Jenkins, you really can’t take a compliment, can you? One moment you're sensible, the next you’re throwing a tantrum.” His gaze was stormy as he looked at Natalia, “So, what’s the issue? What's bothering you?”

Suddenly, Natalia felt it was all a bit pointless. Throwing a fit really wasn’t her style. The guy wasn’t really going to care, anyway. “Just a stomachache, | was at the ER last night.” Hamilton frowned, “Stomachache again?”

Seeing her slightly pale complexion, Hamilton reached out, pulling her close, his hand resting on her abdomen. “Still hurts? Shall | arrange for a doctor to give you a thorough check-up?”

“It's okay: the pain’s gone. If there’s nothing else, Mr. Fowler, | should get back to work.”

Hamilton let her go, “No rush. Stick around for lunch with me, and then you'll accompany me on an errand this afternoon.” 14:24

As if on cue, his executive assistant knocked and entered, carrying a delivery from Hamilton’s favorite gourmet deli.

“I'm really not feeling well. Mr. Fowler. Maybe someone else should go with you.”

She had just gotten over a nasty bout of illness the night before, and her condition hadn't fully stabilized. Rest was out of the question, but she needed to limit her activity as much as possible.

Hamilton’s eyes squinted slightly as he said, “Ms. Jenkins, are you under the impression we're negotiating?” “I'm just not up to it.”

“If you're unwell, I'll get you a doctor,” Hamilton paused, “Ms. Jenkins, please take your responsibilities seriously.”