Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 43

Even at this late hour, Hamilton remained steadfast in his refusal to offer Natalla a glimmer of hope. He didn’t want the baby. His stance hadn’t wavered the slightest bit from the start. His simple and resolute response, like a sword, severed all her hopes.

Natalia’s grip on Hamilton’s hand gradually loosened. “I'm sorry,” she whispered softly, to no one in particular. Perhaps to Hamilton. Maybe to the child within her. Or perhaps to herself.

She should not have kept this from Hamilton. After all, he was the father. Nor should she have. harbored any forbidden hopes. To let the child linger briefly, only to depart in such a way.

She should not have given herself hope, the hope that she could be a mother. “I'm sorry,” she murmured as a tear silently traced its way down her cheek.

At that moment, it was unclear whether the pain in her body or her heart was greater. All she felt was a chilling sensation spreading throughout her, with a warm current flowing from below.

Natalia’s lips were turning pale. Something was slipping away quietly..

Hamilton’s hand clenched the steering wheel tightly. His other hand felt hers slip away from the center of his palm. The emptiness in his grip made him uncomfortably aware of its presence for the first time. He reflexively clenched his hand into a fist, the veins on the back standing

out. The Rolls-Royce sped into the hospital’s emergency entrance. When he lifted Natalia from the car, he felt moisture soaking through. The stark red of blood blurred his vision.

Hamilton had been accustomed to darkness since childhood, and nothing ever.seemed to rattle him, but at this moment, he found it hard to breathe.

He rushed Natalia into the emergency room. After handing her over to the doctors, he stood there, staring at his blood-stained hands in a daze.

Alden arrived at the hospital shortly after. Seeing the blood on Hamilton’s hands, he was momentarily stunned. “Bro, Ms. Jenkins, she...”

Hamilton glanced back at him, his face now devoid of emotion.

“She’s probably had a miscarriage,” he muttered.

Alden was lost for words, the concept of a miscarriage hanging heavily in the air.

12:20

“Bro, was Ms. Jenkins pregnant?”

Hamilton’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t address the question. “You stay here: I’m going to wash my hands.” With that, he turned and left.

Alden couldn't read his brother’s expression but could feel the icy aura that surrounded him

Hamilton washed his hands in the restroom. Watching the blood-tainted water swirl down the drain, he suddenly slammed his fist against the sink in frustration. After a moment, he took a deep breath, turned off the tap, and dried his hands with a paper towel

He frowned in front of the mirror, his motions to dry his hands deliberate and slow. He should have noticed sooner.

Natalia’s behavior had been off for some time. The nausea, the carefulness during intimacy, the repeated probing, even the talks of leaving. He should have realized she was pregnant, not some nonsense about a stomach condition.

Even if he had found out about the child, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome, but at least he wouldn’t have been caught off guard. He didn’t want this child, but he never intended to put a woman through such suffering for his sake.

“Bro,” Alden couldn't stay away, following Hamilton to the restroom.

“Uh-huh,” Hamilton responded, his white shirt still stained with blood. “Why are you here? Didn't | tell you to stay put?” Alden frowned. “I was worried about you, so | came to check on you.

After a pause, he added, “There will be other children in the future.”

Hamilton looked up at him and said, “You're thinking too much.”

He stubbed out his cigarette and walked over, clapping Alden on the shoulder. “I never intended to keep this child.” Alden froze, then his brows knitted together in concern. “Bro, that’s your flesh and blood!”

“Uh-huh,” Hamilton responded nonchalantly, “If it’s not my flesh and blood, it’s none of my

concern.”

For the first time, Alden felt the coldness of his brother’s heart. Growing up, he idolized Hamilton, who at nineteen had taken control of the Fowler family, a den of wolves. Sure, he was decisive in his actions, but Alden always believed his brother wasn’t heartless.

Hamilton had always protected him. Alden had grown up unscathed in such a family. But how could he be so heartless towards his own child?

“But Ms. Jenkins, she...”

“She knew from the start | wouldn’t want the child. She shouldn’t have kept it from me.” Chapter 43

Hamilton walked away as he spoke.

Alden followed closely behind. “Bro, what are you really thinking? Natalia’s been with you for three years. Do you truly feel nothing for her? If you don’t, why keep her around? Just let her go; you could be with Eveleen!”

Hamilton stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Alden. “Alden, don’t think you can pry into my private life just because you're my little brother!”

Alden was taken aback. “Bro, that’s not what | meant. I’m just being honest. I’ve always seen her as my sister-in-law. In my eyes, she’s better than Eveleen.”

Hamilton glanced at him, his lips twitching slightly, but he said nothing. Outside the emergency room, Scarlett arrived in a flurry of concern. She rushed toward Hamilton, who was standing there.

“What happened? How could she miscarry? She was fine when she called me! Hamilton! Why did she miscarry? Do you know how much she wanted this baby? Why? Why do this to her? Hamilton, you bastard! If you didn’t want a child, you should’ve gotten a vasectomy! How could you let Natalia suffer like this? You scumbag! | curse you to be childless!”

Alden was shocked by Scarlett’s outburst. Even he wouldn’t dare speak to Hamilton like that. He quickly stepped forward to restrain Scarlett.

“Have you lost your mind?” “Let go of me! | need to teach this scumbag a lesson for Natalia!” Scarlett struggled fiercely, and Alden had no choice but to forcibly drag her aside.

Hamilton's features were set in a grim cast as he straightened out his clothes that Scarlett had managed to rumple in her distress.

Orice he was presentable again, he reluctantly lifted his gaze to meet Scarlett’s. Contrary to expectations, there was no trace of anger. He regarded Scarlett with an icy stare.

“The fact that she’s pregnant is indeed my responsibility, but is that her excuse for keeping it from me? If she had just told me earlier, would we be in this mess now?”

Scarlett paused, wiping away a tear, “Natalia... she just wanted to keep the baby.”

Hamilton’s eyes darkened, “Keep it? Can she even afford to? Or does she think there’s some nobility in recklessly deciding to have a child without considering the consequences?”

Scarlett glared back at him. “Hamilton, do you even have a heart?” Hamilton said no more. He simply stared with a darkened expression at the closed doors of the

emergency room.

Scarlett wanted to say more, but Alden held her back.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly before the doors of the emergency room finally swung 15-01 1

open.

Natalia was wheeled out, her complexion ghostly pale.

Scarlett’s eyes reddened despite herself. “The baby?”

The doctor shook his head with a grim frown.

Scarlett’s tears cascaded down her cheeks.

Hamilton watched Natalia who seemed almost translucent with her paleness, his fingers twitching slightly. How could she be so fragile as if she would shatter with the slightest touch?

When Natalia regained consciousness, her hand instinctively went to her belly. She knew that the little life that had been there was gone. Her eyes reddened but she didn’t let the tears fall.

“Are you feeling any discomfort?” Hamilton’s voice broke the silence.

She turned her face away, then shook her head.

“Does it still hurt?” Hamilton probed again.

The tears finally wet her pillow as they traced down her cheeks. “It doesn’t hurt anymore,” she said with feigned indifference. “Natalia, about the pregnancy...”

“I'm sorry, | shouldn’t have kept it from you. It was my mistake. | broke our agreement. It’s on me,” Natalia cut him off abruptly. Hamilton fell silent for a moment and said, “I'll make it up to you.”

After a long pause, she finally spoke, “Thank you.”

Suddenly, Hamilton felt an oppressive tightness in his chest. “You should get some more rest.”

“Okay.”

Pushing open the door to leave the hospital room, Hamilton pulled out a cigarette. But before he could light it, a muffled sobbing echoed from the room.

Deep and restrained. Even through the door, it was audible..

The cigarette crumpled in his grasp. Hamilton leaned against the wall outside, the suffocating feeling growing stronger by the second.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.