Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 112

When Natalia awoke the next morning, Hamilton was already busy perfecting his Windsor knot in front of the mirror. Dapper as ever, he stood by the bedside.

“You can take the day off if you're tired,” he said with a casual glance her way,

His amorous endeavors the previous night had been rather demanding, and it was well past midnight when she finally got some rest.

Shaking her head as she sat up, Natalia dismissed the thought. There was a mountain of work awaiting her at the office. Hamilton raised an eyebrow. “Then, shall we ride together?”

She was resolute in her refusal. “No need. I'll take the bus.”

But Hamilton acted as if he hadn’t heard her decline, casually leaning against the door frame, waiting.

With a glance in his direction, Natalia didn’t protest further.

As she dressed, her fingers hesitated for a mere second. She pulled out a small box from her drawer. Inside was a charm bracelet she had gotten a while back, meant to bring good fortune and safety.

0

She had intended to give it to Hamilton for his birthday, but when he had asked about it yesterday, she suddenly didn’t want to give it away anymore.

She picked up the bracelet, examined it for a few seconds, and then placed it back in the box.

She didn’t want to gift him with her sentiments anymore, only to have them carelessly trampled

upon.

Lowering her gaze, Natalia pushed the box to the farthest corner of the drawer.

Dressed and ready, she found Hamilton still waiting at the door.

She composed herself before asking, “Mr. Fowler, have you come to a conclusion about that matter?” Hamilton’s gaze darkened, and after a moment's silence, he spoke. “Ms. Jenkins, do you really think the truth is so important?” Natalia nodded affirmatively. “Yes, at least to me, it’s very important.”

Ashadow crossed Hamilton’s face. After a brief pause, he finally admitted, “Indeed, it was orchestrated.” Natalia’s lips tightened, and her hands clenched to the point of turning her knuckles white.

struggling to steady her voice, she asked, “Was it Eveleen?”

Affo

Hamilton just looked at her, wordless.

Natalia laughed bitterly. “So, you had already figured it out, hadn’t you?”

She was suddenly reminded of the tender way he had consoled Eveleen outside the car yesterday.

He had known all along. He was aware that Eveleen was responsible for the loss of her child. Yet, he still managed to comfort her with such tenderness and patience.

This man truly didn’t care. Not about her and certainly not about the child. Just how heartless and yet hopelessly devoted he could be?

Hamilton’s frown deepened as he observed Natalia. He had indeed uncovered the truth long ago, but he had withheld it, believing that some truths, once known, only serve to deepen the pain.

So, unless Natalia asked, he wouldn't tell. His long fingers lifted her chin as he looked down into her eyes. “Natalia, sometimes accepting reality is more important than knowing the truth.”

Natalia felt she had been holding up quite well, yet her nose tingled with the onset of tears.

“Is that so?” she said with a teary smile. “But | insist on knowing the truth! Mr. Fowler, you might not care, but someone should care about that child.”

With that, she pulled away from his grip and walked out.

Hamilton’s face darkened instantly. He grabbed Natalia’s hand. “Natalia! | told you that child was never meant to be!” She turned and met his gaze. “I know, Mr. Fowler. Can you let go of me now? I’m going to be late for work.”

He didn’t release her; instead, he pulled her into the car with him.

Natalia offered no resistance.

Silent the entire drive, only when they reached the company parking lot did Hamilton speak up. “I'll give Eveleen a warning. Natalia, let’s put an end to this, okay?*-

Asad smile flickered across Natalia’s face as her eyes glistened.

Awarning for Eveleen — that was as far as Hamilton was willing to bend, it seemed. She should have taken the hint and backed off, yet she couldn't.

She kept her gaze out the window, not looking back at him. After a long pause, she mustered a “Thank you, Mr. Fowler.” Then, she opened the car door and stepped out.

Frowning, Hamilton watched her retreating figure, his expression growing even more troubled.

The image of Natalia with tears in her eyes haunted him. He might not care about the child, but

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12:50

he was beginning to realize he couldn’t ignore Natalia as he had thought.

Resting back in his seat, he lit a cigarette and, after a long while, picked up his phone to make a call. “Give Eveleen some time off.”

At the office, Tess immediately noticed Natalia’s off-kilter demeanor, especially the faint redness around her eyes. “Boss, what's wrong? Did something happen?” Tess asked with concern. Natalia managed a strained smile. “It’s nothing. How’s the year-end report coming along?”

“Almost done,” Tess replied, still worried. “Boss, you can talk to me if something’s up. | may not be able to do much, but two heads are better than one.”

With a nod and a smile, Natalia thanked her. “Don’t mention it,” Tess said, moving closer. “Boss, have you heard? Mr. Fowler didn’t even get engaged yesterday.”

Natalia acknowledged with a nod but said nothing more. She could hardly bear to hear any more about Hamilton and Eveleen. But she didn’t stop Tess from chattering.

Tess snorted. “Let Eveleen strut while she can. You wouldn't believe how close she was to announcing her engagement to Mr. Fowler on Twitter. | want to see how she takes this. | thought Mr. Fowler really cared about her, but now it seems like it was all for show.”

Natalia’s eyes remained downcast, and she didn’t respond, simply starting on her work.

Tess spoke a few more words, but seeing that Natalia was disinterested, she eventually moved on to gossip with others.

After Tess left, Natalia stared blankly at the documents in front of her.

It was true that Hamilton hadn’t gotten engaged to Eveleen, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about her.

Natalia took a deep breath, pulling her thoughts back to the present.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

As lunchtime approached, the executive secretary, Linda, called.

“Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Fowler would like you to join him for lunch upstairs.”

Natalia bit her lip. “No, thank you. Please tell Mr. Fowler | have to meet someone.”

With that, she hung up the phone.

It wasn’t long before Hamilton called. “Who's the date with?”

Natalia pursed her lips again. “Alden.”

Hamilton huffed. “You've been seeing quite a bit of Alden lately, haven’t you?”

Natalia didn’t want to explain herself, and Hamilton didn’t press the issue. He just reminded her to eat well before ending the call. 3/4

12:50

Natalia met Alden at a nearby restaurant.

Upon her arrival, Alden gave her a wink. “Ms. Jenkins, what did | tell you? My brother does care about you. You should have seen Eveleen’s face after you left yesterday-it was a picture of misery.”

Natalia chuckled, deftly steering the conversation away, “Alden, do you have any new evidence?” Alden frowned slightly, noticing Natalia’s off demeanor. Still, he didn’t ask further questions; instead, he handed over a file to her.

He was at a loss for words on how to comfort her, given his awkward position—knowing who was harming her but unable to intervene.

ther, win Alden broke the silence. “Ms. Jenkins, you might not know this, but my brother halted all of Eveleen’s projects.” Natalia’s lips tightened slightly. She really didn’t know, but hearing this now didn’t bring her much joy.

This was probably the ‘warning’ Hamilton meant to give Eveleen. A slap on the wrist, one that could very well be reversed in time.

Alden bit his lip before offering his advice. “Ms. Jenkins, in a way, Eveleen has received her comeuppance, don’t you think?”