Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary) novel Chapter 15

Liana said, "He's been looking out for you, sure. But to be fair, he hadn't crossed any line. It's the way you talked to him—like you were suddenly too good for everyone else."

Liana gave a quick rundown of the situation. Natasha slumped onto the couch and buried her face in a pillow with a muffled whimper of regret.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just… all this chaos keeps happening around me. If he stayed away, maybe he wouldn't be dragged into it."

Years with the Bradley family had taught Natasha to keep her guard up. Her icy demeanor and sharp tongue were more about survival than pride. She simply didn't want to owe anyone anything.

"If you really feel bad about it, then just find a chance to apologize to him," Liana said with a smile as she grabbed her coat and left Natasha's apartment.

Natasha stared at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh. She had already said those awful words. Explaining herself now would only make her look guilty, like she was scrambling to cover it up.

Meanwhile, in front of a bathroom mirror clouded with steam, Zachary's hand wiped the fog away.

His brows were furrowed, and his normally bright, clear eyes were now dimmed with frustration.

The line, "It's better if we don't stay in contact," repeatedly echoed in his mind.

The moment replayed over and over, and the memory alone made it hard to breathe.

"Mr. Foster, I don't think you should take Ms. Bradley's words too seriously. Anyone in her shoes would've snapped tonight. She probably just needed some space," Julian said carefully.

Zachary had been sitting in silence for over half an hour, surrounded by a heavy cloud of tension.

For Julian, the atmosphere was suffocating, but that didn't stop him from speaking up when it mattered.

"By the way, I found out that Ms. Bradley has been looking into what happened seven years ago."

That finally pulled Zachary out of his thoughts. He looked at the tablet, eyes darkening at the information on the screen.