Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart (Natalia and Hamilton) novel Chapter 110

Hamilton's gaze was heavy as he looked at her. Natalia's clean and pretty face still wore a smile.

He had once said he liked her smile. But now, that smile was painfully irksome.

He let out a mocking laugh. "So you can't wait to leave me, huh?"

Natalia simply looked at him, offering no response. But the answer couldn't have been clearer.

Hamilton's grip on her chin suddenly tightened.

"Natalia, I've told you before, without my say-so, you're not going anywhere. I hope you never forget that!"

With that, he released Natalia and strode out of the room.

Natalia let out a wry laugh and went to freshen up before heading to bed.

...

The next day.

Scarlett, worried about Natalia's mood, had taken a day off, especially to keep her company.

Natalia felt okay, really, but she didn't want to brush off Scarlett's kind gesture.

They headed out early for a day of shopping. Though they called it shopping, Scarlett spent most of the time observing Natalia's expressions.

Aware of her friend's concern, Natalia laughed it off gently. "I'm fine, Scarlett. You don't need to keep looking at me like that."

Scarlett pouted. "That jerk, Hamilton, is blind as a bat. Otherwise, he wouldn't take a gem like you for granted and go chasing after Eveleen, the so-called innocent flower."

Natalia chuckled. "Scarlett, our arrangement was clear from the start. I have nothing to complain about. I can't control falling for him, but as long as I remember what our relationship truly is, I'm okay. Whether he's engaged or married to Eveleen, I don't care."

If this conversation had happened before, Scarlett would have believed her words. But ever since she learned how long Natalia had harbored feelings for Hamilton, she found those words hard to trust.

How could she not care? It was just a facade of indifference. In reality, Natalia must be hurting like hell.

"Just wait, he'll regret this."

Natalia didn't respond to that. She just smiled. "Scarlett, sooner or later, I'll leave Hamilton."

She knew all too well that the man didn't love her. So, even though her feelings were strong, she had no intention of wasting her life on him.

Scarlett's mouth hung open for a moment.

Natalia laughed again. "Besides, I have my own dreams to chase."

Scarlett's brow furrowed, wondering what she meant.

"I want to get back into translation work. During this time, a former colleague has been in touch, inviting me to interpret at high-profile conferences. I've been declining because of Hamilton, but I'm not going to anymore."

Scarlett's eyes lit up. "Back to the Foreign Affairs Department?"

Natalia smiled wryly. "Scarlett, the Foreign Affairs Department isn't my family business. It's not like I can just walk back in whenever I want. But I will set it as my goal."

Scarlett felt a twinge of emotion. "That's the spirit. Forget about that lousy man. We'll do better on our own."

Natalia nodded, her smile unwavering. But she knew Hamilton would still try to stop her.

Regardless, she wasn't going to back down this time.

Reassured that Natalia was indeed okay, Scarlett finally let her head home.

...

Once home, Natalia felt a bit lost.

Every year around this time, she would cook a feast for Hamilton and bake him a cake, waiting for him to return home from his gatherings. This year, it seemed none of that would be necessary.

Natalia laughed bitterly to herself and booted up her laptop to work on some freelance jobs, but her phone suddenly rang.

"Ms. Jenkins, where are you?" Alden's voice came through on the other end.

"At home. What's up, Alden?" She paused, then cautiously added, "Is there any news about the child's situation?"

"No, it's not that. I need to see you. I'm on my way over."