Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart (Natalia and Hamilton) novel Chapter 120

Hamilton gripped Natalia’s waist, lowering his gaze upon her with an uncharacteristic tenderness in his eyes.

Natalia, momentarily dazed by the softness on his face, quickly snapped back to reality. She flashed a wry smile at him and asked, “Mr. Fowler, having second thoughts, are we?”

Watching her, Hamilton took a moment before releasing her, leaning against the wall to light a cigarette. “Natalia, I’ve given you an out. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Without a word, Natalia turned and strode towards the door.

“Quite sure,” she said, and with that, she was out the door and gone.

Hamilton stood there, his face a stormy canvas of displeasure. After a spell, he whipped out his phone and dialed a number.

“Tonight, I want Orpheus’s assets turned upside down!”

Having made the call, Hamilton moved to the window, watching the woman disappear into the night before taking a drag of his smoke.

He had intended to let her have her little rebellion for a few more days, but tonight’s events had stirred a regret within him for letting her go.

A canary belongs in its cage, he mused. Wasn’t it better for her to stay put by his side?

Frowning into the night, Hamilton dialed another number.

...

Natalia, after returning home, completed her nightly routine and fell straight into bed.

Her slumber was broken by the shrill of her phone, and with bleary eyes, she recognized the caller – Tatiana’s doctor.

Her grogginess vanished instantly as she bolted upright, wincing at a sharp pain in her side.

Ignoring the discomfort, she answered the call. “Doctor, what’s wrong? Is it my mother?”

“It’s not that,” the doctor replied, and Natalia exhaled a sigh of relief.

Natalia bit her lip, “Then what is it?”

“The thing is, Ms. Jenkins, the medication your mother has been on is imported, and it was heavily discounted because of Mr. Fowler. But it seems he no longer wishes to extend those discounts.”

Natalia felt a jolt. This was surely Hamilton’s tactic to force her return. She took a deep breath, attempting to steady her emotions.

“If the discounts are removed, what’s the monthly cost?”

There was hesitance before the doctor spoke.

“Without the discount, you’re looking at an additional two hundred thousand a month.”

The room spun around Natalia.

“That much?” she asked, frowning. “Doctor, are you certain there’s no mistake?”

The current medical bills for Tatiana were already a hefty two hundred thousand per month.

“There’s no mistake, Ms. Jenkins. You can come to the hospital to see the billing details, or I can email them to you if you prefer.”

Natalia’s heart sank. After a long pause, she finally said, “Alright, I understand. I’ll figure something out.”

“Please do, Ms. Jenkins. Your mother’s medication funds are running low.”

“Understood.”

Ending the call, Natalia couldn’t help but massage her temples. Her struggle to cover Tatiana’s medical expenses was hard enough as Hamilton had just cut her commission in half.

Natalia let out a bitter laugh. Indeed, Hamilton knew exactly how to exploit one’s vulnerabilities. Using Tatiana against her was far more effective than anything else. After all, Tatiana was her last living kin.

She couldn’t even blame Hamilton, nor could she confront him. Discounts were never his obligation.

Leaning back on her bed, Natalia was engulfed by a wave of helplessness. After getting dressed, she visited Tatiana at the hospital.

Sitting by Tatiana’s bedside, Natalia felt a rare sense of self-pity.

She didn’t want to return. Truly, she didn’t.

She feared that if she went back, she might never muster the courage to leave again. Nor did she want to be caught between Hamilton and Eveleen.