I Refuse to Be Your Second Choice novel Chapter 351

Everyone in the room went silent, even Alexander Ramirez, who could only stare in shock at Arianna Mitchell’s furious face.

For a long moment, no one moved. Then Bruce Ward finally snapped to his senses. He rushed over and grabbed Arianna by the arm. “Are you out of your mind? Why would you hit Alexander?”

He lowered his voice, stepping in front of her to shield her from Alexander. “Natalie’s hurt and Arianna’s just worried. Don’t take it personally.”

“Mr. Ramirez, Arianna works for me. If she crossed a line, you can hold me responsible,” Samuel Thompson spoke up from behind them.

Bruce turned, giving Samuel a look full of annoyance. “That’s not necessary. She’s just an employee, not your property.”

“She works for The Thompson Group. If she’s not one of ours, is she supposed to be yours?” Samuel shot back.

While the two men argued, the people at the center of it all—Arianna and Alexander—stayed quiet.

Alexander’s voice broke the tension. “I’m not blaming you.”

His gaze was steady as he looked at Arianna. “Camila White hurt her because of me. If hitting me helps, I won’t fight back.”

Bruce and Samuel fell silent. Arianna’s eyes were red, glistening with tears, but she wouldn’t look away from Alexander.

She was clearly holding herself together by a thread. Her voice was icy, but anger still pushed through. “Alexander Ramirez, what does Natalie Watson mean to you, really? This isn’t even the worst thing you’ve done to her. When she loved you, you let her down. When she tried to move on, you wouldn’t let her. If you weren’t chasing her, you were hurting her. How could someone as unlucky as Natalie fall for someone like you?”

“Arianna, things aren’t as simple as they look. Alexander had his reasons. Let me explain later,” Bruce said quietly, trying to pull her away.

Arianna pulled her arm free, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Reasons? Is that what we’re calling it now?” She kept her eyes on Alexander. “Camila had a miscarriage and you threw Natalie out of the hospital. You made her spend the whole night copying scripture, then forced her to kneel on the Cloud-Kissing Pagoda to repent. Your heart broke for Camila’s baby, but what about Natalie’s?”

Alexander felt like he’d been punched in the chest. His eyes went wide.

A wave of realization washed over Alexander. He remembered that call three years ago, right after their anniversary. Natalie had told him she’d been in an accident and needed money for the hospital.

Back then, he’d convinced himself she’d married him for Eugene Ramirez, not for love. He’d given her the cold shoulder, said things just to hurt her.

He remembered that day in the office with Bruce. He’d seen Natalie walk in and made sure to say those hurtful things loud enough for her to hear.

He never imagined it would come to this.

Alexander’s hands curled into fists, his knuckles turning white. He wanted nothing more than to punch himself.

Suddenly, the light above the operating room door flickered off. The doors slid open and a doctor stepped out.

“She’s lost a lot of blood and there’s damage to a major artery. If she can make it through the night, she’ll be out of danger.”