I Swapped His Fake Gift for a Real Life novel Chapter 82

Chapter 15

With a single masterstroke, Victoria and Isabella–who mere days ago were reviled as social pariahs–had been

catapulted to the pinnacle of Riverside City’s elite.

Who would dare whisper about the mistress who stole her way into the family now? Who would question their

venomous schemes?

All of this… because of Nathaniel.

The sky hung heavy with gloom.

I’d lost track of how long I’d been sitting motionless in the garden.

You can’t fight city hall–someone had once warned me with those very words.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, Nathaniel returned.

Today marked the final day of our three–year contract.

Backlit by the dying light, his features were shrouded in shadow when I lifted my gaze.

He approached, casually draping a thin blanket over my knees. “You knew she had protection. Why humiliate yourself?”

Humiliate myself?

A laugh bubbled up–only to transform into a violent cough that sprayed dark blood across my lap.

“Emily! Panic flashed across Nathaniel’s face as he fumbled to support me, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe my

mouth with trembling hands.

The gentleness of his touch almost convinced me he cared.

My heart turned to ice even as my lips curled into a smile. “Did you know? Catherine could have won the SKP championship that year. But she was pregnant with me…. so she missed her chance.”

My voice cracked. ‘After I was born, she gave up her career entirely to raise us. By the time she fell ill…I stared at my ruined hands. ‘she never held a brush again. That championship It was her unfinished dream Mine too.”

I met his eyes. “You’ve destroyed my last chance at either. Are you satisfied?”

Nathaniel froze. Something like guilt flickered in his gaze before vanishing You knew all along?

My laughter turned jagged “The dark room you locked me in–that’s where my claustrophobia began! The tendons you severed, the bones you broke–you made sure I’d never create again! And now you’ve crushed my anal hope. Tell me. Mr. Hawthorne, I spat the title like poison, “what’s next? How else will you punish me for Isabella’s sake?

Chapter 15

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He rose with a heavy sigh. “I never wanted to hurt you…”

A gesture of his hand summoned black–suited bodyguards materializing from the shadows. They encircled my

wheelchair like vultures.

Strangely, I felt no fear–only a perverse amusement as I smiled up at him. “Killing me so soon?”

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