The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 182

Ridiculous.

Nathalie’s clear eyes lost their hint of red and turned cold, nearly laughing at her. “Do you hear yourself? Are those even real words coming out of your mouth?”

Camilla’s face twisted with anger. “Nathalie, I’m your mother. How can you speak to me like this?”

Nathalie closed her eyes, sounding completely worn down. “Bring Lance. If he meets one condition, I’ll agree to what you want.”

Camilla pressed her lips together, clearly struggling to keep her frustration under control. She eyed Nathalie with suspicion. “Are you actually serious?”

“As long as Lance says yes, I’ll keep my end of the deal,” Nathalie replied, giving a tired little smile.

Camilla gave her this complicated look before finally turning around and leaving the interrogation room.

Everything was quiet again, so quiet Nathalie could almost hear the dust drifting through the air. A heavy emptiness started to spread inside her. It was as if someone had scooped out a piece of her heart. It hurt—a lot.

She pressed both hands to her face, smothering her pain.

Time crawled by. After what felt like forever, the door finally opened again.

Nathalie looked up, slow and stiff. Lance was coming in, tall and straight-backed. The bright overhead light was way too harsh, throwing hard shadows across his sharp features. His eyes were cool, so distant she almost felt a chill.

“Lance, divorce me,” Nathalie said. Her voice was flat, empty. “If you don’t, this kind of thing is just going to happen again.”

Everything finally made sense to her now.

Felice was always going to play these games. Fine. Let her have it her way. When Nathalie got out, she would hit Felice every time their paths crossed. She’d keep doing it until the whole family ached for Felice and had no choice but to give in to her demand.

What she regretted most, really, was falling for him at first sight. After she pulled him out of the earthquake rubble, they’d started getting closer. Then college came, and she’d thought, why not try? Maybe they could work. If her younger self had known there would be betrayal and pain like this, she never would have let herself fall for him.

“You’re wrong,” Lance said coldly. “Felice was the one who saved me. Not you.”

Nathalie’s eyes burned even brighter. She ground her teeth together. “Divorce me.”

He looked into her broken, furious eyes and his expression hardened. “No. You were the one who chased after me. We promised each other forever. Not a minute less. Nathalie, no matter what you say or do, you’re still my wife.”

He let go of her slowly, almost gentle now. “If this is how you want things, then stay here for a few days. In the end, you’ll realize that no matter what you try, there won’t be a divorce. Ever.”

He turned and walked away, leaving the room cold and silent all over again.