The Unwavering Heart That Broke novel Chapter 21

Nathalie’s knuckles were white as she clung to the steering wheel, her face pale and tight.

He’d lied to her. Again.

She grabbed her phone and called his number, but it rang out, unanswered.

Frustrated, she smacked her hands against the wheel, her composure slipping away with each passing second. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she blinked them away. She was not breaking down over him. Not tonight.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated with a shrill ring. She glared at the screen, breathed out slowly, and picked up. “Hello?”

“Nathalie, where are you? You have to come. Lance needs help!” Bagot's voice sounded desperate from the other end.

She gripped the wheel tighter. “Is he dying?”

Bagot was silent for a moment, then said, “No. But he’s been punished. He’s hurt badly, unconscious... They’ve already taken him to the hospital. He keeps calling your name. Please, Nathalie. Can you come?”

Nathalie let out a bitter little laugh. “Why don’t you call me when he’s actually dead?”

She hung up, fingers trembling as she held on to her phone.

Why was Lance punished? Who could even punish him? His parents were barely ever home, off somewhere saving the world as doctors. Leda was old and hardly involved anymore, and ever since Jackson passed, Lance had become the boss of the Adams family.

Her heart felt heavy in her chest. What terrible timing. Of all moments, Lance had to get hurt now—when she was finally close to getting the divorce she’d waited for.

Determined, she drove home. As soon as she pulled up outside the house, her phone rang again. She checked the screen: the Adams Estate.

“Yeah?” She answered, not bothering with polite greetings.

Leda’s frail voice came through. “Lance is in the hospital. As his wife, you should be there looking after him.”

Nathalie scoffed quietly. “Plenty of people would love the chance to take care of him. I doubt I’m even on the list.”

Did she really think she could forbid a divorce?

Let them try to stop her—she was still going through with it.

She got out of the car and tossed her keys to a bodyguard, barely glancing at him. He stared back with a complicated look, almost pitying, almost afraid.

Who would've guessed the polite Mrs. Adams could climb the wall and sneak out, leaving everyone punished by Mr. Adams after she vanished...

Nathalie didn’t bother with explanations. She walked straight into the villa, exhaustion weighing her down. She only wanted to shower and crawl into bed.

In the dark of her bedroom, she scrubbed off the day in the shower, changed, and pulled back the covers.

As soon as she slipped beneath the blankets, something startled her.

An arm slid across her body, the skin burning hot against hers, almost feverish, almost enough to melt her right then and there. She froze, her heart thudding wildly, and her eyes shot open.