The Unwavering Heart That Broke novel Chapter 23

Standing at the edge of the bed, Nathalie watched him lying there, completely unconscious. In that moment, he looked so breakable, nothing like the proud, intimidating man she used to know. There was none of that sharp, commanding presence, none of the coldness that had hurt her so many times before.

Her hand clenched hard around the pillow. He really was impossible. He had made her fall so deeply in love, only to make her hate him just as much. Every bit of happiness and pain—he was the reason for it all.

Her emotions surged, swirling between anger and heartache, but finally she loosened her hold on the pillow. She couldn’t do it. She just wanted out, to be free of him, not to see him dead. After all, she had loved him for eight years. That had to count for something.

She stepped away, moving slowly until she reached the chair and dropped into it. Across the room, the man she’d once loved so fiercely had no idea what was going on.

Around three in the morning, Lance stirred awake, jolted by pain. He opened his eyes, automatically turning his head to the side. When he came home, she wasn’t there. But now, he could just make out a figure curled up in the far corner of the room. She was hugging her knees to her chest, small and vulnerable, like a scared kid lost in the dark.

Lance’s eyes burned red, and his breathing stayed rough. The fever was gone, but his back still throbbed with pain. In the dim light, he kept his eyes on her sleeping face, feeling like he could look at her forever and it still wouldn’t be enough.

The next morning, Nathalie woke up feeling stiflingly hot. As she blinked awake, she realized she was being held close against someone’s chest. Physically, it was warm and comfortable, but her heart lurched. Instinctively, she pushed the arms away.

Lance had been lying on his side. When she shoved him, he rolled onto his back, his features twisting in pain. Sweat trickled from his temples as he grimaced.

“Nathalie…” His voice was raw, harsh from the pain. “It hurts.”

Something inside her trembled. Memories came rushing back—the winter they’d gone skiing. She wasn’t very good and lost control on a steep slope. Lance had thrown himself after her, pulling her to safety, and they tumbled all the way down together. He’d broken his leg on a jagged rock. While he recovered in the hospital, he’d stuck to her side, complaining how much it hurt and teasing her until her cheeks turned pink. Some of those memories still made her smile, even now.

For a fleeting second, all she felt was the sweetness of their past. Then it stabbed, sharp and unforgiving, right into her chest. She looked at him, face pale. “You’re always thinking about that woman and her son. Maybe you deserve this pain after all.”

Lance’s brow tightened at the bite in her words. There was no trace left of the gentle, playful Nathalie he remembered. Now, her eyes were nothing but ice.

Nathalie’s hands curled into fists. For a long minute, she just stood there before finally walking over to help roll him onto his side. Only then did she realize the bandages on his back had soaked through, the wound bleeding again and staining the gauze vivid red.

Her chest tightened painfully, but her face stayed calm. She cleaned and redressed the wound, just like the family doctor had shown her. But wrapping the gauze meant he had to sit up, and she wasn’t nearly as strong.

Her tone came out stiff and impatient. “You have to help out a little. Sit up.”

Lance’s eyes locked on hers, dark and unreadable. “Then help me up.”

Without thinking, Nathalie grabbed his shoulders to support him. In the same instant, his weight shifted, and he collapsed against her. Suddenly, she was pinned beneath him, his warmth surrounding her, stealing her breath away.