The Unwavering Heart That Broke novel Chapter 30

The old shed sat hidden deep in the garden behind the Blair family’s villa, tucked away and dusty, packed with odds and ends. But ever since she turned ten, it was where they locked her up anytime something went wrong.

It was almost always her.

That was the year her parents brought home Felice James. Felice was two years older, and her mom had crouched down, smiling and hopeful. “Nathalie, you always said you wanted a sister. How about Felice be your big sister from now on?”

Nathalie had been thrilled. She grinned, nodding so hard her curls bounced. “Okay!” And she had meant it. She piled up her favorite toys, giving them all to Felice, dragging her along to play pretend in the garden. She used to envy kids who had siblings. Finally, she got to have that too.

But just a few days later, everything started to change. Felice was on the swing, and Nathalie wanted to play with her. Before she made it over, Felice tumbled off the swing.

Her dad happened to be there. Felice started crying right away, voice quivering. “Nathalie didn’t mean to... I’m okay...”

Dad got mad at Nathalie, scolding her on the spot.

She couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t even touched Felice.

A few days after that, they were going downstairs, Felice ahead, Nathalie behind. Out of nowhere, Felice tripped and fell all the way to the bottom.

Nathalie just stood on the steps, frozen. Felice looked up at her, tears spilling down her face, and whimpered, “Nathalie, why did you push me? It really hurts...”

The next thing Nathalie knew, she was locked up in the shed. Her mom and dad took turns coming in to scold her, one after the other. That was the first time her dad ever hit her.

And none of it was fair. She hadn’t pushed Felice. She hadn’t done anything.

She refused to say sorry or admit to something she hadn’t done. Three whole days in that cramped, musty shed—by the end, she was so hungry and tired everything looked blurry. When they finally let her out, nothing felt the same.

That’s when she realized Felice James was a liar. She stopped trying to play with her after that. But as the years passed, Nathalie found herself locked in that shed again and again, all because of Felice. Her parents only seemed to care about Felice now.

Lance’s eyebrows pinched together and he let out this sigh, like he was just tired of it all. He kept his voice low, careful, but not careful enough. “Nathalie, you shouldn’t have hit her.”

She laughed, but it sounded sharp and hollow. “Oh, I’ll do a lot worse next time. I’ll slap her a few more times. So if you feel that sorry for her, just go ahead and finish the divorce.”

She tilted her chin, every word daring him to disagree. “Once we’re done, you can protect her all you want, and I won’t even have a chance to get near her anymore.”

“I’m not worried about her,” Lance said softly. “I’m worried about you. You hit her, and now you’re locked up in here again. Was it worth it?”

Nathalie’s lashes trembled. She could feel all the unfairness threatening to burst out, but she made herself sound cool and casual, like she couldn’t care less.

“I’m used to it.”

She lifted her eyes to meet his, the hurt in them clear even though she tried to hide it. “Lance, if you actually care about me, then divorce me. Let’s just end this.”