The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 496

Chapter 496

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In the back of the sleek luxury car.

Nathalie pulled off her mask, her chest tight with worry. She turned to Lance, needing absolute certainty. “You aren’t actually going to hand Damaris over to him, right?”

Lance kept his attention on the tablet in his lap, swiping through

documents. He spared her a brief glance. “I made you a promise. I don’t break my word.”

Nathalie let out a breath, turning to stare out the darkened window. After a few agonizing minutes, she couldn’t take it anymore and dialed Damaris’s number.

“Hey, Nat.”

“Damaris, is everything okay?” Damaris’s voice drifted through the line, soft and incredibly carefree, as if she didn’t have a single worry in the

world.

Nathalie desperately wished her friend could stay that way forever.

She took a breath. “The guy who just picked up Bagot’s phone… that’s the man who’s been hunting for you.”

“What!”

Damaris gasped loudly. “How was it him? You guys actually know him?”

“Yes. Due to some complicated circumstances, Lance has a business arrangement with him right now,” Nathalie explained quickly. “Bagot runs into him pretty often because of it. You really need to stop calling Bagot’s phone for a while. And please, try to stay inside as much as possible.”

Panic began to set in on the other end. “It’s been so many days! He’s really still looking for me?”

“He is.”

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Chapter 496

Nathalie sighed heavily. “He is completely obsessed. He’s an incredibly dangerous man. You have to keep a low profile. Whatever you do, do not let him find you.”

“Okay, okay, I understand. Just hearing you talk about him is giving me the creeps.” Damaris’s carefree tone was entirely gone, replaced by mounting terror.

Nathalie’s heart ached for her, but she had to lay out the harsh reality. Damaris needed to understand exactly who Lawrence was. If she got dragged into his twisted world, her life would be irreparably destroyed.

“Why don’t you go on a vacation?” Nathalie suggested after a moment’s thought. “Just travel somewhere far away. Wait until he finally leaves the country, and then come back.”

Damaris hesitated. “Let me think about it.”

“Alright. Take your time, but let me know what you decide.”

Hanging up the phone, Nathalie let out a heavy exhale, trying to clear the suffocating tension from her chest.

She still fe

deeply uneasy, but at least for tonight, Damaris was safe.

In the dimly lit cabin of the car, Lance watched her quietly. Seeing her so tied up in knots over someone else’s safety made his gaze turn somber.

care

If the day ever came when her own life was on the line, he wouldn’t about the collateral damage. He would burn the world down just to keep her breathing.

Bagot drove like a madman, arriving at Damaris’s apartment complex in the middle of the night. He sprinted to her door and started hammering his fist against the wood.

Inside, Damaris nearly jumped out of her skin. She had just gotten off the phone with Nathalie. Hearing the aggressive, relentless pounding, her

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Chapter 496

mind instantly went to worst-case scenarios.

*Lawrence found me!*

She spun around in a panic, racing to the kitchen. Her fingers closed tightly around the handle of a heavy chef’s knife. Taking trembling steps, she crept toward the front door.

“Damaris! Open the door!”

Bagot’s muffled shout filtered through the heavy wood.

Damaris instantly slumped against the wall, releasing a massive breath of relief. Thank God. It wasn’t the psycho mercenary.

She unbolted the lock and yanked the door open, immediately pointing the chef’s knife right at Bagot’s chest. “Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea what time it is? If you break my door, you’re paying for it!”

Bagot flinched at the sight of the blade, but his expression quickly darkened into a scowl. He pushed past her, stepping into the apartment and slamming the door shut behind him.

He cornered her, his eyes blazing. “Did you sleep with Lawrence?!”

Damaris’s eyes went wide with shock, the color draining from her face before rushing back in a furious flush. “Are you insane?!”

He showed up in the dead of night just to ask her that?!

“Answer the question!”

Bagot grabbed both of her shoulders, his grip tight as he glared down at

her.

Damaris shoved him away violently. “How is that any of your business?! Who do you think you are to interrogate me? Bagot, if you need a therapist, go find one. Stop acting like a lunatic in my apartment.”