The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 599

It wasn't until he stopped right in front of her that the sounds of the world rushed back in.

The chatter of the crowd, the vibrant energy of the market, and his slightly confused voice. "What are you looking at?"

Nathalie swung her fist, slamming it hard into his chest. Tears instantly welled in her eyes. "Where the hell did you go?!"

Caught completely off guard by the blow, Lance clutched his chest, wincing before shooting a look at Nicol. "Didn't you tell her?"

Nicol's jaw hit the floor.

Dude, seriously?!

Was this how they were playing it?

Wasn't Lance the one who wanted to vanish just to see how she would react?

Why was the blame suddenly being dumped on him?!

Nicol pointed at himself. "I..."

His eyes went wide, ready to defend himself, but the moment he met Lance's dark, predatory glare, the words died in his throat.

Dammit!

He was being threatened.

If he dared to tell Nathalie the truth, he would be fired on the spot.

Not only that, but this manipulative bastard would probably blacklist him across the entire industry.

How was he supposed to get work after that?!

Nicol was fuming internally, but when he met Nathalie's gaze, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and spout absolute nonsense. "Well, you see... that's actually what I was trying to tell you earlier. I just wanted to test if you really wanted to divorce him..."

It was the worst excuse in the history of excuses.

Nathalie's face turned to ice. "Is this a game to you?" she asked coldly.

Nicol instantly folded, bowing his head. "I'm sorry, Ms. Nathalie."

She walked fast, refusing to let him touch her. A suffocating wave of fury and betrayal burned in her chest. She felt like an absolute idiot.

The panic when she realized he was gone. The overwhelming relief when she saw him safe.

What was she doing?

What was she thinking?

Had she not learned her lesson? Was she really going to repeat the same mistakes?

The sheer anger and humiliation culminated into a sharp sting behind her eyes.

Suddenly, a hand caught her wrist. Without thinking, she spun around and slapped him across the face.

"Lance, you're a bastard!"

The crisp sound of the slap echoed over the noise of the busy street. Passing tourists turned to stare in shock.

Lance didn't let go of her wrist. He stood there, taking the hit, and lowered his voice in apology. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn't have done it. Nathalie... I just couldn't accept that you didn't care about me anymore. I had to try."