The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 609

Last night, the moment Lance and Nathalie stepped into the bustling night market, Lance realized something was wrong.

They were being tailed.

By the time Nathalie felt that chilling gaze on her, the bodyguards had already triangulated the pursuers' positions and reported them to Lance.

Lance ordered Nicol to stay hidden and protect Nathalie while he went to handle the threat himself.

Taking out a few low-level thugs shouldn't have required his personal involvement, but he hadn't wanted the scum ruining Nathalie's rare chance to relax and enjoy the evening, so he handled it personally.

He just hadn't expected the thugs to be fully prepared assassins, armed to the teeth with concealed blades.

Caught off guard in the dark, Lance took a vicious slash across the chest. The cut wasn't fatally deep, but it was long and brutal.

He had to do an emergency patch job in a dirty alley. Terrified that Nathalie would notice he was gone and panic, he forced Nicol to help him cover it up with a lie.

The reason he had been gone for so long was because he was literally stitching his own flesh back together in the shadows.

...

Listening to Nicol's frantic explanation, Nathalie closed her eyes. Her breaths grew shallow and unsteady. Unbidden, a dozen memories flooded her mind—every single time she had seen him drenched in his own blood.

She lowered her gaze and let out a soft, hollow laugh.

Seeing her stand there in eerie silence, Nicol couldn't gauge her reaction. He asked tentatively, "Nathalie, are you... are you still mad at Mr. Adams for lying to you? He really just didn't want to scare you."

"I know."

Nathalie looked up, her eyes empty. "Ever since Sylvie Winter set her sights on me, has Lance ever gone a single week without being ripped open?"

Nicol paused, his face sobering before he gave a slow nod. "No."

The doctor scoffed from the corner. "Finally. If you took another minute, your man was going to rip out his IV and go looking for you to make sure you didn't fall into a ditch."

Nathalie ignored the comment.

The doctor had a weird sense of humor.

She pulled up a chair and sat next to Lance, her eyes perfectly calm. "You didn't have to lie to me."

Lance immediately grabbed her hand. "I thought you left."

Nathalie's eyelashes fluttered as she looked down at his grip. "I wouldn't leave. I have zero combat skills. Walking out of here alone is just courting death."

Lance tightened his hold on her fingers. "I know this is terrible timing, but I need to say it anyway. I want you to always rely on me, Nathalie. I need you to need me."