The Unwavering Heart That Broke novel Chapter 61

Nathalie pressed her lips together so tightly it almost hurt.

Madonna had always treated her kindly, but at the end of the day, she was still Lance’s mother. Now that she and Lance were getting a divorce, of course Madonna would look out for her son. Women’s intuition rarely missed its mark, and there was no way Madonna was going to let Lance get tangled up with Felice.

Nathalie could see exactly what Madonna was after, but it didn’t make any of this feel any better. Why did she have to be used to keep them apart? Why did it have to fall on her?

She was about to say something, but Madonna reached for her hand again, this time her expression softening a little.

“Nathalie, just do this one thing for me. Once we find someone suitable, I’ll make sure Lance signs the divorce papers. Whatever you want, just tell me.”

Nathalie barely knew how to respond. There was a knot in her chest, tight and heavy, but she managed to keep her voice steady. “And what if he doesn’t want to?”

Madonna hesitated before answering, “As long as you act like you don’t love him anymore, he’ll stop holding on. He’ll eventually look at other women.”

“You’re not him. You can’t know what he’s thinking,” Nathalie said, pulling her hand away, feeling her patience crumbling. “This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to get a divorce. We were finally almost there, and then you called us back, just to make me agree to this completely unreasonable condition…”

“You can’t keep doing this to me.”

She couldn’t take it anymore. Nathalie stood up, ready to walk away.

“Nathalie, do you really want to make me spell it out?” Madonna’s sigh followed her, soft but cutting. “What good will it do you, going against the Adams family like this? Last night’s incident is already all over town. If news of the divorce gets out now, everyone is going to point fingers at you for hurting Jasper.”

Madonna looked at her calmly, face gentle, but her words made the room feel suddenly cold. “You’re not going to have an easy time building a life for yourself in Cabinda. I know you used to be a voice actor. Didn’t you just audition for something? Lost the role, didn’t you?”

Madonna smiled, relieved. “Good girl. I knew you were reasonable. Trust me, this won’t last long. The minute Lance starts falling for someone else, I’ll arrange the divorce. Until then, do whatever you want.”

Madonna’s hand was warm, but all Nathalie felt was ice under her skin.

She took a moment to steady herself. “Alright. Please, just don’t drag it out.”

Without another word, she turned and walked as quickly as she could from the room.

She didn’t look back as she left the Adams Estate behind. The place felt like a cage, cold and suffocating, and all she wanted was to get as far away as possible.