The Unwavering Heart That Broke (Nathalie and Lance) novel Chapter 765

Chapter 765

His dramatic display was so ridiculous she almost wanted to laugh.

Nathalie watched him in silence for a moment before forcing her vocal cords to work, speaking one painfully slow syllable at a time. “Do. You, Still. Have. No. News. Of. Him?”

It took her nearly a full minute to get the sentence out. As soon as she finished, her elegant brows knitted together in frustration. She still wasn’t used to the friction in her throat.

She much preferred typing. At least that was fluid and didn’t sound like gravel.

Lance’s playful expression vanished. He reached a hand out toward her. “Come here.”

Unsure of what he wanted, Nathalie placed her hand in his anyway.

With a gentle tug, Lance pulled her directly into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. His large, warm hand stroked her back as his deep, magnetic voice dropped into a soothing murmur. “You’re doing incredibly well. Your voice will be back to normal soon. You don’t have to force yourself to do things you hate just to make me feel better. I love everything you do for me, but I never want to see you frustrated.”

She hadn’t expected such a tender confession. Held securely against his chest, she froze, lowering her gaze as a wave of conflicted emotions flooded her eyes.

She didn’t know why, but whenever he showed even a hint of vulnerability, her resolve completely

crumbled.

She couldn’t help but think that she was the reason he was sitting in the dark right now.

It was that suffocating guilt that kept softening her heart, making her lower her boundaries with him time and time again.

Refusing to dwell on it, Nathalie gave a small nod against his chest. She pulled back slightly, holding up her phone to let the text-to-speech app play. “Is there really no word on Bagot?”

“No,” Lance murmured, his tone darkening. “He’s completely off the grid. I have men looking everywhere.”

Neely was a mercenary-he would get the job done if the money was right. Lawrence, meanwhile, was currently drowning in his own cartel-related chaos. To avoid bringing more heat onto himself, Lawrence likely wouldn’t go out of his way to torture Bagot.

Though, Lance wasn’t entirely certain if Bagot was even in Lawrence’s custody to begin with.

Nathalie hesitated before typing her next question. “Octavia mentioned Jackson earlier.”

Lance nodded. “She said she saw someone who looked exactly like him. Grief probably playing tricks on her mind.”

Nathalie’s curiosity piqued, smelling a story. She quickly typed, “What did she mean? Did Octavia have feelings for him?”

Lance let out a low, humorless laugh. “Yeah. They were the same age, grew up together. Before college, they practically saw each other every single day. But then she went abroad to study, and he

12:14

Chapter 765

Chapter 765

His dramatic display was so ridiculous she almost wanted to laugh.

Nathalie watched him in silence for a moment before forcing her vocal cords to work, speaking one painfully slow syllable at a time. “Do. You. Still. Have. No. News. Of. Him?”

It took her nearly a full minute to get the sentence out. As soon as she finished, her elegant brows knitted together in frustration. She still wasn’t used to the friction in her throat.

She much preferred typing. At least that was fluid and didn’t sound like gravel.

Lance’s playful expression vanished. He reached a hand out toward her. “Come here.”

Unsure of what he wanted, Nathalie placed her hand in his anyway.

With a gentle tug, Lance pulled her directly into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. His large, warm hand stroked her back as his deep, magnetic voice dropped into a soothing murmur. “You’re doing incredibly well. Your voice will be back to normal soon. You don’t have to force yourself to do things you hate just to make me feel better. I love everything you do for me, but I never want to see you frustrated.”

She hadn’t expected such a tender confession. Held securely against his chest, she froze, lowering her gaze as a wave of conflicted emotions flooded her eyes.

She didn’t know why, but whenever he showed even a hint of vulnerability, her resolve completely

crumbled.

She couldn’t help but think that she was the reason he was sitting in the dark right now.

It was that suffocating guilt that kept softening her heart, making her lower her boundaries with him time and time again.

Refusing to dwell on it, Nathalie gave a small nod against his chest. She pulled back slightly, holding up her phone to let the text-to-speech app play. “Is there really no word on Bagot?”

“No,” Lance murmured, his tone darkening. “He’s completely off the grid. I have men looking everywhere.”

Neely was a mercenary-he would get the job done if the money was right. Lawrence, meanwhile, was currently drowning in his own cartel-related chaos. To avoid bringing more heat onto himself, Lawrence likely wouldn’t go out of his way to torture Bagot.

Though, Lance wasn’t entirely certain if Bagot was even in Lawrence’s custody to begin with.

Nathalie hesitated before typing her next question. “Octavia mentioned Jackson earlier.”

Lance nodded. “She said she saw someone who looked exactly like him. Grief probably playing tricks on her mind.”

Nathalie’s curiosity piqued, smelling a story. She quickly typed, “What did she mean? Did Octavia have feelings for him?”

Lance let out a low, humorless laugh. “Yeah. They were the same age, grew up together. Before college, they practically saw each other every single day. But then she went abroad to study, and he

712

12.14

Chapter 765

met Felice James.”

At the mention of Felice, Lance’s brow furrowed in unmasked disgust.

He thought back to Octavia’s comment about Jackson having garbage taste.

Looking back, she was absolutely right. It was a spectacular failure of judgment.

Nathalie didn’t press the issue. She left to spend some time with Leda.

The older woman hadn’t been doing well. She looked frail and deeply hollowed out, the grief carving new, harsh lines into her face.

The suddenness of the tragedy had broken something in her. Even though her relationship with Camilla had been strained, a mother burying her daughter was a horror no one could easily process.

Leda needed time to grieve in peace.

Seeing Nathalie walk in, Leda offered a weak smile. “Nathalie, I think I’d like to go home.”

Nathalie stiffened. She walked over and sat beside her on the bed. “I. Worry. About. You. Alone.”

Seeing her granddaughter try to speak brought a genuinely comforted smile to Leda’s face. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m an old woman, and I’ve spent my entire life in that house. I don’t want to spend my final days anywhere else.”

Chapter 766

Chapter 766

Hearing her speak with such finality sent an uncomfortable chill through Nathalie’s chest. She frowned, squeezing Leda’s hand tightly, and forced the words out. “Don’t. Talk. Like. That.”

Leda just smiled warmly, reaching out to gently stroke Nathalie’s hair. She looked entirely at peace with the world. “I made my peace with it a long time ago. My life might not have been perfect, but it’s been a hell of a ride. I’ve seen it all, so I can’t say it was a wasted trip. We all have to face partings eventually. It’s just the natural order of things.”

Refusing to listen to another word of it, Nathalie leaned forward and buried her face against Leda’s

shoulder.

Leda didn’t push the subject. She simply kept stroking Nathalie’s long hair, rhythmic and soothing, just like she used to on quiet afternoons when Nathalie was a little girl.

Since Leda was absolutely determined to return to her ancestral home, Nathalie didn’t try to stop her. She went back and told Lance about the decision.

“I’ll deploy a security detail to watch the house twenty-four-seven,” Lance said without hesitation. “You don’t need to stress over her safety.”

Nathalie nodded and forced out two raspy syllables. “Thank. You.”

Lance instantly pushed his luck. “Is a verbal thank you all I get?”

Nathalie gave him a deadpan stare. She pulled out her phone and typed, “We aren’t divorced yet. She’s your family now, too. Protecting her is literally your job.”

Lance actually laughed at that. He nodded approvingly. “You make a fair point. What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours.”

He was hopelessly addicted to this feeling of intertwining their lives. Even sitting across from each other doing absolutely nothing, this simple banter filled him with a deep, soul-settling euphoria.

Nathalie decided to personally escort Leda back home. The weather was beautiful, and Leda hadn’t packed much, deciding she could just buy whatever she needed once she settled in.

“You should stay here and take care of Lance,” Leda suggested. “I can manage the trip perfectly fine on my own.”

Nathalie shook her head adamantly and typed, “Absolutely not. I’m taking you home and making sure you’re settled before I come back. I’ll only be gone a day or two. He’ll survive without me.”

Standing nearby, Lance nodded in agreement. “Listen to her, Grandma. If you leave without her, she’s going to cry, and I have no idea how to comfort her.”

Leda chuckled helplessly. “Alright, alright. Lance, you stay out of trouble while we’re gone. If anything happens, have someone call Nathalie immediately.”

“I will,” Lance replied, looking every bit the respectful grandson.

They loaded into the car and headed straight for the High-Speed Rail Station.

Flying was too physically exhausting for someone Leda’s age, so the high-speed train was the perfect

1/2

12:15

Chapter 766

alternative.

When they arrived at the terminal, they found Sophia standing near the security checkpoint.

“Grandma Leda!”

Sophia had heard about Leda’s departure and took time off work just to see her off.

Leda smiled affectionately. “How have you been holding up, sweetheart? You look like you’ve lost weight.”

“I’m doing great, really. You don’t need to worry about me,” Sophia assured her, her eyes glistening. “But why are you leaving so suddenly? What am I supposed to do when I miss you?”

“You can call me, or come visit. We’ll make it work,” Leda said soothingly.

Sophia’s eyes welled up with tears. “It won’t be as easy as when you were right here in the city.”

“Hush now. Come spend the weekend whenever you have free time. I’ll take care of everything,” Leda said, gently wiping a tear from the girl’s cheek.

Nathalie looked at Sophia apologetically and typed, “I’m so sorry I won’t be able to make it to your birthday. I already mailed a gift to the dessert shop where you work. Happy early birthday.”

Chapter

Chapter 767

“Thank you so much, Nathalie,” Sophia smiled, looking deeply touched by the gesture.

Nathalie tapped a quick message on her phone. “Alright, you should head back to work. We need to

catch our train.”

Sophia gave Nathalie a tight hug before pulling back. “I’m going to miss Grandma so much.”

Nathalie offered a soft, reassuring smile, her eyes filled with gentle warmth.

After a smooth four-hour train ride, the luxury transport pulled up to the gates of the beautiful, historic Sinclair Residence. Warner, the elderly butler who managed the estate, rushed out to greet them, his face lighting up with absolute joy.

“Madam! You’ve finally come home! And Ms. Nathalie, it is so good to see you!”

Nathalie gave a polite nod and spoke with strained effort. “War. Ner.”

Warner froze, his expression instantly shifting to panic. “Ms. Nathalie, what happened to your voice?”

“A minor accident,” Leda interjected smoothly. “She’s already on the mend.”

Warner hovered nervously, his brow furrowed with concern. “Was it a bad accident? Did the doctors say when she’ll fully recover? Oh, you poor girl, you really need to be more careful…”

Chattering like an overprotective grandfather, Warner took their luggage and led the way into the sprawling estate.

Leda sighed in mock exasperation. “Can you stop fussing? I’ve been gone for months and you haven’t managed to cure that motor-mouth of yours?”

Warner let out a hearty laugh. “You being gone is exactly why I’m talking so much! I practically bored the neighbors to death looking for someone to chat with. I’ve been counting the days until you came back.”

Leda just shook her head, though she was smiling.

Nathalie could immediately tell that stepping back into her ancestral home and bickering with her old friend was doing wonders for Leda’s spirit. The heavy tension she had carried for weeks was finally melting away.

“By the way,” Warner asked suddenly, “did you manage to track down those earrings?”

Both Leda and Nathalie paused, a wave of complicated emotions washing over them.

The sapphire earrings. It felt like a lifetime ago.

Actually, it hadn’t been that long, but so much chaos had erupted since then that they had almost completely forgotten why Leda went to Cabinda in the first place.

Leda had believed the earrings were a token of love from her late husband, and she had been utterly desperate to retrieve them.

But knowing the truth now, they were never truly hers to begin with.