The Unwavering Heart That Broke novel Chapter 83

Madonna didn’t say a word. She just looked at him, her gaze complicated and searching.

“That’s my sister-in-law,” Lance blurted, straightening up on the couch. The frustration on his usually handsome face was impossible to miss. “She misunderstood me. And now you all think the worst of me too?”

Madonna let out a tired sigh. “Lance, I get that you don’t have those feelings, but you can’t speak for everyone else. People can be complicated. And you two keep spending time together. What happens if things get messy?”

“Not a chance,” Lance said, cutting her off, his voice flat and cold. “Felice loves Jackson. I saw how good they were together. There is absolutely no way that would ever change.”

At that, Madonna’s expression cooled. “So, bottom line, you’re not going to ask Felice to leave?”

Lance pressed his lips together, his brows drawn tight. He looked down, silent for a long moment before finally managing, “Let me think about it.”

Madonna nodded. “Fine. Take your time. But the way you’re dragging this out, your wife might be gone by the time you finally figure things out.”

With that, she got up and headed upstairs.

Lance sat back on the sofa, rubbing his forehead in frustration, the weight of everything clear in the crease of his brows.

***

Thanks to how careful she was last night, Nathalie got up the next morning without even a hint of a cold. Her voice was still crisp and sweet. She sipped some honey water, had a quick breakfast, and set out for work.

Her car was in the shop, so she was stuck using ride-shares for now.

When she arrived at the office and saw Felice already at her desk, Nathalie’s mood took a nosedive.

So Madonna didn’t convince Lance? Does this mean Felice is staying for good? Am I seriously going to have to work with her under the same roof every day?

What a nightmare.

At least she was busy. She’d gone over the script and watched the original footage yesterday, so today Addis set up a meeting to kick off the voice-over work. Nathalie ended up spending the entire day in the studio. When she finally came out, Addis was still pointing out bits that needed tweaking or improvement.

Nathalie listened carefully, not really noticing where she was walking.

Suddenly, Addis fell silent. She glanced up and saw Lance standing ahead, tall and sharp in a way that stood out in any room, talking quietly to Felice.

When Felice noticed Nathalie approaching, she flashed a bright smile. “Nathalie’s done for the day. I’ll head out first.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” Lance offered.

He just stared, totally thrown off. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“Nathalie, can you be serious?” He sounded tired, but there was something hopeful in his voice.

Nathalie finished tidying up and picked up her bag, meeting his eyes. “Fine. Being serious means I don’t want to see you at all. Just looking at you puts me in a bad mood.”

As soon as she said it, Lance’s eyes narrowed. He took a quick step forward and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck.

Nathalie jumped back, startled. “What are you doing?”

A couple of coworkers nearby stopped what they were doing, watching the scene with way too much interest.

Lance stared her down. “Say that again. I dare you.”

His face had gone stormy, like he was only one word away from losing control.

Nathalie steadied herself, pushed his hand away, and said, “What do you actually want from me?”