The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 18

The elevator doors chimed open at the end of the hospital corridor, and Hassan strode out, closely followed by Marvin.

He lifted his gaze, spotting the large group hovering outside the operating room. The atmosphere was thick with suffocating silence.

Jacob had already given him a full rundown of the incident over the phone on the way here.

Sweeping his eyes across the crowd, his gaze eventually locked onto Natalie. He dragged his eyes up and down her frame, lingering momentarily on the sliver of bare waist before returning to his usual stoic composure.

Minutes dragged on until the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor finally replaced the shrill emergency alarms. A doctor stepped out of the operating room. "The resuscitation was successful. We've effectively stabilized the cranial trauma."

A collective sigh of relief rippled through the group.

Immediately, Jacob turned on Natalie. "That was attempted murder! Prepare to spend the rest of your life in prison."

Nancy's legs instantly gave out, and she slumped against the wall. Gritting her teeth, her voice came out raspy. "It was an accident! How could it possibly be attempted murder?!"

Natalie's face drained of color, a cold wave of panic washing over her. Jacob came from a powerful political and military family, and the optics of the situation were already completely stacked against her. If he genuinely wanted to throw her in prison, her life was over.

"An accident? Who knows if she did it on purpose? She's always been jealous of Gardenia! Want to settle this? Fine. Have Natalie smash her own head until she fractures her skull!"

Jacob sneered, glaring at her. "And that's me doing Hassan a massive favor. Your empty head could never compare to Gardenia's anyway. She's about to join Carlson Group as the lead research captain. What do you do? You dance, cook dinner, and offer absolutely zero value!"

Marvin's lips twitched as if he wanted to defend her, but he ultimately kept his mouth shut, merely tugging on Jacob's sleeve. "Jacob, let's not blow this out of proportion."

Still fuming, Jacob looked over at Hassan. "Hassan, are you really going to protect her?"

Every pair of eyes in the hallway swiveled to him, waiting with bated breath for his verdict.

His calm, unreadable gaze settled onto Natalie's face. He stepped closer, raising a hand to gently tuck a messy strand of hair behind her ear.

His voice was low and devoid of any unnecessary emotion—succinct and ruthlessly controlled. "Natalie, everyone must take responsibility for their own actions."

Natalie stared up at him in utter shock, taking in his unyielding, infuriatingly placid expression.

"I didn't... do it," she whispered, though her words sounded agonizingly feeble. The truth was, she *had* been practically on top of Gardenia the moment she slammed into the pillar.

Hassan grabbed her hand and, a second later, pulled her into his warm, broad embrace. He spoke slowly, enunciating every syllable. "This has nothing to do with you."

Her pupils trembled slightly.

But his next words hit her like a freight train, laced with absolute, unquestionable finality. "Your friend threw the first punch, didn't she? Then let her take the fall."

A violent chill shot through her veins. Natalie suddenly realized this man wasn't just cold—he was fundamentally ruthless.

She always knew he didn't care about the people she loved, but how could he be so deeply, terrifyingly callous? Did he think she didn't need friends, that belonging entirely to him was enough?

"Fine! I'll pay her back myself!"

Natalie’s voice shook with hysteria as she shoved him away and violently threw herself headfirst toward the concrete wall.

Seeing his mask slip, Natalie tightened her grip, locking eyes with him. "Call Jacob right now. Tell him to back off Nancy."

"You're going to regret this." Hassan yanked out his phone and dialed Jacob's number.

It was the very first time she had ever heard genuine emotion bleed into his voice. Once she heard him settle the issue, she finally released her hold.

"Cough, cough."

Adrian's face was flushed red. He rubbed his neck and simply stared at her, his eyes startlingly composed and devoid of panic.

Natalie's hands were violently shaking. She shoved the car door open and stepped out without another word. A crisp breeze swept past, the chill biting through her shirt and making her shiver.

Her mind kept replaying the image of his panic over the boy's safety. He had remained utterly blind to her devastating breakdown, but the second Adrian was threatened, he refused to call her bluff.

The difference between being loved and being tolerated was staggering.

She no longer held onto any delusional hopes regarding Hassan. She was simply heartbroken for the girl she had been for the past twenty-four years.

When she saw Nancy emerge from the hospital, she ran over and threw her arms around her, the tears finally spilling over. "I'm so sorry. I almost ruined your life."

"I was the one who lost my temper and threw the first hit." Nancy shook her head, still rattled by how close she had come to disaster.

Desperate to steer Natalie away from guilt, she quickly changed the subject. "Don't you have a rehearsal to get to? I'll drive you."