The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 24

Her voice was broken and raspy. "There is nothing left to say between us. Let's just get a divorce."

Standing off to the side, Zeke parted his lips to speak, but ultimately remained silent.

"Natalie, divorce is not a trivial matter. Don't constantly use it as a threat the moment something goes wrong." He still seemed to believe she was only bringing it up out of a momentary fit of anger.

Natalie stared dead at him. "Something goes wrong? You think this is just 'something'?"

She aggressively wiped the tears from her face. "Right! Of course! To the great Mr. Carlson, what does it matter if my grandfather dies? It's not your grandfather, after all."

"Natalie." His icy tone carried a lethal edge of warning.

Natalie paused. Realizing something, she stopped arguing. Her voice turned hollow and exhausted. "Just go. Don't come here anymore. Get the divorce papers ready. I don't want a single cent from you. All I want is for Dr. Leroy Weston to perform my grandmother's surgery."

She had long stopped harboring any expectations of him.

What broke her heart was her grandfather. He could have been fine...

"You want to divorce me in this state? How do you think that will look for the Carlson family?" His voice was deep and steady, yet suffocatingly cold.

"That's your problem. It has nothing to do with me." She took a deep breath and ignored him.

She took the elevator down to the billing department on the first floor and paid off the entirety of Yvonne's medical expenses.

Right now, the only thing she could do was take care of them.

She refused to let her grandparents suffer any more harm.

After settling the bill, she planned to go check on the old house. No matter what it took, she had to find a way to buy it back.

Suddenly, someone called her name from behind.

That performance was the one Natalie had poured her absolute heart into. Because it was going to be broadcast on television, she had desperately wanted Hassan to see her on screen.

When she first found out she had secured the spot, she had eagerly babbled about it to Hassan. Even though his reaction had been entirely indifferent, she had kept talking, begging him to remember to watch her dance on TV.

In this relationship, she had been incredibly pathetic. She hadn't even dared to ask him to take time out of his schedule to watch her perform live.

Just knowing he might see her on a screen from far away had been enough for her.

Natalie forced a tight smile. "There's no point anymore."

"Someone stole your spot, and you're just going to let it go?" He was baffled. "Besides, I heard it was a..." He couldn't quite bring himself to say the word, but he was clearly furious on her behalf. "You practiced so hard. You shouldn't be treated like this. Natalie, come join my dance company."

Natalie looked up in surprise. "You left the Arts Center?"

"I quit. I'm starting my own independent company. I'm recruiting right now, actually—that's why I'm so exhausted I made myself sick." He looked at her with bright expectation. "If you join, you'll be our principal dancer. The absolute star of the show. What do you say?"