The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 260

Natalie originally wanted to ignore him, but remembering her conversation with Cora, she stayed quiet for a moment before retorting, "What? Are you the only one allowed to have a constant companion of the opposite sex? Am I not allowed a male friend?"

She pushed hard against his chest.

Hassan's eyes darkened instantly. "Was it Jude Sheridan?"

Jude was exactly the type to drink heavy, vintage champagne.

Natalie took a deep breath. "Forget it. I don't want to talk to you. It always ends in an argument anyway. I'm exhausted, and I just want to sleep. Let me go."

Something in her final sentence hit a nerve.

He held his breath, his body going completely rigid. A second later, he released her.

With her goal achieved, Natalie rolled over, closed her eyes, and fell asleep almost instantly.

She had no idea that after she drifted off, Hassan quietly reached over and picked up her phone, trying to unlock it.

But Natalie had changed her passcode ages ago. It was a complex mix of letters and numbers now.

After two failed attempts, he set it back down.

...

Natalie slept straight through the night.

Just like the past few mornings, Hassan was already up. The side of the bed next to her was empty.

When she walked into the dining room, she found him seated at the table.

The long, solid wood table was draped in a textured runner and covered in a traditional breakfast spread: slow-simmered abalone porridge, crystal shrimp dumplings, and crab roe buns.

Hassan had almost finished his bowl of porridge.

Adrian had been kept overnight at the main estate with Cecily, so it was just the two of them.

Since she had eaten such a heavy meal the night before and woken up early, Natalie went straight to the kitchen to make herself a yogurt bowl.

She had assumed by the time she came out, Hassan would have finished the last few bites of his porridge and left.

Instead, when she walked out with her yogurt, he was still sitting there. His bowl looked exactly the same as it had five minutes ago.

The dining table was a massive rectangle. Hassan was seated at the far left end, so Natalie took the chair at the absolute opposite diagonal corner—putting the maximum possible distance between them.

Standing off to the side, Faye could clearly feel the freezing tension between them.

Natalie pulled out her phone and started scrolling while she ate. Her bowl was loaded with oats, dried fruit, and nuts, making a loud crunching sound with every bite.

Several times, she could feel Hassan's intense gaze locked onto her.

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