The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 64

It was obvious the woman had been getting ready for bed. She was in a bathrobe, her prosthetic leg removed, leaning heavily on her crutches to open the door.

But the first thing Natalie noticed were the unmistakable, flushed marks on her neck. Her gaze then drifted past Gardenia into the room.

Her legal husband, Hassan Carlson, was wearing a bathrobe that matched the woman's. He was sitting on the sofa, holding a storybook, with the little boy sitting on his lap, absentmindedly playing with his earlobe.

This was the exact scene Natalie used to dream about.

Back then, she had fantasized about having a child with him. She imagined him coming home from work, the two of them playing with their baby, and reading bedtime stories together.

And now, the scene had finally come to life. The only problem was that she wasn't the woman of the house, and the child wasn't hers.

The last thread of Natalie's sanity finally snapped.

Why was it that she had absolutely nothing?

The man she loved didn't love her. Her family didn't love her.

Even her grandparents, the only family she had left, were ready to abandon her for their own children at a moment's notice.

"Natalie, don't misunderstand."

The moment the words left Gardenia's mouth, Natalie shoved her hard, sending her crashing to the floor. "Don't misunderstand? What exactly do I need to see for it to not be a misunderstanding? Do I have to catch you two in bed together?!"

Hassan set the boy down, his brow darkening as he strode over. He helped Gardenia up first, then stepped outside and shut the door behind him, physically separating them from Natalie's volatile state.

Seeing him shield the other woman, Natalie's lips curled into a bitter, mocking sneer. "What, afraid I'll hit her? Don't worry, I have no desire to end up in a police station."

"Natalie, your tantrums are getting out of hand," the man said, his voice flat.

"Out of hand? What, am I supposed to set off fireworks to celebrate the fact that my husband and his mistress are living in my grandparents' house?!"

"Natalie." He grabbed her wrist. "There is nothing going on between us."

Natalie let out a humorless laugh. "Nothing going on?"

"It's like this... Kara accidentally twisted her ankle. She's injured and can't perform. Could you come back?"

Natalie couldn't believe the director actually had the audacity to ask her to return, and as Kara's understudy no less. "Don't you have backups? Calling me for this... are you intentionally trying to humiliate me?"

"No, truly. Kara was out to eat with the two understudies, and they all fell. That's why I'm coming to you. The performance is tomorrow, and you're the only one who can pull this off."

Natalie felt a flash of suspicion. How incredibly convenient that all three of them managed to get injured right before the show.

It left the director with no choice but to beg her. But Natalie couldn't think of a single person who would go to such lengths for her.

"I have no intention of returning," Natalie said flatly.

The director sighed heavily. "I know we didn't handle things right before, but we're out of options. Just this once. We can double your pay. You know the choreography perfectly—if we're down one person, the entire formation is ruined."

Natalie hung up the phone.