The Year She Stopped Being Crazy for Him novel Chapter 76

The young girl finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Hi there! Could I get your number?" she asked, gripping her phone with both hands, her bright eyes fixed solely on Hassan.

Natalie didn't turn around, but the girl's sweet, eager voice instantly reminded her of her younger self. She used to speak to Hassan with that exact same infatuated tone.

Back then, she genuinely believed Hassan was a good man. Who could have predicted that it would all crumble in the face of his childhood sweetheart and his own toxic nature?

"The woman standing next to you is my wife," he replied, his deep, crisp voice echoing clearly in the small space.

The girl flushed a deep shade of crimson and awkwardly glanced at Natalie.

She had noticed Natalie the moment she walked in—after all, Natalie was strikingly beautiful. When Hassan had held the door, the girl briefly wondered if they knew each other, but they hadn't exchanged a single word or look.

That was why she had gathered the courage to ask for his number.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wish you both happiness!" As soon as the elevator doors opened, the girl practically sprinted out.

Natalie rode the elevator up one more floor with Hassan.

Neither of them paid any attention to the brief interruption.

When they stepped inside the apartment, they realized they had an uninvited guest.

Gardenia and Cecily were sitting in the living room, along with Adrian.

Natalie froze in her tracks.

Cecily looked perfectly relaxed. "You two are back. Go change your clothes and get ready for dinner."

Hassan glanced at his grandmother, who offered a pre-emptive explanation. "I'm the one who invited them over for dinner."

Just saying those words made her heart physically ache.

She used to view that trip as a unique, irreplaceable gift—something Hassan had given solely to her.

But not long ago, he had taken another woman and her child, completely defiling the sanctity of that memory.

Natalie had already accepted how her story with Hassan would end, so she had stopped caring.

But he refused to sign the divorce papers while brazenly flaunting his affair right in front of her. She couldn't stomach it.

Cecily, sitting by the dining table, cleared her throat softly. "You're acting impulsively, Natalie. I really am the one who invited her."

Natalie let out a dry laugh. "If that's the case, then what's the point of this marriage? Just tell Hassan to divorce me, and I'll pack my things and leave immediately."