Echoes of a Forsaken Heart novel Chapter 189

Hamilton's good mood evaporated in an instant.

"What did you say?" he asked, incredulity in his voice.

Natalia looked him squarely in the eye. "Do I really need to repeat myself?"

With that, she shrugged him off and walked away.

Deep down, she knew there was no point in letting these two ruin her mood. Was this kind of drama new to her? Hardly. She'd seen it all before. But still, there was something particularly nauseating about a man who would kiss her one moment and then cozy up with another woman the next.

She quickened her pace toward the exit.

Hamilton caught up, his voice low as he tried to explain. "She threw herself at me. I pushed her away."

Natalia didn't even break stride. "Mr. Fowler, you don't owe me any explanations. Hug or kiss or whatever – none of it's my business. But do me a favor? Keep your theatrics away from me, okay?"

Her words once again drew a clear boundary between them.

Inside, Hamilton felt a spark of anger. "Natalia, don't you care even a little bit?"

"Why should I care?" She glanced at him, grabbed her charger, and turned back.

Eveleen stood at the hospital entrance, the picture of distress. "Ms. Jenkins, I'm sorry, I just missed Hamilton so much. I didn't mean anything by it. Please don't misjudge him because of me."

Natalia felt a wave of revulsion at the saccharine words. Too tired to engage, she breezed past toward the interior. But Hamilton's voice called out again.

"Natalia!"

He had hoped that the evening's events might have softened their relationship, but her demeanor remained frigid. "You saw her. She hugged me and I pushed her off right away."

Natalia looked down and chuckled. She had seen, alright. But the fact that this man had never set clear boundaries with Eveleen spoke volumes. And if he had really wanted to avoid her, Natalia doubted anything could have stopped him.

She didn't respond to Hamilton, instead fixing her gaze on Eveleen. "Eveleen, you've been targeting me for so long, trying everything you can to hurt me. Isn't this what you wanted? Spare me the act. You should be out celebrating with bells on, shouldn't you? I've stepped aside. The field is yours, Ms. Schafer. Why don't you go for it?"

With that, Natalia left them behind and entered the building.

Hamilton watched her go, his face growing darker by the second. Eveleen, trying to salvage some dignity, whispered, "I'm sorry, Hamilton. I didn't think Ms. Jenkins would see."

His icy gaze fell upon her. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" he said after a long pause.

Eveleen looked even more forlorn, "Hamilton, you've got me all wrong. I just wanted to see you."

Hamilton looked at her, his silence stretching before he spoke deliberately. "From now on, keep your distance. If you need anything, call Victor. He'll take care of it. I may have had some childhood affection for you, but it's not an inexhaustible resource."

Eveleen went pale, her bandaged forehead standing out in the harsh light, evoking a fragile image. "Hamilton, are you really willing to throw away our childhood bond over Natalia? Is she worth it? She doesn't care about you at all! Hamilton, please, don't leave me behind. I can't live without you!"

Hamilton's expression turned colder. He gazed at the woman he once considered his redemption. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke with detachment. "Stop with the charade, Eveleen. Do you think I don't know what you're really like?"