Echoes of a Forsaken Heart novel Chapter 194

Hamilton stood at the threshold, a picture of confusion and distress.

He couldn't answer the question.

Even though he wanted to deny it.

But under the circumstances back then, even if Natalia had spoken up, he probably wouldn't have listened.

Now, he replayed the events in his mind, trying to pinpoint when exactly it all happened.

After racking his brain, he recalled it might have been the day Eveleen showed up with a red mark on her face, claiming Natalia had slapped her.

What had he said to her again?

He seemed to remember.

Telling her to apologize to Eveleen.

Hamilton's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched tighter and tighter.

"If you had told me then..."

Natalia remained silent, and Scarlett emerged from the sidelines.

"Told you? And then what? Warn Natalia to keep her distance from Eveleen? Hamilton, have you ever considered the extent of your screw-ups?"

"You've been hovering around Natalia lately, you've disrupted her relationship with Ryan, you've been begging and sweet-talking, but have you done one substantial thing? Your precious Eveleen is still out there, probably plotting ways to hurt Natalia. Hamilton, have you ever wondered why Eveleen feels so emboldened? Because you're her accomplice, because you enable her!"

After Scarlett finished her tirade, she went over and hugged Natalia.

She was nearly heartbroken. Why should her Natalia be treated like this?

Hamilton stood frozen, unsure of how to take the next step forward.

Natalia, swallowing the bitterness in her heart, patted Scarlett. "I'm okay."

As he watched her, Hamilton's heart clenched in waves of pain.

He had been a real jerk in the past.

He wanted to apologize to her.

But he felt that a simple sorry was far too cheap.

His heart filled with nothing but remorse as the veins stood out on his clenched fists.

The second half of the hearing focused on Eveleen's assault charge.

The proceedings were less a trial and more an excruciation of Natalia.

In the courtroom, lawyers dissected every aspect of Natalia and Hamilton's relationship – how it started, when she became pregnant, when she miscarried – laying bare the last shreds of her dignity for public scrutiny.

This was exactly why Caspian had advised her against attending.

The details were not just for the reporters in the room but for the entire nation to judge.

Listening from the break room as the lawyers recounted the story of Natalia's miscarriage, Hamilton felt as if someone was drilling into his chest.

If he could claim ignorance before, this was something he was painfully aware of from the start.

Now, hearing it recounted, he felt as if his whole body ached with her.

What kind of pain had Natalia endured during her miscarriage?

Unable to help himself, he glanced at Natalia.

Her beautiful face was expressionless, void of sadness.

Yet, for some reason, Hamilton felt even worse.

The hearing on the assault charge went relatively smoothly, thanks to the solid chain of evidence previously uncovered.