Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 79

Natalia was jolted awake by an intense thirst in the middle of the night. Her temples throbbed in painful beats. Her throat felt parched like the dry sands of a desert.

Instinctively, she reached for the space beside her, Hamilton wasn’t there. She had a faint. recollection of him coming home. He must have left again. She thought.

Natalia let out a wry chuckle, swung her legs out of bed, and decided to head to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Stepping out of the bedroom, she caught sight of a figure on the balcony.

The man had an impressive physique, yet he seemed somewhat forlorn against the dark night sky.

He was in a bad mood. Natalia could tell that at a glance...

She didn’t interfere, nor did she ask. In this world, the only person who could affect his mood that way was probably Eveleen.

She moved alone into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. After drinking, she returned to the bedroom. Just as she was about to drift off, the bedroom door swung open.

Hamilton stood in the doorway, his expression unreadable, but the heavy scent of tobacco clung to him. “Awake?” Hamilton’s voice, deep and tinged with irritation, broke the silence.

Natalia’s lips twitched, “Yeah. You need something, Mr. Fowler? If not, I’m going back to sleep.” Hamilton let out a scoffing laugh, “Do

you

remember what you said?”

Natalia’s eyebrows furrowed sharply She couldn’t remember. All she recalled was Hamilton

forcing her to drink when he came back. Nothing beyond that.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Sorry, it’s a blank, she admitted and turned over, ready to sleep again. But her wrist was suddenly seized. Before she could struggle, Hamilton leaned over and pinned her down.

“Don’t remember?” The smile on his lips turned colder. “Let me jog your memory.”

His teeth grazed her neck, nipping a tender piece of flesh with excruciating precision.

Natalia writhed under the sharp pain, “Hamilton, what madness is this!”

Hamilton let out a chuckle, “Let’s just say I’ve gone mad.”

Hamilton truly felt on the brink of insanity.

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From the moment Natalia had revealed her inability to conceive, his chest had been aflame with an unquenchable fire. He had no place to vent it and no way to dissipate it.

She couldn't have kids anymore, yet she never mentioned it, and still took the birth control pills he provided. What was she playing at? Torturing herself? Or seeking revenge in this twisted way?

Hamilton had never felt guilty about the child. He paid what he owed and made the necessary reparations. Why should he feel guilty?

Guilt was the most useless of emotions.

But now...

Now that this woman had told him she couldn’t have children anymore, he found it laughably ironic that he felt a twinge of guilt. His eyes, slightly reddened, bore into the woman beneath him, “Natalia, you’re quite something.”

Natalia glared at the man atop her, misunderstanding his fury as residual anger over Eveleen. “What? Because of that thing | said to Eveleen? If you can’t handle the game, Mr. Fowler, then don’t play!”

Hamilton’s cold laughter was his only reply before he bit down on her lip. “I can’t handle it? Natalia, let’s see how you like playing this game!”

Without a shred of tenderness, he tore her nightgown, leaving a trail of ambiguous red marks. on her pale, soft skin. Natalia tried to fight back, but his dominance left no room for her resistance.

“Hamilton, | don’t want this!” she cried.

He gripped her wrists and pinned her hands above her head, “Can't handle it anymore, my girlfriend?”

Awave of bitterness washed over Natalia. She bit down on Hamilton’s shoulder in a burst of defiance. He grunted and thrust with increased vigor.

The next day, Natalia woke up well past ten in the morning. Hamilton wasn’t home, probably at the office by now. She glanced at her phone and saw a message from him: [You can take another day off, my girlfriend.]

The words “my girlfriend” stung like mockery. Once, she’d yearned to hear him call her that. Now, it was just ludicrous. She tossed the phone aside and never looked at it again.

But since Hamilton suggested she rest at home, she didn’t argue. She spent the whole day in bed, only returning to the office the following day.

Tess greeted Natalia with near—tears of joy, “Boss, you're finally here! Why were you off for so long?”

Natalia offered a vague smile, “Had a bit of a health scare. Needed minor surgery.”

“Oh, | see. Feeling better?”

“Much better,” Natalia replied as she pushed open the door to her office.

But the moment she entered, she stopped dead in her tracks. Then she let out a cold laugh.

Although the executive secretary had warned her, seeing the person before her was still surprise.

It was Giselle Lynd, Lucinda’s niece and Eveleen’s cousin. As a child, Giselle often followed Eveleen in tormenting her.

Tess’s face fell at the sight of Giselle. “Mr. Fowler sent this golden girl without warning. Rumor has it she’s got ties to Eveleen, hence the cushy gig. She’s clueless, bosses everyone around, and has a temper like a bull in a china shop. Already drove a few good people from our department to quit.”

Tess muttered to Natalia before stepping out.

Natalia approached her desk, where Giselle seemed engrossed in a call. Looking up and seeing Natalia, Giselle’s face lit up with a grin, “Cousin, guess who | just saw?”

Whatever response came from the other end made Giselle laugh even more.

She ended the call and looked at Natalia with a smirk, “And here | was, thinking it was someone important. Just the daughter of some old fling who’s repeating her mother’s same old story.”

Natalia’s face darkened instantly, “Giselle, maybe you should ask Eveleen why she got a beating yesterday.”

Giselle’s expression soured; she had heard about Eveleen’s misfortune. And to top it off, Hamilton hadn't laid a finger on Natalia afterward.

“Natalia, where do you get the nerve to stand up to me? You're a bastard child. Do you think that warming someone’s bed for days can make you push my luck?” Giselle asked.

Natalia looked down at her, “Whether or not you think you can push your luck, | know one thing for sure — now that I’m back, you're going to have to pack your things and get out of here!”

Giselle’s face was a raging storm.

When Eveleen had lured her here with promises of a Market Department Manager position, everything had seemed so straightforward. Yet, after a full month, she was still nothing more

15:43

than an acting manager. She had dropped hints to Eveleen, both subtle and direct, several

times.

Each time, Eveleen would agree, but nothing ever came of it.

Giselle wanted to take her case to Hamilton, but she’d been cock—blocked by his executive executive every single time. “You're full of it! You’re nothing but a home-wrecker. What right do you have to kick me out?” she retorted.

Natalia chuckled. She called out to someone outside the room. “Tess, come in and move this desk out for Giselle. Since she’s used it, I'd rather not. Have the facilities bring me a new

one.”

Tess’s eyes lit up immediately, “Right away, Boss.”

As she finished her sentence, Giselle roared with fury, “Don’t you dare touch it! | am Eveleen’s cousin. Do you have any idea who Eveleen is? Touch-my desk and I'll make sure you're out of this company so fast your head will spin!”

Tess spat disdainfully, “You really think you own the place, huh? If Mr. Fowler fires me over this, then | guess that’s it for me.” Together, they carried the desk out. Giselle’s face was a picture of utter disgust. “Natalia, you’re going to regret this!” she claimed.

Natalia didn’t even dignify that with a response and went straight into the conference room with a few team members. She needed to catch up on the status of various projects after her time away.

*Boss, are you sure this is okay?” Tess, who had been bold in action, now felt a twinge of fear. If Hamilton really got angry, it could be more than they could handle.

Natalia’s lips were pressed into a firm line.

Truth be told, she wasn’t certain either. After all, Giselle was Eveleen’s cousin, and that surely meant something different to Hamilton.

But no matter what happened, she wouldn't let Tess or the others get dragged down with her. “Don’t worry, it'll be fine.” She spothed Tess.

Natalia had been busy until noon. Just as she stepped out of the conference room, her cell phone rang. She glanced at it and answered.

“Come upstairs.” The man’s voice was thick with anger.

After those words, he hung up.