Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 40
Natalia couldn't quite put her finger on the feeling that was churning inside her.
She had always clung to the notion that her childhood memories held some
special meaning to Hamilton. But she was wrong. In his heart, Eveleen was the
only light in his life.
At that moment, Natalia felt utterly foolish. The cherished memories she often
held close, like treasures, were hers alone.
“The auction's about to start. Let's head back,” Alden murmured beside her.
Snapping back to reality, Natalia nodded. “Okay.” She followed Alden into the
venue, only to be stopped by a server.
“Ms. Jenkins, Mr. Fowler would like a word with you.”
Natalia glanced at Alden. “I'll be right there.”
“Sure.”
Natalia was ushered over to where Hamilton was seated in the front row, Eveleen
by his side. Eveleen’s lips curled into a slight smirk upon seeing Natalia.
“Ms. Jenkins, you're here, too?” she chimed.
Natalia nodded, avoiding any unnecessary chitchat.
Hamilton spared Natalia a glance. “Feeling alright?”
Again, Natalia nodded. “I'm fine.”
“Where were you earlier?”
“Just outside for a bit, ran into Alden,” Natalia replied.
Hamilton nodded and handed her a catalog. “Take a look, see if there’s anything
you like.”
Natalia paused, then said, “But I thought...”
Before she could finish, Eveleen interjected. “Hamilton, those earrings are simply
divine. You
must get them for me!”
Hamilton chuckled. “How many times have you mentioned them now?”
“Come on, make sure you get them, okay?”
“Alright, I got it,” Hamilton conceded.
Natalia instantly clammed up. Eveleen’s face lit up with Hamilton's affirmation,
and she turned. to Natalia. “Ms. Jenkins, is there anything that catches your
eye?”
After a moment's silence, Natalia handed back the catalog. “Thank you, but
there's nothing I want.”
Chapter 40
Hamilton raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
Natalia nodded firmly. “Yes.”
He looked at her, then let the matter drop.
The auction commenced, with Eveleen whispering to Hamilton throughout,
leaving Natalia feeling like an outsider. The one—of-a—kind earrings, designed by
a renowned artist, eventually went to Hamilton for a staggering thirty million
dollars.
Hamilton asked again, “You sure you don’t want to bid on something? It's now or
never.”
After a pause, Natalia said, “If possible, I'd rather Mr. Fowler just give me the
cash equivalent.”
Hamilton scoffed. “Ms. Jenkins, you're asking for too much.”
“Then just bid on whatever,” she replied.
Hamilton's face darkened. “Too late.”
Natalia fell silent.
By the time the auction ended, it was past eleven. As Hamilton had said, Natalia
left with nothing. He stood up, telling her bluntly, “I'll take Eveleen home. Find
your own way back.”
“Alright.”
Natalia watched them leave together before exiting the venue herself.
Unbeknownst to her, the rain had started to pour outside. She stood at the
entrance, contemplating a call to Alden, when a commotion erupted.
Suddenly, a figure charged towards her. Before she could react, a piercing
scream followed by sharp pain shot through her arm. A teenage girl, in a fit of
rage, was shrieking at her.
“Bitch! Mistress! You're ruining Eveleen and Mr. Fowler's relationship, you tramp!
I'll teach your a lesson for Eveleen, you wretch!”
Blood seeped from the gash on Natalia’s arm. Gritting her teeth, she called out,
“Somebody. please, call the police!”
“What good will that do? You're still a bitch, a mistress!” The girl, though
restrained by security. continued her tirade as if she had lost her mind.
Alden rushed to Natalia’s side, his face blanching at the sight of her bleeding
arm.
“Ms. Jenkins, let's get you to the hospital. They'll handle this here.”
Natalia nodded, following Alden to his car. Once inside, he drove furiously to the
nearest hospital.
At the hospital, she followed the doctor to treat her wound.
“Can we skip the medication?” she whispered.
Surprised, the doctor replied, “With a cut like this, you'll need it to prevent
infection.”
2/4
14:40
Chapter 40
“I'm pregnant. I don’t want to harm the baby.” Natalia admitted.
The doctor paused, then said, “I'll use something safe for the fetus, but you need
treatment.”
Natalia relented, “Thank you.
The doctor smiled. “No need to thank me. Where's your husband?”
After a moment, Natalia said quietly. “I'm not married.”
“And your boyfriend?”
“Don’t have one,” she replied, looking down.
The doctor fell silent before suggesting. “You should get an ultrasound to check
on the baby.”
“Thank you, I will,” Natalia said, taking the prescription. Stepping out, she was
greeted by Alden. “How are you holding up? Is it all bandaged?”
She nodded, and the night drew on, a painful reminder of the distance between
her and Hamilton.
Alden’s phone had barely stopped ringing when he relayed the message to
Natalia, “Just got a call from the venue. Turns out that girl is a mega—fan of
Eveleen. Heard through the grapevine about your connection to my brother, and
now her folks wanna meet you.”
“No need.” Natalia said without missing a beat. “Just call the cops and let them
deal with it.”
It was a stroke of luck that security was close by today; they had managed to
intercept the girl. before she could injure more than Natalia’s arm.
“I've got one more check-up, so please wait for me for a while?”
Alden nodded quickly, but soon enough, he couldn't help adding, “I just called my
brother. He's on his way here.
Natalia paused mid—step. “Thanks, Alden.”
Alden cracked a smile. “What are you thanking me for?”
After her ultrasound confirmed the baby was fine, Natalia finally breathed a sigh
of relief. Walking out of the ultrasound room, she found both Hamilton and
Eveleen had arrived, Eveleen’s agent in tow.
Hamilton furrowed his brows at the sight of the bandage on Natalia’s arm. “Are
you alright?”
Natalia’s eyes dropped. “I'm fine, Mr. Fowler. No worries.”
Hamilton's gaze narrowed slightly.
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Eveleen stood by Hamilton, tears
1 “yr =
streaming down her face. “I'm so
sorry, Ms. Jenkins. I had no idea my
: : =a
fans would do something like this.
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Read the latest chapter there!
Chapter 40
Natalia stayed quiet for a moment. “It's okay. It's not your fault.”
“Exactly. There’s no way this falls back on our Eveleen.” Eveleen’s agent chimed
in, unable to
hold back.
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1 Sa) . .
Suddenly, Natalia's patience thinned.
wp . 5
I'm just wondering how these fans
found out about my relationship with
Mr. Fowler. Even people in the
p -
company don't know, so how did the
fans find out? Is someone leading
" 3
them on?" The content is on
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chapter there!
Eveleen’s agent was taken aback by Natalia’s directness.
“Ms. Jenkins, what are you implying? That Eveleen somehow suggested her fans
do this?”
Natalia offered a thin smile. “I didn’t say that. But we'll get to the bottom of this.”
You..=
“Hamilton, I really didn’t,” Eveleen pleaded with reddened eyes.
Hamilton's gaze was heavy as he turned to Natalia. “Ms. Jenkins.”
Natalia met his stare, the bitterness evident in her voice. “I need to get my
prescription.”
With that, she walked off.
Eveleen’s crying grew even more intense behind her. “Hamilton, I swear I didn’t.”
Hamilton's deep look didn’t waver. He didn't voice his belief or disbelief; he
merely glanced at Eveleen’s agent.
“Take Eveleen home. Once she’s settled, call me. I don’t want any rumors
spreading from this.”
The agent quickly agreed. However, Eveleen refused to leave. “I'm not going.
Don’t you believe me?”
Hamilton sighed, a mix of exasperation and care in his voice. “Of course, I
believe you. Now, please, go rest.”
“That's more like it.” Eveleen’s tears turned to laughter.
“Goon.”
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Once Eveleen and her agent had
departed, Hamilton turned to Alden.
u« ”
What exactly happened?” Alden
: “pr
shook his head. “I'm not sure. It was
chaos. By the time I got there, Ms.
: P
Jenkins was already hurt. You don't
: , "
think Eveleen could've actually...” The
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the latest chapter there!
Hamilton’s gaze cut through Alden’s speculation. Alden felt a pang of guilt. “I'm
just voicing my thoughts, that’s all.”
Hamilton was silent for a moment before responding. “She has no reason to do
such a thing.“