Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Scarlett finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing her say that.

The nanny looked a bit innocently at Natalia.

But Natalia just quietly continued eating her meal.

After dinner, Scarlett raised an eyebrow at Natalia, "Shall I drive you to the bank?"

"Aren't you working today?"

"I took the day off. Let's go."

Chatting and laughing, the two of them headed out.

Upon arriving at the bank, just as they parked the car, they saw Giselle also getting out of her vehicle.

Seeing Giselle, Scarlett couldn't help but roll her eyes.

She muttered under her breath, "Should've checked the horoscope before leaving the house, ran into a pile of garbage right away."

Natalia let out a somewhat speechless chuckle, "Just pretend she doesn't exist."

However, while she wished to ignore Giselle, Giselle wasn't about to let them off the hook.

Giselle headed straight for them.

"Natalia, look who we have here again."

Natalia ignored her, walking straight into the bank.

But Giselle kept following them.

"Natalia, did you break up with Hamilton?"

Natalia stayed silent, but Scarlett snorted coldly, "What's it to you, swamp thing?"

Giselle's face turned red with frustration.

"Scarlett, who do you think you are to talk to me like that?"

Scarlett scoffed, "I'd rather not waste words on a swamp thing."

She then pulled Natalia along inside.

Giselle persisted.

"Natalia, I heard your trashy mom passed away, is that true?"

Natalia stopped dead in her tracks, turning around and slapping Giselle across the face.

"Say one more word, Giselle, and I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Caught off guard, Giselle stared at Natalia with fury.

"You dare to hit me?"

"Consider yourself lucky I didn't do worse!"

Giselle suddenly sneered.

"All you can do is hit people. Do you know where Hamilton was when your mom died? He was comforting Eveleen. Do you know Hamilton didn't sleep for two days during Eveleen's funeral? Natalia, your man's heart belongs to another woman. Doesn't that disgust you?" "Shut up!" Before Giselle could finish, Scarlett landed another slap across her face.

"Giselle, you think anyone cares about Hamilton, that loser? It's only you lot who idolize him like some trophy."

"And if he truly cared about Eveleen, he wouldn't have been circling around Natalia right after her death!"

With that, she pulled Natalia along with her inside.

Giselle watched their backs, eyes blazing with anger.

Inside the lobby, Scarlett whispered, "Don't mind her, she's just looking to get under your skin. The more you care, the happier she is."

Natalia forced a smile, "I'm not bothered."

And truth be told, Giselle wasn't entirely wrong.

"How about we find Elliott later and give him a piece of our mind? Just to vent."

Natalia's lips twitched, "I'll pass. I can't quite master your style of venting."

Scarlett clicked her tongue. "Then go give Hamilton a piece of your mind. Giselle wouldn't dare confront you if it weren't for him spoiling the Schafer and Lynd families' brats!" Natalia's eyes darkened with a cold laugh, "At this point, I'm just thankful if he stays away from me."

After saying that, she went to find the bank manager.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Following a discussion, she obtained various documents and headed to the safety deposit box.

Inside Tatiana's box were only two items.

One was a bank book with just a few thousand dollars, likely hidden from Graham.

The other item was a jewelry box.

Inside the box was an emerald green bracelet.

The moment Natalia opened it, she paused.

"Damn, Natalia, this looks expensive!"

Natalia's lips moved slightly.

After a while, she said, "This must be the only piece of jewelry she left behind."

As she picked up the bracelet, her fingers slightly trembled.

Beneath the bracelet was a note.

For Natalia's dowry.

Natalia felt a sting in her nose, holding back tears with a laugh.

"My mom really did leave me something priceless for my dowry."

Scarlett hugged her, patting her back.

"Keep it safe, wear it on your wedding day!"

Natalia nodded, smiling.

Hamilton returned home and immediately went to the shower.

After getting drenched in rain multiple times last night, his clothes were practically sour on him.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have decided against meeting Natalia and returned home instead.

After showering, Alden called.

"Bro, the necklace got authenticated. It's real."

But Hamilton didn't feel the expected relief.

The necklace being real didn't confirm the person was.

After a pause, he asked.

"What about Natalia's situation?"

"Still looking into it."

Hamilton hummed a response, then went to the dressing room.

He was about to grab his perfume when he realized it was empty.

Frowning, he turned to open Natalia's drawer, knowing she usually kept a few bottles for him.

But as he opened the drawer, he froze.

Inside Natalia's drawer was a diary.

Hamilton swallowed hard.

If he wasn't mistaken, this diary came from Graham.

He stared at it for a moment, lost in thought.

But then, he picked it up.

Turning to the first page, his breath caught in his throat.

The necklace shattered, smashed by

Graham. Mom got hurt too. I just

can't stand this place anymore. I

I

ет

hate Graham. I want to escape with mom go back to that quaint fishing village, back to where Hamilton is.

Hamilton stared at the words before him.

It was as if the reality he had been dodging suddenly confronted him, unannounced.

He felt choked, panicked, his limbs numb, a bitter taste in his mouth and heart.

The necklace, the fishing village, Hamilton.

His fingers flipped back a couple of pages, then paused before moving again.

"Today's my seventeenth birthday, probably the happiest and the saddest one in recent years. Eveleen bullied me, forced me to look for a bracelet for her. Thankfully, I saw Hamilton, but it's like he doesn't know me anymore. His eyes were filled with estrangement, a disdain for the world. He doesn't remember Evi, doesn't remember our past."

Hamilton's heart clenched, a tightness in his chest making it hard to breathe.

A myriad of pains surged through him.

He suddenly felt an urge to laugh, but his eyes quickly reddened.

So, it was true.

It really was.

Natalia, was really Evi?

For the first time, Hamilton was in a complete panic.

He barely dared to recall what he had done to Natalia.

The miscarriage, the fall from the cliff, repeatedly siding with Eveleen, and even when her mother passed away he wasn't there for hero because of Eveleen.

He had actually done such terrible things to his Evi!

Hamilton chuckled, a laugh filled with immense pain.

Pain that belonged to both him and Natalia.

His fingers trembled slightly as he closed the diary.

Then, he turned and walked away.