Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 22

Back when social engagements didn’t tie him up, Hamilton often enjoyed the luxury of meals prepared at home by Natalia. He was a food snob, finicky about every detail from the ingredients to the plating. Unless he had to, he seldom dined out. In the early days of their relationship, Natalia went to great lengths to satisfy his

s gourmet inclinations. She once basked in the glow of his casual “not bad” for days on end. It seemed she had given him all of her efforts, youthful days, and heart-fluttering moments.

The memory of cooking his favorite meal with a heart full of happiness now felt so distant.

“What's wrong?” Scarlett asked.

Natalia hung up the phone, her face a shade paler than usual. “I have to go back.”

Money was tight for her. She had to admit she still needed to rely on Hamilton for financial support.

Her mother’s medical bills were a bottomless pit. And now, with a child on the way, a child she hadn't initially planned for, she needed a solid financial foundation more than ever.

After parting ways with Scarlett, Natalia made her way to the local farmer's market. Hamilton insisted on the freshest ingredients; leftovers never lasted overnight in their fridge.

By the time Natalia returned from the market, the evening had settled in. She spent two full hours in the kitchen conjuring up a meal of four dishes and a soup. Hamilton's dining preferences were nothing short of ritualistic and Natalia could not afford to be careless in the

kitchen.

After two hours amid the greasy fumes, she felt nauseated and had to take antiemetic medication before calling Hamilton. But his phone went unanswered.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was eight o’clock.

He shouldn't be in a meeting or working late at this hour. Did he not hear the phone, or was he ignoring it?

After a moment's hesitation, she dialed again. This time, he rejected her call straight up.

Staring at the disconnected call, a wave of frustration washed over her. She exhaled softly and sent him a message. [Dinner’s ready. When are you coming back?]

A brief pause later, her phone buzzed.

[Not coming home for dinner.]

Natalia stared at the message before replying with a simple: [Okay.]

14:34

After sending it, she found herself fixated on Hamilton's text. It was a peculiar feeling, a blend of hurt and disappointment and an unmistakable ache.

When a man’s heart isn’t with you, he’ll never appreciate your sacrifices. Suddenly, nausea overwhelmed her, and she rushed to the bathroom.

After throwing up, she braced herself on the sink, staring at her disheveled, pale reflection in the mirror for a long while before regaining her composure. Her nose tingled, but she refused to

cry.

Hamilton had already claimed too many of her tears. This had happened before; it was happening now, and it might well happen again.

She had already given him everything, and she didn’t want to give him her tears, too.

After washing her face, her mood had steadied. She sat down at the dining table and began to eat alone. Her cooking was. actually quite good. Over the years, she had mastered many dishes just for Hamilton. Tonight’s spread was all his favorites.

Natalia ate heartily. After finishing, she purged again. She then bagged up the unfinished meal and carried it downstairs. The neighborhood's stray cats and dogs gathered around as she approached.

Natalia set down small bowls and portioned out the food, dividing it among the eager animals. After feeding them, she didn’t leave. She squatted in the garden, watching the animals eat, unaware of the tears sliding down her cheeks.

She wasn’t even sure why she was crying.

It was unnecessary, wasn’t it?

However, emotions during pregnancy are often uncontrollable.

After some time, a pair of leather shoes stopped in front of her.

Natalia didn’t look up. She didn’t want Hamilton to see her in such a mess.

He stood silent before her, simply watching her feed the cats and dogs.

Once the animals had scattered, he finally spoke. “Get up.”

His voice was low, and his tone was less than pleasant.

Had he returned with anger from an encounter with Eveleen? Natalia wondered. Natalia, now calm, looked up at Hamilton. “You’re back?”

Hamilton squinted down at her. “Have you been crying?”

Natalia offered a wry smile. “No, just a bug flew into my eye.”

Hamilton seemed indifferent; his question was probably just a formality. Accepting her explanation of the bug, he nodded. “Are you done here? If so, let’s go in.” Chapter 22

“I'd like to stay out here a bit longer.”

He glanced at her. “Throwing a fit?”

She chuckled softly. “Not at all, Mr. Fowler. Rest assured, | do have that much self-awareness.” “Good. Just don’t start with those dramatic antics.”

Natalia fell silent.

Hamilton lingered for a moment before asking again, “You're really not going in?” “In a while.”

“Suit yourself.” He turned and walked away.

Natalia stayed put for a moment longer before rising to her feet. By the time she returned home. Hamilton had already retreated to his study after a shower. After taking a bath and medication herself, Natalia went straight to bed.

She had no idea when Hamilton came to bed or when he left. All she knew was that by morning. the bed beside her was cold. Perhaps he hadn’t slept there at all.

Natalia gathered her composure and didn’t dwell on it. She bypassed the office and headed straight for the studio. She had a shoot scheduled with Eveleen, with a new product launch looming and promotion already delayed by personnel changes and their personal conflicts.

Starting the shoot today meant they were already on a tight schedule. Yet, half the day passed without a sign of Eveleen.

Natalia frowned at the impatient crew and decided to make a call. Without Eveleen’s contact. she could only reach out to her agent.

However, the agent was either busy or ignoring the calls, leaving Natalia no option but to call Hamilton. Hamilton picked up the phone, his voice tinged with a hint of agitation. “Yes?”

There was a brief pause before Natalia spoke. “Mr. Fowler, please pass along Ms. Schafer’s contact info to me. We had a shoot scheduled for today, and she’s nowhere to be seen.”

Hamilton was silent for a beat, then said, “I forgot to mention, Eveleen isn’t feeling well, so let’s call off the shoot for today.”

Natalia was momentarily taken aback. She struggled to maintain an even tone as she said, “Mr. Fowler, coordinating the crew isn’t exactly a walk in the park, and with the product launch right around the corner, we haven't even started our campaign.”

Hamilton's voice was unnervingly calm. “And? Isn’t that a slip—up on your part, Ms. Jenkins? Why didn’t you check in with Eveleen ahead of time to confirm her availability?”

Taking a deep breath, Natalia replied, “I had everything set up with Ms. Schafer’s agent. All times were agreed upon. She didn’t show today, nor did she give me any heads-up!”

Hamilton paused momentarily. “Oh, Eveleen asked me to inform you last night, but since you weren’t keen on coming up, it slipped my mind. My apologies.”

With that, Hamilton hung up the call.