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 | 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, | 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 | 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.”

14:40

“I'm pregnant. | 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, | 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.

Eveleen stood by Hamilton, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Jenkins. | had no idea my fans would do something like this.”

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.

Suddenly, Natalia’s patience thinned. “I’m just wondering how these fans found out about my relationship with Mr. Fowler. Even people in the company don’t know, so how did the fans find out? Is someone leading them on?”

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, | 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, | swear | 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. | 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, | believe you. Now, please, go rest.” “That’s more like it.” Eveleen’s tears turned to laughter.

“Go on.”

Once Eveleen and her agent had departed, Hamilton turned to Alden. “What exactly happened?” Alden shook his head. “I’m not sure. It was chaos. By the time | got there, Ms. Jenkins was already hurt. You don’t think Eveleen could've actually...”

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.“