Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 284 The moment Hamilton saw her slide the ring off her finger, his heart sank.

Until she spoke those words.

The color drained from his face instantly.

"Say that again!" Natalia looked straight into the eyes of the man in front of her.

She truly loved him.

They had promised, once back, they would get married.

She had tried her best to move forward.

To let go of the past, to let go of Eveleen, and even that child.

But this was the result she got.

His family didn't like her, and they went as far as to cause her mother's death.

He had promised not to see Eveleen again, yet he did.

In this gamble of love, she had lost.

Lost completely.

"I said, we should break up." "Hamilton, your family doesn't like me. We shouldn't force this any longer. I can't take it anymore." "From now on, I won't ask if you can forget about Eveleen. I don't even hope for you to truly let her go anymore. Let's end things here." Tears fell from Natalia's eyes without warning.

This was the first tHamilton had seen her cry since he cback.

Even at Tatiana's funeral, she hadn't shed a tear, but now, they just wouldn't stop.

Natalia stood up, the diamond ring falling to the floor with a clear, echoing sound.

She thought.

Sthings just can't be fixed.

Like the bathroom mirror.

Once broken, you can only replace it with a new one.

The old one, even if mended, will always show its cracks.

Panic surged through Hamilton.

He hadn't expected Natalia to find out he had seen Eveleen.

"Natalia, I saw Eveleen because..." He reached for her, trying to explain.

Natalia struggled to break free.

But Hamilton wouldn't let go.

"Natalia, I went to see Eveleen to make things clear once and for all, I..." Tears in her eyes, Natalia turned back.

"Can you ever make it clear? Hamilton, I don't know what Eveleen means to you. You never letask about your past, much less talk about it yourself." "Over and over, you toldyou were done with Eveleen. But in the end? Whenever she needs something, she always calls you. She's like a responsibility you can't shake off. If that's the case, let's not force it. Hamilton, I really can't take it anymore." Natalia broke away and left.

Hamilton refused to let go.

"Do you want to go through all that pain again?" Natalia's tears kept falling.

Hamilton's fingers stiffened.

"Natalia, if you don't want to stay here, go to Scarlett's. Just cool off for a couple of days, then we can talk again, okay?" Natalia pulled away from him and left without looking back.

Hamilton was about to follow when his phone rang.

It was Alden calling.

Annoyed, he answered.

"What's up?" "Bro, Eveleen's dead." Hamilton went pale.

"What did you say?" "Eveleen's dead. She's been causing trouble since we left. The nurses had been sedating her, but today, they turned their backs for a moment, and she fell down the stairs. Hit her head right on the edge." Natalia left the apartment, stepping into the pouring rain that seemed to want to drown the entire city.

Sitting in her car, tears blurred her vision, but she still saw that man with a darkened face leaving the apartment.

He hadn't even noticed she hadn't left yet.

Natalia watched his car disappear before driving off.

Yet, once on the road, she couldn't hold back her tears and pulled over to cry.

She had lost her mother.

She no longer had a mother.

Even though Tatiana had been bedridden for years.

As long as she was alive, Natalia had a home.

But now, she had nothing.

No mother, no home, no lover.

She cried for a long tby the roadside before finally calming down and driving to Scarlett's place.

Seeing Natalia cin drenched, Scarlett's expression changed tically.

"Why are you soaked?" Natalia didn't answer, just leaned on Scarlett, exhausted.

Scarlett, feeling a deep sympathy, took Natalia to the bathroom.

"How about a bath? I'll make you a hot cocoa, okay?" Natalia nodded, "Okay." Scarlett returned shortly, only to find Natalia resting against the bathtub as if she had fallen asleep, tears still on her cheeks. Her heart ached.

Her eyes reddened.

But Natalia opened her eyes, took the hot cocoa, and said "Thank you." Scarlett paused, noticing the ring was gone.

"Natalia, you and Hamilton..." "We broke up." Her voice was eerily calm, as if her heart wasn't hurting.

But the slight quiver of her lips betrayed her emotions.

Her eyes reddened again as she looked down to hide her tears.

"Did Hamilton agree?" Natalia shook her head. "He said we should talk after I've cooled off for a couple of days." "Then take those days to cool off and talk after." Natalia looked at Scarlett.

She knew Scarlett wanted her to think it over.

But it wasn't just about the Fowler family.

Still, Natalia waited at hfor two days.

She thought, regardless, she needed to know if those people were indeed sent by the Fowler family.

But in those two days, there was no sign of Hamilton, not even a message.

Natalia stared at her silent phone and sighed.

Hamilton, tomorrow is the seventh day since my mom passed. Cto the cemetery with me, I need to ask you something.

She texted Hamilton.

However, the message went unanswered, like a stone dropped into the sea.

On the seventh anniversary of her passing, Tatiana wore as wore a simple black dress and, with a heavy heart picked up a bouquet of I.ne swnov forget-me-nots from the local florist before heading to the cemetery.

Amidst a curtain of rain, she stood from dawn till dusk, a silent figure engulfed by her grief.

It wasn't until Scarlett found her that she seemed to snap back to reality.

"Why are you still standing here?" Scarlett frowned, her face etched el with concern. "Didn't you say you'd just cfor a visit and then head back?" Tatiana gazed into the relentless rain for a long moment before nodding. "Yeah, let's go back." With that, she turned to leave with Scarlett, but only a few steps in, she suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed.

"Natalia!" Hamilton only saw Natalia's message the next day.

The funeral of Eveleen had been a never-ending saga of disputes m among the Schafer family, and only now had Hamilton found a moment of peace. He frowned at a photo of Eveleen on the wall, his eyes filled with complex emotions. His memories of their childhood were faint, mostly filled with painful moments.

Only the n"Evi" seemed to be a small comfort amid all the suffering.

He could never have imagined this would be their ending.

Clutching a necklace tightly, Hamilton took a long moment before heading back to his car.

Once inside, he asked in a low voice, "How did the interrogation go?" Alden frowned. "They indeed had contact with Grandfather's bodyguard and admitted he was the one who signaled them." A chill flashed in Hamilton's eyes.

"What about Mason and the Powell family?" "Mason played chess with Grandfather several times, always making sure they were alone. The Powell family, on the other hand, has been unusually quiet." Hamilton's expression grew colder.

"Tell the Ron Group's branch to get out of Silkwood City!" Alden quickly acknowledged.

Rubbing his temples, Hamilton pulled out his phone, intending to call Natalia, but his fingers froze the next moment.

He opened Whatand glanced at it before speaking in a deep voice.

"We're heading back to the States, now!"