Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Chapter 164 Natalia held Hamilton's gaze steadily, a storm brewing in the silence between them.

After an eternity, she finally spoke, her voice cutting through the tension. "Hamilton, did you know about Eveleen's involvement in my kidnapping?" Hamilton choked on his words, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper. "You found out?" As his question hung in the air, Natalia's hand flew, her slap landing across his face with a force that resonated with all her pent-up fury. "Hamilton, you disgusteven more than Eveleen does." With that, she spun on her heel and marched towards the door, every step fuelled by a heart so pained it struggled to beat.

How could a man she'd shared three years with be so callously indifferent to her life? He knew about Eveleen's treachery, yet he acted as if it were nothing.

Biting back tears that threatened to spill, she pushed through the pain, her resolve the only thing keeping her upright.

The man she once loved had betrayed her, not once but tand again.

Natalia didn't look back as she dragged her suitcase towards the exit.

Hamilton was stunned by the slap, but quickly regained his composure and stepped in front of her. "You slapped me. Feel better now?" Without a word, Natalia kicked him hard in the shin, her stiletto heel driving hthe pain more than her palm had. Hamilton winced, clenching his jaw to suppress a groan. Still, he didn't let go.

"Natalia, remember what you said? If I stayed out of Eveleen's mess, you'd givea chance." Natalia scoffed bitterly. "Too late. Hamilton, you'll never have that chance again!" She shoved him aside and continued towards the elevator.

Hamilton followed swiftly. "Natalia, I told you, I'm done with Eveleen. What more do you want?" She bit down hard on his arm, not releasing until the tang of blood hit her tongue.

"Hamilton, it's over between us!" With a final shove, she stepped into the elevator and watched as his figure becsmaller, consumed by the closing doors.

Hamilton's gaze darkened as Natalia disappeared from sight. He pulled out his phone and dialed Caspian's number.

Caspian, in the midst of a meeting, gestured for a pause and answered the call nonchalantly. "Hamilton, what's up?" "You're kiddingright now, Caspian? You got nothing better to do?" Caspian chuckled. "What's going on?" Hamilton sneered. "Cut the act." Only three people knew about Eveleen's involvement: himself, Alden, and Caspian. Caspian had been privy to the police interrogation of Orpheus, and he knew the ins and outs of every precinct around. It had to be Caspian who spilled the beans to Natalia. Alden would never have said a word without Caspian's say-so.

Caspian leaned back in his chair, a pen tapping rhythmically against his desk. His displeasure was evident. He didn't usually meddle, especially in Hamilton's affairs, but this was different. Natalia wasn't just anyone; she bore a striking resemblance to his sister. Caspian's voice was icy. "Hamilton, I'm a lawyer. My job is to present the facts to my clients, to ensure they suffer no injustice. Unlike you, I don't let anyone suffer needlessly." Hamilton's eyes narrowed, his gaze unreadable. He hadn't intended to hurt Natalia. He wanted to wait until they reconciled before telling her about Eveleen, to avoid worsening their conflict. But now, Caspian had gone and laid it all out. "Stay out of my business with her, Caspian, or you'll forceto call Ms. Delia!" Caspian was displeased as the call ended, hoping his push would make Hamilton realize what he needed to do. Back in his bedroom, Hamilton swept the rose petals from his bed, Natalia's words echoing in his mind, "Hamilton, I never liked roses." He dialed another number. "Cancel today's surgery." Meanwhile, Eveleen had been bombarding Hamilton with calls since morning, refusing to enter the operating room until he arrived. Now, ignored and seething, she had trashed her hospital room in frustration.

Lucinda and Patrick couldn't persuade her.

When the two of them were in a hurry, the doctor's phone rang.

He frowned and answered, "Mr. Fowler." His expression turned to shock before hanging up.

"It was Hamilton, wasn't it?" Eveleen sat up eagerly.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, it was Mr. Fowler." "What did he say? Is he on his way? Was there skind of hold-up before?" The doctor raised an eyebrow and let out a small chuckle. "Ms. Schafer, I regret to inform you that Mr. Fowler stated the operation is no longer necessary." After the doctor's announcement, silence fell upon the hospital room.

Everyone seemed baffled, frozen in place, until they finally found their voices and blurted out in unison.

"What did you just say?" The doctor shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Mr. Fowler stated that your surgery is cancelled." With that, he turned with a hint of regret and started to walk away.

It was then that Eveleen snapped back to reality.

She screamed frantically at the doctor's retreating figure.

"No way, Hamilton wouldn't just abandon me, you cback here! m He promised he'd take care of me, he said he wouldn't leavescarred! You cback here!" Eveleen's shrieks echoed through the ward. But the doctor didn't even turn his head.

In a fit of rage, Eveleen grabbed a pillow and hurled it in his direction, hitting nothing but air. Lucinda, standing by her side, was also losing her composure.

"What does Hamilton mean? Is he really washing his hands of you?" At this moment, Eveleen could not bear such words.

She turned on Lucinda with a roar.

"Shut up! Don't you dare speak like that. Hamilton would never just leavehanging!" With that, she snatched up her cell phone and dialed Hamilton's number once again.