Echoes Of a Forsaken Heart

Hamilton gripped Natalia’s waist, lowering his gaze upon her with an uncharacteristic tenderness in his eyes.

Natalia, momentarily dazed by the softness on his face, quickly snapped back to reality. She flashed a wry smile at him and asked, “Mr. Fowler, having second thoughts, are we?”

Watching her, Hamilton took a moment before releasing her, leaning against the wall to light a cigarette. “Natalia, I’ve given you an out. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Without a word, Natalia turned and strode towards the door.

“Quite sure,” she said, and with that, she was out the door and gone.

Hamilton stood there, his face a stormy canvas of displeasure. After a spell, he whipped out his phone and dialed a number.

“Tonight, I want Orpheus’s assets turned upside down!”

Having made the call, Hamilton moved to the window, watching the woman disappear into the night before taking a drag of his smoke.

He had intended to let her have her little rebellion for a few more days, but tonight’s events had stirred a regret within him for letting her go.

A canary belongs in its cage, he mused. Wasn’t it better for her to stay put by his side?

Frowning into the night, Hamilton dialed another number.

Natalia, after returning home, completed her nightly routine and fell straight into bed.

Her slumber was broken by the shrill of her phone, and with bleary eyes, she recognized the

caller – Tatiana’s doctor.

Her grogginess vanished instantly as she bolted upright, wincing at a sharp pain in her side.

Ignoring the discomfort, she answered the call. “Doctor, what’s wrong? Is it my mother?”

“It’s not that,” the doctor replied, and Natalia exhaled a sigh of relief.

Natalia bit her lip, “Then what is it?”

“The thing is, Ms. Jenkins, the medication your mother has been on is imported, and it was heavily discounted because of Mr. Fowler. But it seems he no longer wishes to extend those discounts.”

Natalia felt a jolt. This was surely Hamilton’s tactic to force her return. She took a deep breath, attempting to steady her emotions.

“If the discounts are removed, what’s the monthly cost?”

12:39

There was hesitance before the doctor spoke.

“Without the discount, you’re looking at an additional two hundred thousand a month.”

The room spun around Natalia.

“That much?” she asked, frowning. “Doctor, are you certain there’s no mistake?”

The current medical bills for Tatiana were already a hefty two hundred thousand per month.

“There’s no mistake, Ms. Jenkins. You can come to the hospital to see the billing details, or can email them to you if you prefer.”

Natalia’s heart sank. After a long pause, she finally said, “Alright, I understand. I’ll figure something out.”

“Please do, Ms. Jenkins. Your mother’s medication funds are running low.”

“Understood.”

Ending the call, Natalia couldn’t help but massage her temples. Her struggle to cover Tatiana’s medical expenses was hard enough as Hamilton had just cut her commission in half.

Natalia let out a bitter laugh. Indeed, Hamilton knew exactly how to exploit one’s vulnerabilities. Using Tatiana against her was far more effective than anything else. After all, Tatiana was her last living kin.

She couldn’t even blame Hamilton, nor could she confront him. Discounts were never his

obligation.

Leaning back on her bed, Natalia was engulfed by a wave of helplessness. After getting dressed, she visited Tatiana at the hospital.

Sitting by Tatiana’s bedside, Natalia felt a rare sense of self–pity.

She didn’t want to return. Truly, she didn’t.

She feared that if she went back, she might never muster the courage to leave again. Nor did she want to be caught between Hamilton and Eveleen.

Holding Tatiana’s hand, Natalia’s eyes welled up. “Mom, please wake up soon, okay? I’m starting to feel tired.”

The tears fell as she spoke.

Wiping her eyes, she regained composure with a small smile, “But it’s okay. Someone has been helping me these past three years. His name is Hamilton. Remember him? The crybaby from the little fishing village where we used to live.”

With a wistful smile, she continued, “He’s quite formidable now. Maybe you’ll see him once you’re better. But… he probably doesn’t remember us.”

Giving Tatiana’s hand a squeeze, she whispered, “Just wake up, sooner or later. Don’t leave me alone.”

12:39

After leaving Tatiana’s room, Natalia collected the billing statement and paid every last dime she had at the hospital.

Only then did she leave. As she stepped out of the hospital, she bumped into Caspian,

“Ms. Jenkins,” he called out.

Startled, Natalia looked up and asked, “Mr. Spiegel, what brings you here?”

Instead of answering, Caspian simply asked, “Have you been crying?”

Natalia quickly lowered her gaze. “No, it was just the wind.”

Caspian frowned slightly, “Ms. Jenkins, I know it might sound presumptuous, but you can think of me as a friend or even an elder. If something’s troubling you, you can always share it with me,”

Natalia forced a smile as she turned to Casplan, her voice carrying a tremble, “I was just up there, visiting my mom. It got a bit overwhelming.”

Caspian’s face cleared with understanding, “Oh, is your mother here in the hospital?”

Natalia nodded, about to speak again when her phone abruptly started ringing.

She glanced at the caller ID–It was Scarlett.

With an apologetic grin, Natalla said, “I’ve got to take care of something.”

Caspian nodded quickly. “Of course, go ahead.”

After a brief nod to Caspian, Natalia answered the call and simultaneously hailed a cab from the curb.

Caspian watched her slender figure disappear into the traffic before turning to the hospital. He had wanted to accompany Natalia and visit her mother, but on second thought, he decided against it. They weren’t that close, and his earlier inquiries had already been quite forward.

In the cab.

Natalia answered the call and Scarlett’s voice came through immediately.

“Natalia, let’s book those plane tickets.” ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Natalia frowned, suddenly remembering Scarlett’s plans to take a trip.

She bit her lip slightly and asked, “Have we decided where we’re going?”

Scarlett laughed, “How about we head to River State? Take a trip down memory lane to where you grew up. What do you think?”

Natalia paused and then chuckled, “Sounds good.”

After the call, Natalia stared blankly out the window for a while before pulling a document from her bag.

12:40

The document was a deed transfer agreement that Hamilton had given her after a miscarriage she’d suffered.

She had never wanted to part with that house. No matter what, it was bought with her child’s

life.

But now, faced with the choice of yielding to Hamilton or letting go of the house, she preferred the latter.

With a wry smile, she signed her name on the document.

At the office, Natalia, clutching the paperwork, made her way straight to the top floor. She knocked on the CEO’s office door and placed the document right in front of Hamilton.

Hamilton picked up the document, glanced at it indifferently, and scoffed.

“What’s this supposed to mean, Ms. Jenkins?”

Natalia’s posture stiffened as she said, “This is the house that you once promised me.”

The man chuckled coldly, tossing the document back onto the desk and looked at Natalia with

a detached expression. “I recall, Ms. Jenkins, you once said you didn’t want this house. Now what? Can’t handle the game and want it back?”